Amalfi Coast Tour & Italian Culinary Masterclass

There is evidence that Roman Jews believed that the eruption of Vesuvius and the huge destruction caused thereby resulted from the Romans’ destruction of the 2nd Bet Mikdash just 9 years previously in Jerusalem. The city was discovered by chance in 1748 by a peasant who dug in his field and encountered its ancient remains, nearly 1,700 years after it was buried under the ashes. In 1997 UNESCO declared Pompeii a World Heritage Site. At the end of the tour we’ll make our way to the villa, the magnificent, luxurious Oasi Olimpia, where we’ll check in and freshen up in time for our welcome, festive dinner.

This is the Amalfi Coast’s most photogenic (and expensive) town; with vertiginous houses tumbling down to the sea in a cascade of sun-bleached peach, pink and terracotta. No less colorful are its steep streets and steps, flanked by wisteria-draped hotels, smart restaurants and fashionable retailers.
Travel writes agree that if you only have time to visit one town in the Amalfi Coast (we will have more), it should be Positano. Positano is everything you’d dream the Amalfi Coast to be; lush cascading cliffs stacked with colorful Mediterranean architecture, luxury yachts and speed boats docked on turquoise waters, with narrow streets and ornate stairways lined by boutiques and trattorias. While we are in the area we will also visit an olive oil production facility and discover how this age-old delicacy is produced.
After the tour, we’ll return to our beautiful villa to delight in our first Italian culinary master class, which will be devoted to Italy’s renowned delicious antipasti and appealing limoncello, the renowned refreshing pick-me-up for which this part of Italy is most famous.

The main drawback is the lack of a proper beach: the town straddles the cliffs overlooking the water to Naples and Mt Vesuvius.
We’ll spend the day exploring this delightful town and the countryside around it, and then return to our villa for our second culinary master class. This time, we’ll be dealing with traditional Italian entrees: Pastas, Fish & Meat.

It’s the perfect microcosm of Mediterranean appeal, a fusion of glittering grottoes and coves, Roman ruins and chichi piazzas.
Already inhabited in the Paleolithic period, the island was briefly occupied by the Greeks before Emperor Augustus made it his private playground and Tiberius retired here in AD 27. Its modern incarnation as a tourist center dates from the early 20th century.
It’s also a favorite day-trip destination and a summer favorite of holidaying VIPs. Inevitably, the two main centers, Capri Town and its uphill rival Anacapri, are almost entirely given over to tourism. But explore beyond the designer boutiques and cafes and we’ll find that Capri retains an unspoiled charm, with grand villas, overgrown vegetable plots, sun-bleached, peeling stucco and banks of brilliantly colored bougainvillea.
After our full-day excursion to the beautiful island, we’ll sail back to the mainland and return to our villa for dinner and a well-deserved night’s sleep.

We’ll delight in “The Three Tenors: Opera Arias, and Neapolitan Songs.” Inspired by the “Three Tenors” concerts given by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, this concert features famous Italian Opera Arias and the most magical Neapolitan songs, such as “O Sole Mio” and “Torna a Surriento.” It’s an unmissable journey through Italian songs with the powerful voices of The Three Tenors.

For one thing, it’s not a big place – you can easily walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. For another, there are very few historical buildings of note. The explanation is chilling: most of the old city, and its populace, simply slid into the sea during an earthquake in 1343. Despite this, the town exudes a sense of history and culture, most notably in its breathtaking cathedral and fascinating paper museum.
Sitting high in the hills above Amalfi, Ravello is a refined, polished town almost entirely dedicated to tourism. From Amalfi we’ll take the nerve-tingling 5-mile drive up the Valle del Dragone Mountain to Ravello, nestling at a height of 1200 feet above Amalfi, surrounded by vineyards and orchards.  From the parking lot, we’ll climb up the stairs to the charming Piazza Duomo, surrounded by shops and cafes. Boasting impeccable bohemian credentials – Wagner, DH Lawrence and Virginia Woolf all spent time here – it’s today known for its ravishing gardens and stupendous views, the best in the world according to former resident Gore Vidal, and certainly the best on the coast.
Toward the late afternoon we’ll return to our villa for our gala farewell dinner. This will be a time to review our tour and culinary seminar and discuss plans for future travel.