Neapolitan Wonders

Day 1 London to Naples, Italy.

Fly by scheduled flight. Arrive this afternoon and transfer to the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia for our five night stay. Settle into your room before meeting for dinner at the hotel this evening. (D)

Day 2 Naples.

Our morning city tour of Naples includes the Piazza del Plebiscito with its range of buildings including the Galleria Umberto I, the Maschio Angioino and the Palazzo Reale. Inside the palace we will visit the Historical Apartment, which is accessed through the majestic Staircase of Honour, which Montesquieu described as the most beautiful in Europe. The apartment consists of over 30 rooms including the Court Theatre, the Throne Room and the Royal Chapel, which contain precious furnishings and paintings from the Bourbon collection. We then make our way to one of the city’s pizzerias to enjoy a lunch of Naples most famous export. Return to the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day and evening at leisure. (B, L)

Day 3 Herculaneum & Teatro San Carlo.

Today we visit the remarkable ruins of Herculaneum at the foot of the awesome Mount Vesuvius. When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. Herculaneum is smaller but better preserved than Pompeii and has a wealth of archaeological finds such as inlaid marble floors, mosaics and paintings. While hot ashes consumed the wood of Pompeii’s structures, Herculaneum’s destruction was due to a flood of hot mud which sealed and protected entire buildings. During our visit to the site we will discover ancient luxurious properties and villas. Afterwards we will take lunch in a nearby restaurant and return to the hotel for a free afternoon. In the early evening we will meet for an aperitif before our evening performance of Puccini’s ‘Tosca’ at the Teatro San Carlo. (B, L, D*)

Day 4 Naples.

Today is free to explore Naples or the surrounding areas at your own pace. You may want to explore the tunnels under the streets of Naples, take a walk along the bustling Via dei Tribunali in the historic centre, ride one of the funiculars for wonderful views over the city and Bay of Naples or leave the city to visit Pompeii. Meet this evening for dinner at the hotel. (B, D)

Day 5 Royal Palace of Caserta.

After breakfast we head north to the Royal Palace in Caserta which was built to rival Versailles. A master work of the architect Vanvitelli, the Palace was built by the bourbon kings in the 1700s and is considered a triumph of Italian Baroque. Inside there are artefacts galore to be seen, gilded panelling, paintings, canopied royal beds, chandeliers, inlaid furniture and silk padded walls whilst outside a grand royal park expands across 11 acres where the garden’s pools, fountains and cascades are aligned through a ‘telescope effect’, extending as far as the eye can see. Return to Naples for an afternoon at lesiure before we meet this evening for our farewell dinner at the hotel. (B, D)

Day 6 Naples to London.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to London. (B)

B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner, D* - Light pre-event buffet