The Bay of Naples

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Fly to Naples

  We travel to Naples and stay for six nights at the  4 star Grand Hotel Santa Lucia. 

• Day 2 - Exploring Naples

  We begin our visit with a panoramic sightseeing tour of the thronging, colourful streets of Naples. Each of the city’s neighbourhoods has its own distinctive flavour, with vastly contrasting worlds – the grand Chiaia district is just yards from the boisterous Montesanto area. It is here that the contrasts of Neapolitan life are at their sharpest. We visit the vast and impressive Palazzo Reale where we will see the Museum of the Royal Apartments, and the exquisite Teatrino di Corte. We visit the Teatro San Carlo and then we go to Castel Nuovo which dominates the seafront.

• Day 3 - Herculaneum

  Today we go to Herculaneum, which contrasts in every way with Pompeii. Excavations began here in 1738 under the enlightened patronage of the Bourbon King Charles. Sunk in mud and perfectly preserved, Herculaneum is a mysterious and haunting place. We also visit the beautifully restored Villa Oplontis, said to have been the home of the scheming and ambitious Poppaea.

• Day 4 - Caravaggio

  We will see two works by Caravaggio today – ‘The Seven Acts of Mercy’ at the Pio Monte della Misericordia, a charitable institution, and ‘The Martyrdom of St.Ursula’ which is displayed in a bank. We will visit the glorious and richly decorated interiors of the Cathedral of San Gennaro, and end the day in the Capodimonte Museum. It was built by Charles VII of Naples and Sicily to house the matchless collection of paintings and ancient sculptures inherited from his mother. We will see a third Caravaggio here, ‘The Flagellation of Christ’.

• Day 5 - Pompeii

  Back to the world of the Romans, we visit Pompeii, frozen in time for almost 1,700 years. We will see the clearly defined townscape with its houses, shops and amphitheatre, all in the shadow of Vesuvius, an ever-present reminder of what happened in AD 79.

• Day 6 - Museum of National Antiquities

  The morning is spent in the Museum of National Antiquities which is full of impressive finds from the ancient sites around the Bay of Naples. During the afternoon your Tour Lecturer, Karina Mitens, who spends half the year in the Naples area, will share some of her favourite places with you.

• Day 7 - Flight

  We drive to the airport for the flight back to London.