Intrepid Travel

Best of Italy

Best of Italy

The enduring phrase ‘la dolce vita’ – or the good life – truly captures the essence of Italy. Spend 14 days discovering the heart of all things Italian on a culturally rich adventure from the piazzas of Rome to the canals of Venice. Tour the Tuscan countryside on a leisurely cycle along Lucca’s Serchio River, peer into Pisa and marvel at its Leaning Tower, take to the trails of the Cinque Terre for some stunning coastal views, and walk the Portofino Peninsula to be one with its glamourous residents. With time spent wine tasting in rural villages, ferry catching along Lake Como and relaxing among the vibrant centres of Milan and Venice, you’ll soon understand why Italy remains in the hearts of all who visit.

Activities

  • Lucca – Bicycle Tour
  • Pisa – Half Day Trip to Pisa
  • Cinque Terre – Day Trip, including Cinque Terre Pass
  • Portofino Peninsula – Walk and Boat Ride
  • Asti – Village Winery Visit & Wine Tasting
  • Milan – Duomo Rooftop Visit
  • Milan – Half Day Trip
  • Lake Como – Ferry Pass
  • Venice – Traghetto Boat Ride
  • Verona – Orientation walk & Juliet’s Balcony
  • Venice – Orient Experience Snack Stop

Highlights

  • Take to the Tuscan countryside and cycle along the Serchio River in Lucca, working up an appetite for the region’s delicious local food and renowned wines.
  • Spend a free day exploring the beautiful villages, estates and gardens dotted around Lake Como, criss-crossing the lake by ferry, and consider exploring the grounds of Bellagio’s grand Villa Melzi.
  • Head with your local leader to a quaint rural village in the heart of Piedmonte to sample world-class local wines from unique grapes grown only in this region – saluti!
  • Test yourself on the hilly trails of the Cinque Terre, stopping by the picturesque pastel colour villages of Manarola, Riomaggiore and Vernazza. If you get tired, just jump on the train for the rest of your day!
  • Italy’s iconic Rome, Florence and Venice are a haven of renaissance architecture and historic sights. With plenty of time to discover at your own pace, you have the power to decide what you’d like to see.

07/02/2023 through 10/11/2024
07/02/2023 through 10/27/2024

Day 1 Rome
Day 2 Rome / Florence
Day 3 Florence
Day 4 Florence / Lucca
Day 5 Pisa / Lucca
Day 6 La Spezia
Day 7 Cinque Terre / La Spezia
Day 8 Portofino Peninsula / Asti
Day 9 Asti
Day 10 Milan / Lake Como
Day 11 Lake Como
Day 12 Venice
Day 13 Venice
Day 14 Venice

Capri

The Isle of Capri, floating off the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula at the southern end of the Bay of Naples, has been straining the vocabulary of travelers of 2,000 years. Superlatives seem to spring spontaneously to the lips of every traveler who steps off the boat onto this garden-studded island. The Roman emperor Augustus, recognizing the rare beauty of the place, acquired it from the Neapolitans during the first century BC, in exchange for the nearby Isle of Ischia; the
fact that he was willing to trade a larger and more fertile island should indicate the power that Capri holds on the senses.

The often mispronounced island (the emphasis should be on the first syllable, not the second) is part of the same limestone massif that forms the Amalfi coast, but the landscape is, if anything, even more dramatic. The cliffs seem even more precipitous here, the water even deeper azure, the gardens even more riotous with color and scent. Unfortunately, however, the streets are even more crowded with tourists as well. Capri attracts excursion boats from Naples, Sorrento, Ischia, and Amalfi, and on summer weekends the entire island can take on the appearance of downtown Naples during a hectic rush hour. Your best bet is to come during the off-season or on weekdays and stay overnight; the island becomes almost peaceful in the evenings, after the day-trippers have left.

Capri is shaped roughly like a camel’s back–two high mountains flanking a saddle area that slopes gently to the sea. Capri town, located on the shoulder of the eastern hump, is the heart of island life, teeming with luxury hotels, boutiques, and trattorias. The smaller town of Anacapri is high on the western hump. Between and around the two are footpaths crying out to be explored. They lead past villas of the rich and famous, and every once in a while open up to reveal stunning vistas of cliff and sea.

The island’s most famous attraction is probably the Blue Grotto, but it is, alas, the quintessential tourist trap. You reach it by taking a motorboat from the harbor below Capri (about $5) to the cove around the grotto, where you transfer to smaller boats piloted by aggressive oarsmen. After paying the admission fee (about $6), you will be ferried through a tiny tunnel into the admittedly beautiful grotto and out to the cove again, where the oarsman will kindly inform you that you are
entitled, even encouraged, to tip him. The bill for a three-minute glimpse of the grotto? About $12 or $13, depending on how vunerable you are to the oarsman’s extortion.

There are, however, more rewarding sights to see here. The Villa Jovis, perched on a sheer cliff at the eastern end of the island, is one of the ruined palaces of the emperor Tiberius, who retired to Capri in AD 27. And the Villa San Michele in Anacapri is truly lovely. Built by the Swedish physician Axel Munthe (who wrote a best-selling book, The Story of San Michele, about his life on Capri), the villa is now a pleasant little museum. And its tidy garden provides a welcome escape from the crowds.

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