Italian Heritage Tours
Discover Italy from the Alps to Sicily.
A dream come true!
2024 Tours
May 27 tour still has seats available
June 12 tour is sold out
October 3-18 still has seats available
DISCOVER THE BEAUTY
of
SO
October 3-18, 2024
*******
Day 1. Oct. 3. Thu. Fly to Italy
Leave from Columbus, Oh. with United Airlines and go to Washington, DC.
From there you fly non-stop to Rome, Italy. Dinner is served aboard.
If you are not from the Columbus area, you fly from your airport and join
the group in Washington.
Day 2. Oct. 4. Fri. Land in Rome, transfer to hotel by Palermo
Welcome to Rome! First impression: Italian is spoken here! While
waiting for your connecting flight to Sicily, have a “cornetto”
(croissant) and a delicious espresso coffee or cappuccino. After one
hour flight over the Tyrrhenian Sea you land in Palermo. Sicily, magic
land of legends, here we are! A private Bus will take you to your
hotel where every night is a fiesta of food and fun. You are very tired,
so take a rest, but make sure you wake up on time for your first
delicious Sicilian dinner. Buona Notte! (Good Night!).
Day 3. Oct. 5. Sat. Visit Palermo
Palermo is a city of about a million people and the capital of Sicily. It
is rich in history and culture. During the past 3000 years many
nations conquered and ruled it: the Phoenicians, Carthaginians,
Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, Spaniards, and French.
Their cultural influence is still visible in the highlights of the city and
you will see most of them. Then you will have lunch in the resort
town of Mondello, by the sea. Same hotel.
Day 4. Oct. 6. Sun. Agrigento
Did man reach civilization only in our times? A journey to Sicily
proves that he reached it more than 2000 years ago. In fact every-
where in Sicily one can find remains of the great Greek civilization.
Why Greek? Because the Greeks conquered and owned Sicily for
many centuries; they built monumental temples and public
buildings that are still standing. In Agrigento (the old Akragas) you
will see a profusion of that civilization. The so called “Valley of
Temples” (the heart of downtown old Akragas) still reveals what a
beautiful and prosperous city it was. Alas, time, wars, earthquakes,
fires and Akragas came to an end. Today farmers grow wheat,
olive and almond trees where that city was. However, most
temples, ruins and burial sites are still there and attract a large
number of visitors. You will see and touch those ruins. A local
guide will walk you through them and explain everything. Next,
the country restaurant Villa Kephos is waiting for you: you will eat
antipasto, three kinds of Sicilian pizza and all wine you want!
Hotel in the Taormina area.
Day 5. Oct. 7. Mon. Taormina
Today you fill your mind and soul with the splendor of God’s
creation. Located above the Ionian Sea with the smoking Mt.
Etna on the back-ground, Taormina is the most visited place
in Sicily and one of the most breathtaking views in Italy. The
3000 year old Greek Theater is still there and you must see it.
After a short orientation tour, you will have the rest of the
day free to stroll, shop and eat in some cozy restaurant. You
will love it! Same hotel.
Day 6. Oct. 8. Tue. Calabria
Arrivederci, Sicilia Bella! Leave Sicily, cross the Strait of
Messina on a huge ferry boat and land in the Italian mainland,
the Calabria region. After traveling through mountains, high
bridges and quaint villages perched on hilltops, you stop in a
country farm, where you will have a guided tour of what they
produce. It will be fun to take pictures of you sitting on old
agricultural machines and petting the farmer’s domestic
animals. Then a few of you will wear a white apron and help
the Chef giving a cooking demonstration of the food you will
eat for lunch. Wine in abundance! A visit to that farm has
always been a highlight of the tour! Afternoon drive through
the rest of Calabria and arrival to your hotel by Salerno.
Day 7. Oct. 9. Wed. Amalfi
Depart from your hotel and drive to the city of Salerno where
you take a large boat going along the Amalfi Coast and to the
city of Amalfi. What is so special with Amalfi? They say that
when people of Amalfi die and go to Heaven, they look around
and say: “Well, nothing new; it looks just like home!” Today,
while on the boat and then in the city of Amalfi, you will see
that those people are right. Tourists go there to admire the
beauty of God’s Creation: breathtaking blue sea and sky,
beaches, picturesque towns, good food, limoncello drinks,
shopping, a super artistic cathedral, tomb of the Apostle St.
Andrew, etc. You will have most of the day to enjoy that
piece of heaven. Sing: “O Sole Mio…..!” Same hotel.
Day 8. Oct. 10. Thu. Pompei
Located at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius, near Naples, Pompeii
was a rich city more than 2000 years ago, but in the 79 A.D.
it was totally buried under volcanic ashes; its life came to a
sudden stop and later even its location became unknown.
About 1700 years later, by accident, it was finally found and
excavations began little by little. Now most of it has been
brought back to the light: what an impressive view! What a
unique educational experience. Same hotel.
Day 9. Oct. 11. Fri. Basilicata: Matera
Drive through the Basilicata Region, a remote area where
for sure you are the only foreign tourists. Bypass the city of
Potenza and then stop in the city of Matera. Tourists go to
Matera to see its historical center called “Sassi” (Rocks).
Those are prehistoric cave-dwellings dug into the rocks
thousands of years ago. Until recently those caves
were inhabited by a large number of impoverished
people. Today those people have been moved to
better places and the “Sassi” became a super tourist
attraction. The famous movie “The Passion” was
made in those Rocks. Hotel in Alberobello area.
Day 10. Oct. 12. Sat. Alberobello
This is a day of relaxation. Stroll through the town of
Alberobello, famous for its funny houses, called
“Trulli”. Those are fascinating traditional white-
washed cone dwellings with conical roofs completely
covered with flat stones. Have lunch in one of those
Trulli and then go to a winery. Same hotel.
Day 11. Oct. 13. Sun. Puglia and a touch of the Italian
spirituality: Padre Pio
Puglia is the southern region forming the heel of Italy’s
boot. It is known for its numerous whitewashed hill
towns, century-old farmland, pristine beaches and
vast fields of vineyards and olive trees. But, to discover
Italy it is not to know only its history, arts, tourist sites,
pasta and wine; one has to discover also its soul, the
spiritual life of its people. A visit to the famous and
most attended shrine of “Saint Padre Pio”, located on a
mountain, will show us that Italian soul. After lunch we
drive along the Adriatic Coast and arrive to our hotel by
the beach.
Day 12. Oct. 14. Mon. Abruzzo: relaxing day.
Enjoy walking on the beach, doing some shopping and
eating downtown the modern city of Pescara. In the
afternoon you visit a country winery and an olive oil
factory: this is the time farmers pick their grapes and
olives! Some people in the group may use this day to go
to the town of their family roots in Abruzzo. Same hotel.
Day 13. Oct. 15. Tue. Abruzzo: country lunch and fun, fun,fun.
This morning, after driving through more country roads
bordered by vineyards and olive groves, you stop at a
Remo’s town and meet his “paesani”. Oh, then comes
the happiest time of your tour: you don’t know what
good food, wine and fun are until you have lunch in a
local country restaurant. Among the many local
specialties, the traditional “pasta-fagioli”, the delicious
“arrosticini” and the sweet Montepulciano Wine will
keep Abruzzo in your memory forever. Just when you
begin to feel too full and tipsy, a local man with his
accordion will make you dance like crazy. Mamma Mia,
people in my past groups always said lunch and fun in
that place was one of the highlights of the tour! Now
go to your bus and sleep while the driver takes us to
your next hotel by Rome.
Day 14. Oct. 16. Wed. Rome: walking tour of downtown
No tourist buses are allowed in the historic center of
Rome, thus the only way to discover it is to do like
Romans do: walk. Yes, you will go on a slow walking
tour of Rome, the Capital of the World, the Center
of Christianity, the land of the Roman Caesars, and
the Cradle of Western Civilization. We begin by
visiting the famous “Spanish Steps” and “Via Condotti”,
where the rich and famous people go shopping. Next
you see the celebrated “Trevi Fountain” where you toss
your “three coins in a fountain…” The 2000 year old
“Pantheon” is a breathtaking wonder of the glory that
was Rome. “Navona Square” is the most beautiful and
most romantic square in the city. Have lunch there in
some cozy restaurant and then, walk to Piazza Venezia
and see the huge monument to King Victor Emmanuel
who united Italy in 1870. The Americans call it “Wedding
Cake”. There is also Palazzo Venezia, which was the
Headquarters for Fascists. Next, going towards the
Coliseum, you will walk through the Roman Ruins: 2000
years ago that was the heart of Rome. Then, right in
front of you stands the majestic “Coliseum”. People
remain speechless in seeing it! It could sit 80,000
spectators. Just think of thousands of gladiators and
Christians who died there for the enjoyment of the
Romans! Next to the Coliseum stands the well preserved
Arch of Constantine, the emperor who in the year 312
granted freedom of religion. Yes, this will be the hardest
day of your tour, but what an educational experience
you will have! Rome was not founded in a day, but you
discover it in one day!
Day 15. Oct. 17. Thu. Vatican City
This morning you go “abroad” to Vatican City, the
smallest country in the world. Let’s begin by walking
into St. Peter’s Square: what an impressive place! If
today it is Wednesday, you may see the Pope giving
public audience to a huge crowd of people in that square.
Let’s go! After that you go inside the majestic St. Peter’s
Basilica, the largest and most famous of all the Christian
churches. There you will see the famous “Pieta’’ of
Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and the tomb of
many popes, including that of the Polish Pope John-Paul.
There is so much to see in the Basilica that one should
spend an entire day there, admiring its breathtaking pieces
of art and learning about the history of the Christian
church. Next, you go to the Catacombs (the Church’s
basement) where you can see the tomb of many other
Popes. As you come out of the Basilica you will see
two “Swiss Guards” by one of the Vatican’s main
entrance gates; every hour on the hour there will
be the “Change of Guard”. If any time is left, you
can visit the famous Vatican Museum and its
renowned Sistine Chapel.
Day 16. Oct. 18. Fri. Return flight.
“And now the end is near…..” A morning drive to
Rome’s airport marks the end of your fantastic tour.
It is true, your wallet is almost empty, but see how
much life experience you gained and how much fun
you had! Thinking of the delicious food you ate
everyday in Italy, from now on pasta and wine will
be part of your life! Mamma Mia, what a great tour!
I love Italy! Arrivederci, Bella Italia! I shall return!
The memories of this will last a life-long!
Dates of the tour: October 3-18, 2024
Cost of the Tour: $4675 per person
Miscellaneous
Make the check to:
Italian Heritage Tours
P.O. Box 174. Reynoldsburg Oh. 43068
– Don’t forget that I published two books, “The Italian Heritage Tours” and “Vacation under the Sicilian Sun”. (Available at Amazon). In reading them you feel like already being on the tour.
Since the First Lady Jill Biden’s grandfather came from a little town in the province of Messina, Sicily, I sent her a copy of my Sicilian book. I received two “Thank You” letters, one from Jill Biden and one from President Joe Biden!
www.italianheritagetours.com, section “Remo’s Books”.
A MEMORABLE TOUR OF ITALY
A Memorable Tour of Food, Wine and Fun
Did you ever dream of experiencing a relaxing food, wine and fun tour of Italy away from large cities? Smile, because during this tour you will experiment just that! This is a tour that has been the most popular of all my tours: it was a total immersion in the local life. Mamma Mia, what an exciting experience: we had fun, fun, fun and we will do it again in September 2022!
This tour will start in Abruzzo, a region east of Rome between the Appennini mountains and the Adriatic sea. There we spend a few days in a country hotel among olive groves and vineyards. Then, we spend a few more days in a hotel right by the beach. The next two days we stay in the Campobasso area and then in the Puglia region. The last two days will be in Rome. All hotels are four stars; one of those hotels is a medieval castle restored as luxurious first class accommodation.
What do we do during the day? Every morning we have some interesting activity in a different country town where we walk through street markets, discover the simple local life, talk to people, sip an espresso coffee, eat a “gelato” (ice cream), and take a lot of pictures. Then, we go to an “Agriturismo” (country restaurant) and attend a cooking class where we learn how to cook many local specialties. Next, we eat the delicious food we prepare with the chef. Our teachers are the restaurant’s owners: mamma and papa cook and grand-mamma and grand-papa serve: they are the best cooks and the most gracious hosts in the world! It is a lot of fun!
After lunch we always have some special activity. Imagine: during the last tour we visited three wineries, two pasta factories, one cheese factory, one olive oil mill and one confetti factory. We had a picnic on a mountain, another one by a river and one more by the sea. We went to a farm where a few of our people enjoyed milking the cow and riding a donkey! We drove by miles and miles of olive orchards and vineyards. We visited a shopping mall, a couple of historic places, a World War II museum, and a “trabocco” (quaint fishing pile-dwellings). In Puglia we visited the famous “trulli” (whitewashed cone-roofed houses), we walked through a “cave” which was a million year old and had eerie stalactite. In another place we visited prehistoric dwellings carved out of the rock. We visited a few artistic cathedrals and five religious shrines. Often we danced after dinner. Of course, when in Rome we did do what Romans do!
We also visited a few remote mountain towns in Abruzzo, Campobasso and Puglia area where people in the group had family roots. They met their relatives for the first time. Yes, we shed a few tears of joy with them.
This Tour will take place only if there is a group willing to do just a “Food, Wine and Fun Tour”.
For further information a please contact:
Remo or Eva Faieta
at
The Italian Heritage Tours
Phone: 1-614-833-5716
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