Charming Coastal Hamlets

Vernazza,  Positano e  Cefalù  are hamlets positioned upon spurs of stone in the presence of precipitous slopes and clusters of inlets, each vista is an authentic natural "work of art". The suggestive type of coastal projections along the sea with sheer cliffs that often overtake the verticality alternated with bays, winding paths and enchanting small beaches between steep rugged elevations of land offer a profound and colorful backdrop. Archaeological findings of jewellery and decorated shells confirm man inhabited these stretches of coastline from very early times. Perhaps it's the air made salty by the sea-spray on stormy days that has made the grapes so sweet and the olives and lemons so tasty – a splendid feast for everyone’s palate !!!

ITINERARY
 
Day 1. Arrival in Vernazza, one of the Cinque Terre.

Total immersion in the Mediterraean profumes of pines, cypresses, live oaks and salty breezes. Vernazza, proclaimed by UNESCO a “Protected World Territory”, is an artist’s palette...orange, red, ochre, pink and yellow galore.

Day 2.  Entire day at your pleasure to explore Vernazza and the other 4 fishermen hamlets – Riomaggiore – Manola – Corniglia – Monterosso al Mare. A local train is available + footpaths +

ferryboats  permit you to move from one hamlet to another.

Day 3. Morning departure to Carrara – Fantiscritti Quarry of the Apuane Alps where Micheangelo personally selected the blocks of marble desired for his masterpieces. Exclusive personal tour conducted by 81 year “young” Walter Danesi of the fascinating “open air” museum he created at the base of the Quarry.

Following, a  personal visit of the Nicoli Laborary of Sculpture founded by Carlo Nicoli born in Carrara, 1843 which the Unesco Club of Carrara appointed storical place herald of culture of peace  in 2000.  Today, his 76 year “young” great-grandson, Carlo humbly states “we are like the symphony orchestra, we can play Mozart but we can't write it. For our super qualified artisans, the best sculpture would be a bird cage with a bird inside carved from a single block of marble." Here technique and art are perfectly separated.

Lunch at your pleasure in Vernazza or another hamlet of the Cinque Terre.

Afternoon at your leisure.

Day 4. Morning transfer to Positano, on the Amalfi Coast  via private rental auto, chauffeur or via train.

Arrival in 4*-5* hotel accommodation.

Day 5.  In Positano, a colourful bunch of homes seem to descend and slide one on top of the other all the way down to the beautiful Mediterranean blue seas. Total day at your leisure to explore and discover the marvels of Positano.

Day 6.  Excursions available upon request to Amalfi, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Ravello (where the inhabitants state they are “closer to the heavens than to the shore” !!!

Day 7. Late morning transfer from Positano to Naples’s Airport Capocchino for direct flight to Palermo. 90 minutes transfer from airport to hotel accommodation in Cefalù .

Day 8. Full Day at your pleasure to explore the beauty and magic of Cefalù. The current name derives from the Greek word Kephaloidion, meaning head or chief, the Norman king Roger II decided to initiate the work on the cathedral in 1131. It was built by Norman architects and Arabic craftsmen, conditioned by Byzantine liturgical prescriptions. After a period of decline, it was renovated in 1267. The town’s history is chequered; many different kinds of people have governed it, for example the Arabs, the Greeks and the Normans.

The most famous work of art in the Mandralisca museum is the “Portrait of an Unknown Man” by Antonello da Messina, one of the most famous painters of the European 15th century. Antonella da Messina, considered to be one of the greatest Renaissance painters for his many artistic innovation and for his development of character and psychology in portraiture, travelled the Italian commercial and artistic routes of Italy. In Naples he came in contact with the Flemish style, in Rome and Florence he was influenced by the developed Renaissance techniques and especially by Piero della Francesca. During Antonello's time Sicily was a truly cosmopolitan island, and had been so for centuries and a crossroad of civilizations. Antonello is particularly recognized for revolutionizing the style of portraiture. In a sense he was the first modern portrait painter, combining great detail, precision, and psychological insight in his works. Before Antonello Italian portraits were either frontal or made from a side view. Antonello created the three-quarter portrait that shows more of the subjects’ faces and allows greater insight in their personalities. Although this style is generally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, it was actually invented by Antonello. Described as “typically Sicilian,” with his “ammiccante” (devious, snitching, betraying) gaze. A leading scholar of Italian painting, Federico Zeri, wrote that the Unknown Man represents and universalizes the wily, devious, and scheming, the clever and intelligent nature of the Sicilian and Mediterranean male !!!

Day 9. Another day as one prefers for excursions + “rest relaxation” under the Sicilian Sun on the beaches of Cefalù.

Day 10.  Departure after breakfast for Palermo’s airport.