Vegan Tours
Dates:
- June 8th - 15th 2013
with Executive chef Jason Wyrick
of "The Vegan Culinary Experience" http://www.veganculinaryexperience.com - June 15th - 22nd 2013 Sicily (email for info)
- July 6th - 13th 2013 Sicily (email for info)
- Make our own date! Anytime in 2013
Price:
$2395.00 per person
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive in Naples
Enjoy the ride and view on your way to the Villa La Ginestra in Castel San Lorenzo (SA). Settle in then join us for your welcome dinner and local art show, see how the local artisans produce there goods handmade lace, wood furniture, stone carving and basket weaving. (D)
Day 2 – National Park of Cilento
Step back in time where we will visit how southern Italy really lives, stopping at the Medieval castle of Roccadaspide one of the best in the region over 800 years old it opens only for us tour given by the
owner himself. Off down the street we will visit the town goldsmith to see how this antique art is done. Then to a classic 5 course Sunday lunch and cooking demonstration. To walk off lunch a quick visit to Roscigno Vecchia an open-air museum of an abandoned village. Back to the villa to rest, cocktails and light dinner. (B,L,D) On this day along our travels we pick asparagus, mushrooms, wild greens and other seasonal produce.
Day 3 – Pompeii
(UNESCO heritage site)
The site is considered to be one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in detail - everything from jars and tables to paintings and people were frozen in time. Outdoor walking tour, free time and box lunch on site. Back to the villa to make your own brick oven pizza in our outdoor wood burning oven. (BLD)
Day 4 – Paestum & Cilento Coast
Tour of the best-persevered Greek temples in Italy and its museum. Then we take to the sea by boat* to see scenic Amalfi and Cilento coast, have lunch on the water. Then back to the villa for the evening, cocktails and Dinner. (B,L,D).
Day 5 – Monastery of Padula
(UNESCO Heritage site)
This UNESCO Heritage site is a fantastic example of what Italy is all about a mix of monks and conquerors. After our visit to the Monastery a tour 4x4 through the National Park of Cilento where we will picnic and hand pick our dinner. Then back to the villa to prepare it. (B,L,D)
On this day along our travels we pick asparagus, mushrooms, wild greens and other seasonal produce.
Day 6 – Caserta
(UNESCO Heritage site)
18th-Century Royal Palace constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and one of the largest buildings erected in Europe in the eighteenth century. Tour and free time through the grounds, We will return to the villa for dinner and live music. (BLD)
Day 7 – Castecivita
Walking tour of this quaint village Then off to a local restaurant for lunch. Demonstration of how to make liquor from wild berries of the region. Then last stop at a local olive oil factory for tasting. Then back
to the villa for rest and good bye dinner. (B,L,D).
Day 8 – Goodbye Breakfast
Back to the airport Naples
Places of Interest
Naples – Historic Centre
From the Neapolis founded by Greek settlers in 470 B.C. to the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique site, with a wealth of outstanding monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and the Castel Nuovo.
Pompei, Herculanum, Torre Annunziata
– Archaeological Areas
When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August A.D. 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompeii contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the holiday resort of Herculaneum, while the superb wall paintings of the Villa Oplontis at Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthier citizens of the Early Roman Empire.
Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi coast is an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity. It has been intensively settled by human communities since the early Middle Ages. There are a number of towns such as Amalfi and Ravello with architectural and artistic works of great significance. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting their use of the land to the diverse nature of the terrain, which ranges from terraced vineyards and orchards on the lower slopes to wide upland pastures.
Caserta
– 18th-Century Royal Palace with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and the San Leucio Complex
The monumental complex at Caserta, created by the Bourbon king Charles III in the mid-18th century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid, is exceptional for the way in which it brings together a magnificent palace with its park and gardens, as well as natural woodland, hunting lodges and a silk factory. It is an eloquent expression of the Enlightenment in material form, integrated into, rather than imposed on, its natural setting.
Cilento and Vallo di Diano
– National Park with the Archeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
The Cilento is an outstanding cultural landscape. The dramatic groups of sanctuaries and settlements along its three east-west mountain ridges vividly portray the area's historical evolution: it was a major route not only for trade, but also for cultural and political interaction during the prehistoric and medieval periods. The Cilento was also the boundary between the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian peoples. The remains of two major cities from classical times, Paestum and Velia, are found there.