See the ruins of Herculaneum, the smaller, but no less impressive, sister of Pompeii, frozen in time by the same devastating volcanic eruption of August 24th 79 AD. Left buried under the rubble of ash until the 1700s, its discovery stunned the world.
All of the ancient town lies at the bottom of an archaeological hole, about 75 feet deep. Getting closer, see the area of the marina where 300 human skeletons were found along with a boat (on display at weekends).
Discover the garden of the “House of the Albergo”, where quince trees have been replanted following evidence of carbonized roots of the ancient fruit tree. Your next stop is the Council Hall of the Augustali, where beautiful frescoes depict Hercules.
Visit the mosaics in the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, and the neighboring store where food and wine containers, carbonised by the volcano, still hang on the walls! Go to the ancient spa, still covered with mosaics from the Roman saunas, gyms, hot rooms, and cold tubs.
Finally, see the most spectacular villa of Herculaneum at Villa Dei Cervi, with its luxurious mosaics, frescoes, and statues.
Discover Gallipoli in a walking tour of 2 hours.
First stop on the itinerary is the Greek fountain, an example of the Renaissance style inspired by the ancient world (in the past was thought to be of age greek-Roman).
Crossing the bridge that connects the old center to the new town, you enter the heart of the city, protected by the big castle.
From Antonietta De Pace street walking to the Cathedral, dedicated to St. Agatha, martyred in the city of Catania (Sicily), whose relics arrived in Gallipoli.
Then continue to the winding streets of the city, admiring the buildings and the typical houses, and then along the coast with numerous churches of the sixteenth century, including the Church of Purità, St. Francesco of Assisi and the Rosario.
Visit to a typical winery in the Apulia region (Southern Italy), a few steps from the Cathedral of Trani and the sea, surrounded by countryside.
The winery is located in a beautiful old stone farmhouse "Masseria" in the countryside.
You will visit the magnificent vineyards and through a pleasant walk, explore the cellars with wooden barrels where they are stored different types of wine.
Some wines take their name from the important medieval castle in this area, Castel del Monte.
At the end of the tour there will be a wonderful wine tasting or the characteristic "Moscato di Trani", a sweet dessert wine.
Explore the city of Bari, famous around the world to preserve the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra, venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Discover its history and heritage in this 3-hour shore excursion.
St. Nicholas he became famous even outside the Christian world because his figure has given rise to the myth of Santa Claus (or Klaus), symbol of the Coca Cola Company.
Discover the Basilica of St. Nicholas, built in the twelfth century to preserve the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra, is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque architecture.
The walk will continue to the Cathedral of St. Sabino of the eleventh century until the Norman-Swabian Castle Fortress built in the twelfth century by Roger the Norman, and after the destruction by William I of Sicily, was rebuilt by Frederick II Hohenstaufen.
The tour will end with the visit of Mercantile square and the Column of Justice
Free time to buy typical local products
Enjoy a 2-hour walking tour of Pompeii and experience life in an everyday Roman town, with your own personal guide. Tours can be tailored to your own interests and physical abilities, but aim to take in at least one site from each type of building.
Start at Porta Marina, one of the best preserved city gates. Walk along the original basalt road of volcanic rocks, looking down at hundreds of little white travertine spots used to reflect torch light. See big blocks of basalt emerging from the road, used by pedestrians to avoid getting wet when it rained.
Explore the buildings of the Forum, such as the Temple of Apollo, Temple of the Emperor, and Macellum market. You will also see a display of human casts of the Pompeii residents caught by the volcano in the exact pose that they died.
Discover the Roman equivalent of today’s fast-food restaurants, and see the bakeries of Pompeii, where carbonized loaves of bread where found during the excavations.
Continue to the former Red Light District to see Roman frescoes of erotic images. And visit one of the city’s 3 theaters, either at the outdoor arena for public performances, the indoor theater for mime and poetry, and the outdoor theater for tragedies and comedies.
Writing reviews is just not for me, but I'm glad to be writing my first review about this amazing experience. It was such a pleasant, fun, and thrilling tour. My husband and I have a lot of appreciation for historical architecture and our guide Eugene did a fantastic job with showing us some of thee best spots to take in the beauty of Rome. He was very informative and has a great amount of interesting knowledge about the history. Very friendly and professional and overall a delightful tour guide. I was skeptical about riding a Segway, but it was actually an enjoyable way to get around for siteseeing. Eugene was patient and helped alot with being able to maneuver around the city safely.
We had a E bike tour with Jiulio in Rome yesterday, it was fun, interesting, Julio had a lot of knowledge , patience, we enjoyed every second of the tour!
Come to Assisi and explore with a guide the history, art and local traditions of one of the most famous hill towns of Italy. Meet the guide and from there the tour will take you to the old Roman ruins of the local amphitheater, which was reused in the Middle Ages as a quarry for stones to build local houses. You will see how the amphitheatre was turned into a private neighbourhood. From here the view towards the Rocca Maggiore Medieval castle is one of the best in the city.
Walk through narrow alleys and medieval squares until you reach Saint Rufino’s Cathedral, Saint Claire's Basilica and the main city square, Piazza del Comune. At the square you will see of the best preserved Roman temple of Italy – Minerva Temple – which is surrounded by imposing medieval government buildings.
The tour will then head down to Saint Francis Basilica, which is famous worldwide for its 13th–14th-century frescoes by the best painters of Italy at that time. Among those, the most famous is Giotto.
Walking tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Enjoy an exciting and informative 2-hour walking tour of the remarkable city of Naples, and discover why it is considered one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean. See the very best of this ancient and mystical city with an official tour guide who will explain its hidden gems, legends, and action-packed history.
Visit the Cathedral of San Gennaro, walk past the Royal Palace of Naples, where the great Bourbon Kings once resided, the spectacular Real Teatro di San Carlo, Naples' beautiful opera house. Continue on to San Francesco di Paola, a beautiful church located at the Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples' main city square, and stroll through the beautiful Gallery of Umberto I, a public shopping gallery opposite the San Carlo opera house.
Visit some of Naples' ancient castles, built thousands of years ago, and stroll through the city's main historic center to the famous Spacca Napoli street, the area where Naple was founded, to visit some of the most important churches in the city.
Explore the archaeological ruins of the ancient Roman town of Canne della Battaglia, famous for the biggest battle of the Second Punic War fought between the Roman and Carthaginian army near the river Ofanto, between about 86,000 Romans and about 50,000 Carthaginians.
The battle was won by the Carthaginians led by Hannibal, one of the greatest leaders in history.
Discover the tactics of war that allowed the Carthaginians to win the battle and which killed more than 55,000 soldiers.
Beyond the Roman ruins, we will visit the necropolis and museum "Antiquarium" with a rich collection of clay pots painted with geometric designs from pre-Roman populations (dauno-peucezi) dating back to the IV-III century BC, from the tombs and necropolis of Cannae.
Head for Monte Subasio on a 3-hour walking tour of Assisi and explore Italy’s famous pilgrimage site. Stroll the maze of medieval streets, and visit the Basilicas of Santa Chiara and St. Francis to see one of Italy’s largest collections of church art. Located on a gentle hill beneath the summit of Monte Subasio, the fabled Umbrian town of Assisi is the most famous pilgrimage site in Italy, a consequence of being the birthplace of Saint Francis.
Born in the village of warm pink stone in 1182, Francis founded the mendicant Franciscan order to which he gave his name in 1210. Prior to his birth, Assisi had been settled by ancient Umbrian tribes, and later became a Roman town. Thanks to this rich history and blend of incredible architecture and art, Assisi is a multi-faceted town.
Discover all its facets in one emotional 3-hour walking tour. Stop by to pay particular attention to the 2 churches of the Basilica of Santa Chiara, dedicated to the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, and the Papal Basilica of St. Francis, built between 1228 and 1253. It is now home to the consecrated remains of the saint.
The stunning monument is also said to have the best collection of art in any church of Italy, including frescoes and paintings by Cimabue, Giotto, Lorenzetti and more.
Discover the beautiful medieval town of Trani, city of art for its medieval monuments and the buildings of the nineteenth century.
Discover the old town, starting with a visit to the medieval castle built by Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen in 1233 on the Adriatic Sea.
The tour continues with a visit to the magnificent Cathedral of Trani, the most beautiful cathedral in the Romanesque style of Puglia, built in honor of St. Nicholas the Pilgrim, the patron saint of the city.
After seeing the beauty of the cathedral, the tour continues in the medieval Jewish quarter, built entirely of white stone, and will visit outside two synagogues along the way, Scolanova and Scola Grande
The tour ends with a lovely walk along the yacht harbor
Loved the whole experience- visited all the best countries in Europe, tasted wines, spirits and other European alcohol In cheapest prices. It’s not suitable for asians with dark skin and if you’re over 34 yrs old unless you have a thick skin to not give any reaction to the comments some people make as a joke- only because they are white and still young. Not sure what they are so proud about in those moments. Other than that I enjoyed my time with rest of them. The price was on discount- I had to add on some extra adventures which worth it. Honestly 24 days is finished so quickly. Recommend to all the people who like explore Europe more in less time in cheaper price. Great work contiki, I am on my second one now- in Thailand, this group of approx 30 people is much better than European escapades (just my personal experience).