The AMALFI COAST Tour

Most people who visit this area, famous for its rugged cliffs, its winding coastal road, its picturesque towns and its historical significance, miss out. They rarely take the tour which, for Naomi’s clients, has proved to be the highlight of the whole Amalfi Coast experience: a 3-hour hike just below the clouds (hopefully) called “the pathway of the gods”.

 No “on the bus – off the bus” on this tour!! We want you to feel the Amalfi Coast under your feet, and literally get an overview of the incredible beauty of these 60 miles of coast from Naples in the north to Salerno in the south. So we’ve created an itinerary with lots of hikes, with alternatives for the less active guests. On the last trip we even had a guest who cycled through the mountains from Sorrento to Amalfi!!!

 See the artists of some of the world’s most beautiful ceramics at work in Vietri-sul-Mare, the last makers of real wood inlay in Sorrento, elegant Positano and capital of the coast, Amalfi. The grandeur of hilltop Ravello and its famous villas and their gardens.

 And then there’s Pompeii.  August 24^th will never be the same again after you hear from your fascinating professional guide what happened in 79A.D. the year Vesuvius erupted. And the area boasts 3 of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world at Paestum.

 Let’s not forget the boat-ride to Capri, with the sun in your face and sea breeze in your hair, which prepares you for a few hours of magic on that most romantic island, where the chair-lift to heaven is just one of the ways to enjoy the island to the full. On the way back you’ll see what all the fuss is about – the magnificent views of the Amalfi coast from the sea.

 All this, while staying in a luxury hotel in Sorrento with possibly the best view of the volcano that made the area so famous, Mt Vesuvius. We’ll dine by candlelight, on food prepared in our exclusively kosher kitchen by local chefs, while sitting on a terrace that you just won’t want to leave.

·         accommodation in an excellent  4* hotel, with magnificent views from every room and the friendliest staff who could not do enough to please and satisfy our needs

·         top local chefs, preparing authentic local cuisine, where menus comprise local recipes which need no change in order to be kosher

·         fine Italian kosher wines – unlimited, many not mevushal, poured by our specially imported shomer shabbat sommeliers

·         expert qualified guides, who make every tour exciting and bring every minute of each tour alive

·         breathtaking hilltop hikes, not for the feeble of body or fearful of spirit, but rewarding in the extreme for the hikers  

·         dreamy boat rides – the only sensible way to avoid the coastal "highway", which has over 1,000 sharp bends over its 30 miles, and the best way to appreciate the coast's beauty     

·         picnics from  yesteryear – brought with us every day from the hotel; healthy and aesthetic, and not too heavy

·         music, classic and local, according to seasonal availability

Amalfi Coast Typical Itinerary

(Friday arrival: adapted for different start days and Shabbat times)

subject to change - due to any one of a hundred Italian variables

Arrival day Friday

 Meeting point: Rome Airport Hilton Hotel: Minyan 07.45, kosher breakfast 08.30, depart 09.30

We have a special arrangement with this most convenient hotel, right inside Rome’s Fiumicino airport. We highly recommend arriving in Rome a day or two before the tour begins, so that you are refreshed when we set off……

 From Rome airport, we drive straight off to start our magical tour at

Pompeii:  lunch, followed by tour of this incredible site.

We then head to our hotel to prepare for Shabbat!!

Mincha and Ma’ariv will be followed by the Welcome Dinner

 Shabbat

 Coffee and cake – davening – breakfast

Short walk into and around Sorrento

Mincha

Late Shabbat lunch – main meal of the day (seuda III if you’re counting)

Free time to relax in the lounge, by the pool or in your room

Depending on season and Shabbat times, a light supper will be served before or after shabbat ends.

After havdala - Saturday night in Sorrento musical, coffee, limoncello

 Sunday

 The "Path of the gods" – a 3-hour medium difficulty hike on top of the cliffs above the Amalfi coastline with some of the ultimate views of the coast. For many this IS the highlight of the whole tour, although so few tourists take the time to do it.

 We’ll picnic at the end of the hike, in the tiny village of Nocelle and then take the local micro-bus down to Positano and visit this most elegant resort.

 Dinner in our dining room overlooking Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

 Monday

 Vietri-sul-Mare - we’ll stop for an hour or so you can look at the home-town of these world-famous ceramics, and buy them at the best prices anywhere on the coast – we checked!!

 Paestum – after lunch at the entrance, we’ll enjoy a guided tour of the world's best preserved Greek Temples (yes Greek – from the time when the Greeks colonized Southern Italy)

 Dinner back in our hotel

  Tuesday

Whole day boat trip to the magical isle of Capri; visit the Villa San Michele of author Axel Munthe, ride the chairlift, enjoy a picnic lunch stroll the villages of Anacapri and Capri, the gardens, free time for the gorgeous shops or a beautiful hike. (If you have read about and wish to visit the blue grotto we will arrange that for you, but our feedback has been that the time can be better spent elsewhere on the island – it’s up to you!!)

 You now have a choice: to take the ferry to Amalfi (90mins), via Positano, in order to experience the beautiful approaches from the sea, catching a bus back to the hotel

OR you can take the return ferry to Sorrento, where you will have time to spend in the town centre before walking or taking a bus/taxi back to the hotel for dinner.

 Wednesday

 Amalfi Coast drive – leaving our hotel we’ll drive most of this gorgeous coast road with its 1000 hairpin bends

Amalfi – a short introduction will be followed by free time to stroll around this busy little town, looking at the church and its art (for those who so wish) or browsing in the stores and “living the life”. There is also a lovely museum of paper-making at the end of the village which many guests have greatly enjoyed.

 For the hikers – we offer a beautiful 2.5hr hike up the Paper Mill valley at the back of Amalfi which brings you out (eventually) to our lunch location.

Lunch will be taken in one of our favourite spots, reached by bus from Amalfi centre.

 Ravello – the bus will then take us to the “high-point” of the coast with its magnificent Villa Cimbrone gardens and views.

 Dinner back in our hotel

 Thursday

 Rounding off this incredible tour will be a visit to see the unbelievable artifacts from Pompeii in the Naples Archeological Museum.

 Lunch will be in the Naples shul.

 At 12 noon we’ll drop off those flying out on the 13.35 flight from Naples to the USA and elsewhere; at 20.00 we’ll drop those flying back to Israel or staying over in Rome at the airport in Rome.

 Every day

 Minyan – 3 times per day. Sefer Torah.

Full breakfast, picnic lunch, full served dinner.

Kashrut - the kitchen in the hotel is under full-time supervision.  Rav machshir – Rav Mino Bahbout of Rome. All meat is glatt. Milk is regular but provision can be made for chalav yisrael, if you tell us in advance.

7 days, 6 nights

price: from 2750 Euros

(optional extras - DLX rooms; SGL room)

not included in the price of your trip

• flights: we will meet you mid-day in Naples and bring you back to Naples on departure day. Naples can be reached by air or by luxury express train from Rome and other Italian cities
• spending money for shopping: we will try to take you to plces where your money will buy you more, but we will look after you so well that you will not NEED to spend anything at all!!
• upgrades: deluxe rooms (DLX) and single occupancy are available at an additional price (see booking form).

·         insurance: all clients should be aware that while all efforts are made to avoid any problems before during or after your trip, Naomi carries no insurance for your health or luggage. While using the services only of registered suppliers, we recommend that you purchase fully comprehensive travel insurance as Naomi cannot be held liable for any mishaps during your stay.

• tips: at your discretion, but we recommend 100 euro per person for the week for drivers, chefs, waiters and chambermaids and we can distribute for you

Important Suggestion:

• Whether or not you intended to spend time in Rome before your tour, we strongly recommend you stay the night before the tour starts in a hotel by the airport (the Hilton is IN the airport with shuttles to the city), in case your flight is delayed. We cannot wait for late arrivals as it is unfair to other guests. The cost of "catching up" by taxi/plane is MUCH greater than the cost of a night at the airport hotels!!

Amalfi Coast tour dates 2011

 May 16 - 22

August 26 – Sept 1

October 25 – 31

Inquire for more info or to book

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