Great Italy - Grande Giro

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out and drive south to the Campania region. Our recommendation for a stop on the way is  Montecassino Abbey. Once the most important Benedictine monastery in the world it was founded in the 600th century by Benedict of Nursia himself and spread Christianity throughout Europe. It gained notoriety in 1944 through four-month siege, which was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II. Rebuilt with enormous effort today it sits again enthroned spectacularly on its mountain.

The Palace of Caserta is worth a long visit as well. The Baroque royal palace is on of the biggest castles of Europe and was founded as the residency of the Bourbon Kings  over their kingdoms of Naples and Sicily. The Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since december 1997. It was the backdrop of several movies. Parts of Star Wars: Episode I - Phantom Menace was shot in its rooms and as well as parts of the 2008 movie Angels and Demons.

Arrival in the evening in Cava de' Tirreni and check in at Hotel Scapolatiello for 2 nights

Distance: approx. 375km

Breakfast in the hotel. Today is perfect for a round trip. Along the Amalfi Coast, with its towering cliffs, a rugged coastline with many small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages up to Sorrento, the tourist center of the region. Sorrento is located high on the cliffs that separate the city from the bustling harbor, and is known for the sweeping views of the water. Its roots go back to antiquity. Once the sirens of Odysseus are said to have enticed him here. And the Greek city gate and the Arco Romano in the city wall still bear witness to the long history of the city. A stroll through Sorrento will show you the Cathedral SS. Filippo e Giacomo with the famous bishop throne and the Campanile with antique columns, as well as the Piazza Tasso, a café-lined square. The historic center with its narrow streets houses the Chiesa di San Francesco, a 14th-century church with a quiet cloister.

In the afternoon you move on to  Pompeii, the antique city that was burried during the eruption of the vulcano Vesuvio in the year 79. It is a must for almost all southern italy trips since the 18th century. As well as the vulcano itself that has a street leading almost to its top. Vesuvio is one of europes most active volcanos.

Stay at Hotel Scapolatiello.

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out and drive to the other side of the italian boot to the Adriatic coast. We recommend taking the route via Ginosa and Taranto. On the way you can take a swim for example in Marina di Ginosa, which has received the blue flag of the FEE countless times for its quality of the sea and its sandy beach. Or make a detour to Europe's Capital of Culture 2019, the acient city of Matera. It is considered one of the oldest cities in Europe. The first traces of settlement date back to the Neolithic Age. The Sassi, its famous caves, make Matera a unique place and makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. These cave settlements were started 9000 years ago in the steep cliffs of tufa, and were further expanded in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. A gigantic network of streets, squares, underground caves and corridors connects the Sassi. 15,000 people, often impoverished peasants, still lived here until 1952 in a very confined space with their livestock and sometimes extremely poor hygienic conditions. It was called the "Shame of Italy" at that time and its inhabitants were evacuated in new housing estates on the outskirts of the city. The Sassi decayed rapidly and were extensively renovated in 1986 and connected to the sewer, water and electricity. Today you will find exclusive hotels, trendy restaurants and original cafes and bars, as well as artists' studios and workshops there.

Arrival in Ostuni and check in at d'Aragona Hotel & SPA for 2 nights

Distance: approx. 320km

Breakfast in the hotel. It is worth exploring Ostuni. The picturesque old town with its white limestone houses lies on 3 hills at about 200m altitude. It guarantees a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside and the sea, which is only 8km away. The most famous attraction of Ostuni is the excellently preserved town center with its picturesque maze of alleys and stairways between the typical white houses. The center of the city is the Piazza della Libertà on the border of the Old and New Town. In a former convent you can find the city hall and the Baroque Oronzo Column. Other attractions include the city's cathedral and the baroque church of Santa Maria Maddalena. Also worth seeing is the Museo Civiltà Preclassica della Murgia Meridionale, which offers an insight into the pre-antique agriculture of the western Mediterranean.

Return to and stay at the d'Aragona Hotel & SPA.

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out and drive north to City of Chieti. We recommend stopping at the Gargano National Park. The Parco Nazionale del Gargano is the heel spur of the Italian boot and still a real insiders tip with many tourists. Renowned for its ancient pine forests it includes the Foresta Umbra nature reserve (italian for dark or shady forest), which is dominated by beech forests. The  national park covers an area of nearly 120,000 hectares. On the rocky coast lure sandy beaches for swimming and picturesque white towns like Vieste to strolling. It is the perfect destination for nature lovers and lovers of the authentic, real Italy. Especially since it was able to protect itself from large holiday resorts and mass tourism.

The state road from San Severo to Monte Sant’Angelo was used by countless pilgrims to Michael's Grotto, where the archangel was said to have appeared, since the 6th century.  It passes through a nowadays considerably more important place: San Giovanni Rotondo. The Citys most famous citizen was the much revered now canonized Padre Pio. Still many pilgrims visit the crypt of the curch Santa Maria delle Grazie to pray at his grave and visit his cell he lived in. In 2004 the big basilika San Pio da Pietrelcina was finished. San Giovanni Rotondo It is the third most visited place by pilgrims after mexican Guadelupe and Rome. Up to  7 millionen pilgrims travel there each year.

Arrival in Vasto and stay at the  Hotel Excelsior & Residence.

Distance: approx. 400km

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out and drive to Rimini, a popular seaside resort on the Adriatic coast. On the way we recommend an excursion to the Republic of San Marino. La Serenissima, most serene one is the nickname the World's probably oldest still existing state with its history going back to the year 301 and the founding through Holy Marinus. The rocky ridge of Monte Titano is crowned by the three fortresses Guaita, Cesta and Montale and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can enjoy the unique panoramic view from Piazza della Libertà over the rugged landscape of the Apennines and the green of Monte Titano. The small state is no member of the EU but still has the EURO as currency. San Marino is, when looking at its nominal GDP,  one of the richest countries of the world, has no depts and the World's lowest unemploiment rate.

Arrival and check in for 2 nights in  aBeach Resort in Rimini.

Breakfast in the hotel. From Rimini you have the possibility to make a variety of excursions. The lagoon city of Venice is not far, as well as Imola with th Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari and the Regional Park of the Po Delta - a biosphere reserve of UNESCO.

You can also spend some time on the wonderfull and long perfect beach.

The evening is ideal for a stroll along the harbour of Cesenatico. The historic harbour divides the city in two main parts, the northern Ponente and the southern Levante. It was constructed in the 16th century after plans designed by Leonardo da Vinci to protect the harbour from silting up through its form alone. And very evectively so. You can see several museum ships that are quite ingeniously iluminated in the night.

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out and return home.