Do gastronomic adventures in the kitchen titillate your tongue? Enjoy dining in beautiful places? Cook up a storm? Does anything Italian conjure up images of 'la dolce vita'? Want a taste of it? Yes? Well then, what are you waiting for?!
The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE and as such is considered one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. It is situated on the 'shin of the Italian boot'and snakes slinkily through craggy cliffs that plunge vertiginously to the azure Tyrrhenian Sea below.
Of the 13 coastal towns that are part of this Heritage Site, Positano is considered the 'pearl'. It has an incandescent magic that weaves a gentle spell upon all who visit it and it is here that you will be based for this tour of indulgence...it's more than the palatable pleasures of the local gastronomy - it's a seduction of the senses....
Your 7 night package looks like this:
DAY ONE :
Arrive Naples
Private transfer in air-conditioned luxury to your 4* hotel or 3* B'nB in Positano
Afternoon to unpack and unwind
Welcome dinner at a favourite Positano restaurant overlooking the town and with views down the coast...the perfect place to set the stage for a week of magic and wonder.
DAY TWO :
Discover Positano Tour and Tasting
A tour of Positano with tastings along the way (Wine, Olives, Olive Oil and Limoncello)
A 'slow-food' lunch at a seaside restaurant located in a small beach cove a little way down the coast has been arranged for you today...a great Mediterranean venue for savouring the local seafood, cooling off in the sea and soaking up the sunshine. This is a popular spot with celebs!
Laurito Beach |
Evening at your own leisure
(Restaurant recommendations will be provided)
DAY THREE :
La Cucina Divina Cooking Class
A hands-on cooking experience with a local chef focusing on traditional
Amalfi Coast cuisine. The lesson takes place at a restaurant in the hamlet perched above Positano.
Your transfers to and from the venue are included as are coffee/cappuccino's, assorted biscotti on arrival, local wine and mineral water during the lunch and of course you get to enjoy all that you've prepared!
(More details on booking)
With Chef Salvatore |
Fresh organic produce from the restaurant garden |
Spiralli con cima di rape |
DAY FOUR :
Day at your own leisure
Optional extra cooking class can be arranged)
DAY FIVE :
We start early today as we're heading further south to the area known to
produce the best buffalo mozzarella.
Travelling along the Amalfi Coast, we pass through the characteristic villages
and towns that make up this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site...Praiano,
Furore, Amalfi, Vietri sul Mare, to name but a few...
We make a brief stop at a renowned 'pasticceria' in Minori for a scrumptious
'sfogliatelle', a tradional Neapolitan pastry.
(Minori is the town where celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo is from)
On arrival att he buffalo farm, the tour begins. This is the only organic buffalo mozzarella farm in the whole of Italy! It is nothing short of a gastronomic treat to sink your teeth into the soft, creamy white orbs of mozzarella produced here. Not only are they renowned for their mozzarella (and people come from far and wide to purchase it), they also produce ricotta, butter, yoghurt and ice cream from the milk of the buffalo.
Fresh mozzarella |
Margherita the Buffalo |
There is more...but we'll keep some surprises for the tour! After, the privilege of lunching in the home, an 18 century villa, of the owner.
From here we visit the best preserved Greek temples outside of Greece itself. Paestum is a short distance away and has an excellent on-site museum which is home to, amongst many other artifacts, a collection of 5th and 4th century tomb paintings, a very rare survival from the ancient past.
Heading back to Positano we make a stop in an authentic fishing village famous for their anchovy products.
Finally, we salute the end of a delicious day with a glass of prosecco in an ancient pirate watch tower guarding Amalfi, once a maritime republic, before being dropped back at your hotel in Positano.
Evening at your own leisure.
DAY SIX :
Isle of Capri Private Boat Excursion
A relaxing coastal cruise to Capri, island playground of the international jet-set and home of the famed Blue Grotto and the Caprese Salad!
Looking down from Monte Solaris, Capri
Looking down from Monte Solaris, Capri
Whilst we explore hidden inlets and swim in grottoes, on-board you'll be treated to a 'degustazione' of local delicacies (local wine, soft-drinks and mineral water are also included.) Beach towels are provided for your post-Mediterranean swim.
With a few hours on Capri, enjoy wandering through the white-washed alleys of Capri Town, stroll up through villa's and lemon-scented gardens to the ruins of Emperor Tiberius' Villa Jovis, or walk Via Tragara through the forest where Pan lived for a view over i Faraglioni...perhaps head up to Ana Capri or just linger over a lazy Caprese lunch...the world's your oyster - or so it will seem!
Evening at your own leisure.
DAY SEVEN :
Day at leisure.
Wander through Positano exploring the many boutiques and ceramic shops, stop for an espresso or a granita di limone (oh so refreshing!). La Moda Positanesi still produces fine quality handcrafted linen and lace garments and handmade leather sandals, made to measure, made famous by Jackie O.
Farewell Dinner overlooking the sea and the mythical LI Galli Islands...an apt setting to conclude an unforgettable week!
Li Galli sunset
DAY EIGHT :
Private transfer back to Naples
ARRIVEDERCI POSITANO!
Your INDULGE Package includes:
• 7 nights accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis at a 4* hotel or 3* B’nB (subject to availability)
• Return private transfers Naples – Positano – Naples (based on 8 pax)
• Welcome dinner (excludes wine)
• Farewell dinner (excludes wine)
• Lunch at seaside restaurant
• Lunch on the Myths and Mozzarella excursion (includes wine)
• Private transport for the day with driver
• Pastry and cappuccino’s on the above excursion
• Entrance to Paestum site and museum
• Prosecco at the pirate watch tower
• Private boat excursion to Capri with onboard degustazione
• Return bus tickets from Marina Piccola to Capri town
• La Cucina Divina Cooking class (includes return transfers to cooking venue, cappuccino’s on arrival, local wine and mineral water with lunch)
• Discover Positano Tour and Tasting
• Tips for drivers, boat captain, waiters
• List of recommended restaurants and other useful information
• Tour leader (English/Italian speaking)
Price per person: (based on a group of 8 people – price may vary slightly) (minimum 4 people, maximum 12 per group)
4* option: R23,850.00 / €2,385.00**
3* option: R18,000.00 / €1,800.00**
** Prices may fluctuate due to foreign exchange rates
Optional :(at extra cost)
• Photo book of vacation which you will receive a few weeks after your return
• Excursion to Sorrento old town, limoncello factory tour and tasting, lunch
• Dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a nearby town
• Additional cooking lessons
Excludes:
Airfares, taxes, travel insurance, hotel room tax and anything else not indicated here.
Terms and Conditions apply.
* In association with Azure Travel http://www.azuretravel.co.za/
INDULGE TOUR DATES
- Saturday 28th April - Saturday 5th May 2012 BOOK NOW!
- Friday 29th June - Friday 6th July 2012***
- Saturday 15th September - Saturday 22nd September 2012
- Saturday 3rd November - Saturday 10th November 2012****
- Saturday 15th December - Saturday 22nd December 2012****
**** These tours will be a combination walking/cooking/eating/excursions. Please look out here in due course for the tour program, or e-mail: amanda.positanodreaming@gmail.com for further details and price.