Southern Italy & Sicily
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SOUTHERN ITALY & SICILY WITH APULIA & THE AMALFI COAST September 1-15, 2020 15 days from $5,474 total price from New York ($4,995 air & land inclusive plus $479 airline taxes and fees) This tour is provided by Odysseys Unlimited, six-time honoree Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Tour Operators award. An Exclusive Small Group Tour for Alumni & Friends of the Cornell Alumni Association Travel Program Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends, We invite you to be among the thousands of Cornell alumni, parents, and friends who view the Cornell Alumni Association (CAA) Travel Program as their first choice for memorable travel adventures. If you’ve traveled with CAA before, you know to expect excellent travel experiences in some of the world’s most interesting places. If our travel offerings are new to you, you’ll want to take a closer look at our upcoming tours. Working closely with some of the world’s most highly-respected travel companies, CAA trips are not only well organized, safe, and a great value, they are filled with remarkable people. This year, as we have for more than forty years, we are offering itineraries in the United States and around the globe. Whether you’re ascending a sand dune by camel, strolling the cobbled streets of a ‘medieval town’, hiking a trail on a remote mountain pass, or lounging poolside on one of our luxury cruises, we guarantee ‘an extraordinary journey in great company.’ And that’s the reason so many Cornellians return, year after year, to travel with the Cornell Alumni Association. If you, like us, simply can’t wait for your next travel adventure, we encourage you to register today for this or another of our remarkable travel offerings. Warmly, Alumni Affairs Cornell University CORNELL UNIVERSITY TRAVEL RESERVATION FORM: SOUTHERN ITALY & SICILY Enclosed is my/our deposit for $______($500 per person) for ____ person(s) on Southern Italy & Sicily departing September 1, 2020. I/We understand the final payment is due at least 95 days prior to departure. Payment may be made by American Express, Discover, MasterCard, VISA, or by personal check. Please make check payable to Odysseys Unlimited, Inc., and send, with completed reservation form, to: Odysseys Unlimited, Inc., Attn: Special Interest Groups, One Newton Place, 275 Washington Street, Suite 300, Newton, MA 02458. Or you may call Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. toll-free at 888-370-6765, or fax your reservation to 617-454-9199. Full Passport Name _______________________________________________ Date of Birth __________ Gender ____ Full Passport Name _______________________________________________ Date of Birth __________ Gender ____ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________________________ State _____________ ZIP __________________________ Home Phone (______)________________________________ Cell Phone (______)______________________________ E-mail(s) ___________________________________________ Badge Name(s) _________________________________ Please book my/our air from __________________________ I/We request an air upgrade to ____________________ I will share a room with _____________________________________ I request a single room (limited availability) q Post-Tour “Rome – On Your Own” Extension: Please sign me/us up q Please Note: The undersigned has read the schedule of activities for Southern Italy & Sicily, September 1-15, 2020, and agrees that their signature below represents their acceptance of the General Terms and Conditions. Signature(s) ________________________________________________________________ Date___________________ Method of Payment q Check q American Express q Discover q MasterCard q VISA Account # ______________________________________ Security Code _________ Exp. Date ___________________ Name of Cardholder ________________________________________________________________________________ Signature __________________________________________________________________________________________ Final invoicing will be sent by our tour operator, Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. The balance of the program price must be paid to Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. Final payment is due at least 95 days prior to departure, and is payable by check or credit card. Tour membership limited to 24 alumni and friends SOUTHERN ITALY & SICILY with Apulia & the Amalfi Coast 15 days from $5,474 total price from New York ($4,995 air & land inclusive plus $479 airline taxes and fees) elight in a special exploration of Italy’s southern climes, from striking Sicily and D the breathtaking Amalfi Coast to unheralded Apulia, the alluring “boot heel” where a vivid history, unique architecture, and bountiful plains join the sun and sea in creating a prized (and crowd-free) region. Add Italian hospitality, outstanding cuisine, and notable lodgings for la dolce vita, small-group style. Day 1: Depart U.S. for Taormina (Catania), Sicily ITALY Adriatic Sea Day 2: Arrive Taormina We arrive today in Catania Naples on Italy’s autonomous island of Sicily then transfer Matera Sorrento by motorcoach to Taormina and our boutique hotel Lecce overlooking the Ionian Sea. Tonight we gather for a Mediterranean Sea welcome dinner at the hotel. D Day 3: Taormina Highlights of our morning walk- Catania/ ing tour of this delightful medieval town include the Taormina Map Legend spectacular ancient Greek theater dating to the 3rd Destination century BCE, the popular 13th-century cathedral, and Motorcoach Entry/Departure grand Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. This afternoon is at leisure: perhaps to relax by the hotel pool, visit a Avg. High (°F) Sep Oct lovely Taormina beach; or stroll along Corso Umberto, Taormina 81 72 lined with shops and restaurants. With lunch and Lecce 79 72 Amalfi Coast 79 70 dinner on our own today, perhaps a culinary adven- ture is in order … and thanks to Sicily’s strategic Mediterranean location that lured many invaders, Sicilian food incorporates Italian, Arabic, and African Small Group Tour Highlights influences into a singular, and delicious, cuisine. B Sicily’s intriguing cultural and historic heritage • “Valley Day 4: Taormina/Agrigento On today’s excursion of the Temples,” Agrigento • Mt. Etna excursion • Lunch we visit the “Valley of the Temples,” the architectural at a working Sicilian farmhouse • Two Apulia UNESCO zone of Agrigento, whose Doric temples and sanctuaries sites: Cave dwellings of Matera and Alberobello’s medieval date to Greek rule in the 5th century BCE. Known white-washed buildings • Neapolitan cooking demon- in its heyday as the “most beautiful city of mortals,” stration and dinner • Lecce, the “Florence of the South” Agrigento’s highlight is the stunning, well-preserved • Fascinating, uncrowded Apulia region • Stunning Temple of Concordia (c. 430 BCE). A visit to the Amalfi Coast • Tour of ancient ruins at Pompeii (UNESCO museum here lends context to our explorations. Late site) • Day trip to Isle of Capri • Unique, well-located this afternoon we return to our hotel, where we dine small-group style hotels • Pleasing mix of touring and tonight. time at leisure B,L,D Day 5: Taormina/Mount Etna This morning’s Day Itinerary Hotel Rating tour ventures to Europe’s largest active volcano. 1 Depart U.S. for Taormina (Catania) The ancients believed Mt. Etna to be the forge of Eurostars 2-5 Taormina First Class Vulcan, god of fire; today, modern-day Sicilians Monte Tauro have a very personal relationship with the volcano, Locanda di 6-7 Matera First Class San Martino which frequently erupts but is seldom destructive. Patria Palace Centuries of lava flows have resulted in a rich, fertile 8-10 Lecce Sup. First Class Hotel landscape where citrus groves and vineyards thrive. Hotel Antiche Mid-day we enjoy a small group highlight: lunch at a 11-14 Sorrento First Class Mura family-run working farm amidst acres of lemon and 15 Depart Naples for U.S. kiwi. After returning to our hotel mid-afternoon, the Ratings are based on the Hotel & Travel Index, the travel remainder of the day is at leisure. B,L industry standard reference. Cover photo: Taormina’s 3rd-century Greek theatre overlooks Mount Etna, which we visit on Day 5. Colorful fishing boats along a Sicilian harbor Day 6: Taormina/Matera We leave Sicily today for Day 10: Lecce/Otranto Today’s excursion takes us the mainland region of Basilicata, a day-long transfer to the beautiful walled town of Otranto, overlooking that includes a ferry ride from Sicily to Calabria. Late the Adriatic. On a walking tour here we see the impos- this afternoon we reach Matera, whose historic troglo- ing 15th-century Aragonese castle with its traditional dyte churches and dwellings (Sassi) have been designated moat, and the Romanesque cathedral whose impressive a UNESCO site and where our hotel is a renovated wall-to-wall mosaic floor was created in 1166. We cave dwelling in the city’s historic district. B,D continue on to a local winery for a tasting and lunch then return to Lecce mid-afternoon. Dinner tonight Day 7: Matera Today we explore this city of art and is on our own. B,L folklore, with its unique ancient urban structure still intact. Home to more than 100 rock churches, Matera Day 11: Lecce/Sorrento This morning we depart resembles ancient Jerusalem and has been used by by coach for Sorrento, overlooking the Bay of Naples. international film directors as a stand-in for the holy En route we stop for a traditional trattoria lunch in city. Following a guided walking tour, the remainder the small town of Polignano a Mare. Dinner tonight of the day