"We
sit at home sometimes and talk about how it was such an amazing
experience. We occasionally get what we call "Amalfi fever", where we
are craving to return."
Mark & Jamie, NYC
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2008 TOUR DATES
Sept. 11 - 18
2009 TOUR DATES
May 26 - June 2
Sept. 8 - 15
Why is Amalfi Life offering a tour that includes the Marche Region if we are known as the experts on the Amalfi Coast?... because Italy is such a beautiful and fascinating country that, just like you, we enjoy exploring other regions occasionally.
After many wonderful visits to the Marche, Giocondo Cavaliere and Laurie Howell have seen how these two regions are uniquely comparable yet beautifully contrasting, and now want to share this with you.
Both regions offer...
- A Culture of Mountain and Sea - the basis for a diverse regional Cuisine
- Cherished Wine Traditions - with signature Grape varieties
- Historic and Artistic Treasures - from pre-Roman to Renaissance
Skip down to Highlights
While on this one-of-a-kind trip we will taste a Brodetto (traditional fish soup) in the Marche and a Zuppa di Pesce in Amalfi; a Verdicchio white wine in the Marche and a Fiano di Avellino in Amalfi - then have fun doing our own gastronomic critique in comparing and contrasting their qualities. We'll visit the majestic Sibilini alps and the Monti Lattari; the eastern coastline of Italy and the western.
We at Amalfi Life pride ourselves on the quality and special charm of the hotels we select for our trips, and this time is no exception. For the 4 nights in the Marche we will stay at a uniquely gracious country-resort called Borgo Seghetti Panichi, an elegant and historic family-owned property in the rolling hills around the town of Ascoli Piceno, just 10 miles from the Adriatic Sea.
Does this tour take you off-the-beaten-path? Yes and no. From the point-of-view of high culture, cuisine, and natural beauty...the Marche is as main-stream as any of the most visited regions! Many of the things we love about the Amalfi Coast we found in the Marche, in abundance! What you won't see in the Marche are the throngs of Foreign Tourists you're used to seeing when you visit Italy.
Why are there so few foreign tourists in the Marche? There are long answers and short answers to this question. One practical reason is this region has been difficult to reach because of an inadequate network of roads. Over the past decade the building of new infrastructure has made the Marche so much easier to reach, that from Rome it takes only 2 1/2 hours - no more time than it takes to get to Florence! Now is the time to visit the Marche - before this news is out!
Imagine yourself enjoying an after-dinner liqueur at a local café while observing the beautiful piazza around you fill up with families taking their evening "passagiata" (stroll) - as you watch this delightful slice of life you soon begin to realize that you are the only foreign visitors present! This is truly a moment to savor.
After four nights in the Marche we will drive through lovely countryside to Amalfi and spend 3 nights on this magnificent stretch of the western coastline. Here the enchantment of Giocondo's native region takes hold of you. Few places in the world have such a captivating effect.
If you've been to Italy before and are looking for something new and different, this tour will be a fresh and exciting experience for you.
If you are about to visit Italy for the first time, you will find a very real Italy on this special trip and will experience the quality, elegance, and personalized approach that Amalfi Life brings to touring.
be part of the Local Life.
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- Cooking lesson of traditional Piceno recipes with Beatrice Panichi
- Private visit to Filippo Panichi Wine Cellar, tour and tasting with "prodotti tipici"
- Cultural tour of charming Ascoli Piceno, with its 2,000 years of history
- Casette d'Ete, home of fashionable "Tod's" shoes
- Beguiling hill towns of Offida and Ripatransone
- Gorgeous vistas of patchwork countryside
- Private boat trip along the magnificent Amalfi Coast
- Cultural tours of Amalfi Village, Positano, Ravello
- Villa Cimbrone lunch and tour of legendary gardens
- Visits to producers of authentic local specialties
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"The
food, wine - just the entire trip was incredible."
Helen and Jerry, TN
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Day One, Thursday, Sept. 11
Rome Airport to Borgo Seghetti Panichi in Castel di Lama (Ascoli Piceno)
We will have a minibus waiting at the Rome Fiumicino Airport this morning. When all participants are together (no later than 11:30 am) we will depart for the Borgo, arriving around 2:30 pm. You will have time to unpack, relax, and marvel at the spectacular setting of this serene and beautiful hotel.
In the late afternoon there will be a cooking lesson with Beatrice Panichi in the kitchen of their La Quintana restaurant. Cooking in the Marche is deeply rooted in tradition and has resisted the shortcuts and conveniences of modernity. Fresh ingredients and local produce rule the day, as well as food gathered from the wild; mushrooms, game, nuts, herbs, and the region's precious truffles. Dinner at the Borgo.
 Day Two, Friday, Sept. 12
Winery tour, Town & Village, and the Brodetto of Le Marche
Today we start with a tour and tasting at the Filippo Panichi Wine Cellar, followed by a guided visit to the town of Ascoli Piceno. Ascoli is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants, with such a rich and multifaceted history that you will immediately wonder why you hadn't heard of it before! (Lunch in Ascoli)
We return to the Borgo for a few hours of personal time, and maybe a swim in the Borgo's sumptuous pool. In the late afternoon we visit the seaside town of San Benedetto del Tronto and enjoy a dinner of traditional Brodetto.
Day Three, Saturday, Sept. 13
Verdicchio, Castles, and... Shoes!
This morning we go north near the city of Ancona, where inland we find the villages that dominate the Verdicchio wine production. The towns of Jesi and Cupramontana are some of the oldest in the Piceno and boast fortresses and castles built to resist waves of invasions from the middle ages to the 18th century. On our return south we digress to the village of Casette d'Ete. Why? Because one of the world's most exclusive brands of shoes is produced here - the very non-Italian-sounding "Tod's". In fact the area around Casette d'Ete has been the heart of Italy's shoe-making industry for almost a century. A bunch of Old Cobblers... 21st century style! (Dinner in Ascoli Piceno)
Day Four, Sunday, Sept. 14
A Patchwork Countryside and its beguiling Hill Towns
Today we explore the villages of Offida, Ripatransone, and Aquaviva Piceno, some of the small gems that dot the Southern Marche landscape. They have yet to see a lot of aggressive renovation so there is an old-fashioned air about them. We will see ancient castles turned into churches, 16th century graffiti, local lace-making with a twist, and we will encounter the "narrowest" street in Italy!
We return to the Borgo in mid-afternoon, enjoy some personal time, and have a cooking demonstration with Beatrice Panichi before dinner in their La Quintana restaurant.
Day Five, Monday, Sept. 15
Moving on to Italy's "Divine" Coast
We will leave Borgo Seghetti Panichi at 9:30 am and arrive in the village of Amalfi between 3:30 - 4 pm.
Along the way we will pass through an interesting and diverse landscape of mountains, verdant valleys, and coastline until we reach the village of Amalfi and the Hotel Luna Convento.
In the early evening we will have a wonderful walking tour of this complex village, which has deep roots in the history and culture of Italy. In its heyday, 800 years ago, Amalfi was a major sea power, one of Italy's 4 ancient maritime republics along with Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. She was a great prize for the Saracen (Arab) and Norman invaders whose influences are reflected in Amalfi's architecture, food, and language.
Amalfi is surely one of the most charming villages in all of Italy. Dinner will feature the typical Zuppa di Pesce of this region.
Day Six, Tuesday, Sept. 16
Positano, Amalfi, and a Private Boat Trip
This morning we cruise by private boat along this glorious coastline to Positano, the romantic, pastel-colored village whose villas seem to cascade down through steep terraces to the sea. We will enjoy a wonderful lunch at the seaside then return to the Hotel Luna for some down-time.
In the late afternoon we re-visit the history and culture of Amalfi with a tour of the monumental Cathedral of Sant'Andrea and its Cloister of Paradise, as well as a visit to the unique Papermill Museum - the last of a multitude of watermills that comprised the first center in Western Europe for manufacturing handmade paper from cloth. (Dinner on your own this evening)
Day Seven, Wednesday, Sept. 17
Ravello - Gardens, Culture, Ceramics
This morning we will visit the famously charming village of Ravello. Here we will have a tour of the main Cathedral, time to explore the unique shops, and stop in to one of the premier ceramic factories of the Coast. The highlight will be lunch at the Hotel Villa Cimbrone, followed by a tour of its legendary formal gardens. In the afternoon you will have free-time to relax, have a swim in the Hotel Luna's delicious pool, or do some last-minute shopping. Gala Farewell Dinner.
Day Eight, Thursday, Sept. 18
Departure
Please plan to depart Italy from the Naples Airport.
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2008 TOUR DATES
Sept. 11 - 18
2009 TOUR DATES
May 26 - June 2
Sept. 8 - 15
$4395 per person in double occupancy
Single supplement $595
Inclusions
- All meals (except 1 dinner)
- Lunch and Dinner include wine, soft drinks, caffe
- All transportation within the tour, beginning at the Rome Airport on Sept. 11
- Private transfer to Naples Airport on Sept. 18
- 7 nights' accommodation
- Breakfast daily
- Entrance Fees
- Guide Services
- Gratuities
Exclusions
- Airfare (We can arrange)
- Travel Insurance (Strongly advised)
- Premium wine, beer, and liquors ordered on your own
- Room Service, Laundry, Valet Service
- Telephone expenses
- Passport or Visa fees
- Private transportation other than on the start-date and end-date as described above
We at Amalfi Life pride ourselves on the quality and special charm of the hotels we select for our trips.
Borgo Seghetti Panichi - Castel di Lama, region of Marche
Hotel Luna Convento - Amalfi, region of Campania
Hotel Marina Riviera - Amalfi, region of Campania
(In Amalfi we use either the Hotel Luna Convento or the Marina Riviera).
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Contact Laurie Howell
Tel. 347 240 1244 in New York City
Email: Laurie@AmalfiLife.com
Click to Submit our Contact page
Or Consult your Travel Agent
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