Gardens of the Amalfi Coast, Ischia & Pompeii

Today we meet our garden guide, Frances MacDonald, at Dublin airport for our flight to Naples where we will transfer on arrival to our hotel on the Sorrento Coast, overlooking the Gulf of Naples.

Dine as a group this evening in our hotel.

Enjoy a leisurely morning today for relaxing by the pool or perhaps visit Sorrento (complimentary hotel shuttle bus service)

This afternoon we depart for a guided visit to Giardino della Minerva in Salerno. During the Middle Ages it was used as a simple area for educational purposes by medical school students and is considered a precursor of botanical gardens. Irrigated by the same spring water the garden’s five terraces are connected by a long staircase built on the ancient walls of the city, over which there is a spectacular view.

After breakfast, transfer to Sorrento Pier for our boat journey to the idyllic island of Ischia. Our tour of the island brings us to Giardini La Mortella, an exotic subtropical and Mediterranean garden developed from 1956 by Susana Walton. The gardens are divided into two parts: the lower Valley garden is linked by a series of walks, paths and steps to the upper Hill garden; both superbly planted with a wide variety of shrubs and herbaceous.

Today is a free day for relaxing or independent sightseeing on the Sorrento Peninsula. Alternatively, join Frances for a trip by ferry to Capri. She intends visiting the garden and house of Alex Munthe at San Michel.

This morning we start our day with a scenic drive along the coast to Ravello. Our first visit of the day is to Villa Rufolo which dates back to the 13^th century and is centred around a Moorish style courtyard. Occupying two levels the upper garden contains cypress trees and many exotic plants which thrive in the mild climate.

Enjoy some free time for lunch (at own expense) before we visit the gardens of Villa Cimbrone whose origins date back to the 11^th century and were redesigned at the start of the 20^th century with input from English gardener, Vita Sackville-West. Considered among the most important examples of English landscape in southern Europe highlights of these gardens include the ‘Terrace of Infinity’ offering spectacular panoramic views and the ‘Avenue of Immensity’ covered with white and blue wisteria vines.

Our day begins with a visit to the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses. Our guided tour will include the gardens which occupied a prime place in the Pompeiian house.

Following lunch (at own expense) we will return to our hotel for an afternoon at leisure before enjoying dinner together on our final evening in this beautiful region of Italy.

Time to say ‘arrivederci’ to the unforgettable Sorrento Coast. After breakfast we will transfer to the airport for our return flight.