We are going on the RS Best of South Italy tour in October. I just received the RS Italy book in the mail. There is absolutely nothing in the book about Vieste or Matera, 2 of the towns we stay in for 2 nights each. Also, it mentions on the itinerary that we are staying on the Amalfi Coast for 2 nights but it doesn't mention a specific town. Any ideas for those of you that have done this tour? I always like to read up on where we are going!
Posted by
Land of La
9261 posts
Contact their office in the morning.
Posted by
Reno, NV, USA
2556 posts
Hi Cindy,
We did that tour last year. I guess you will have to use another source of info on Vieste and Matera. Both were lovely. Be prepared for a lot of walking up stairs/hills in Matera and Vieste. We stayed in Maiori on the Amalfi Coast. It’s a quick ferry ride from there to Amalfi. To get to Maiori, the tour bus took us to Salerno where we took a private boat ride up the coast as far as Amalfi and the backtracked to Maiori.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32363 posts
cindy,
It's not possible for Rick to include every location in Italy, even the places visited on his tours. I suspect the reason for that is partially because of a limit on the number of pages that would easily fit into the book. If he included more locations, the book would be considerably thicker and it's already one of the biggest books in his collection.
The guide will show you the most notable sites in both Matera and Vieste. If you really want more detailed information, you could have a look at this - https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/en-ca/products/southern-italy?_pos=3&_sid=1370b0de5&_ss=r (although I wasn't able to tell exactly what was included in this book).
Regarding your stay on "the Amalfi Coast", I agree with a previous reply..... contact the RS tour office on Monday morning and they should be able to provide that information. I suspect that they change locations at times due to hotel availability or cost. You should receive a list of hotels about a month before the tour start date.
I've been on that tour and it provides a wonderful look at a very unique part of Italy.
Buon Viaggio!
Posted by
Vancouver WA
1 posts
Salve, Cindy26. I found a lot of videos on YouTube as well as information doing Google searches for both Vieste and Matera. Also, going to Google Maps and Google Earth allows you to search for types of places, see photos and explore. Both places look amazing!.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1202 posts
Search on Matera for posts in past year on the travel forum:
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Matera&utf8=%E2%9C%93
You might find similar results searching on Vieste.
Posted by
Massachusetts
1103 posts
I took this tour earlier this June. Absolutely loved everything about it.
Vieste is tiny. No need to prepare things to do. The first day you get to Vieste, you will have time to rest then there is a group dinner. The second day in the morning, we were supposed to do a boat ride/cruise but due to rain and high winds, the captain cancelled. Our guide arranged for a walking tour. The rest of the day was free. I walked all around the town and took lots of pictures. No tourists in sight.
Matera is magical (at least it was for me). We stayed in the Sassi (in a cave hotel). You will get there in the late afternoon. You will have time to rest (or go for a walk) then will have a group dinner. Before the group dinner, the guide will take you on an orientation walk, and suggest activities/things to do. The second day you will have a walking tour in the am with a local guide and the rest of day is free. The hotel in Matera has a spa so if you are interested, you should make a reservation once you get there for the second day. A lot of people on our tour took advantage of this opportunity.
I suggest you take the opportunity to relax, slow down and enjoy both Vieste and Matera. i loved just wandering around.
Posted by
17 posts
Hi Cindy - I took this tour in April this year. I agree with the 2 posters above on Vieste and Matera. Not much extra time. Both are very pretty and fun to wander. I'd spend your time looking for a restaurant for dinner in Matera on the 2nd night. The spa at the hotel in Matera is a must, book it before you go. We stayed in Maori on the Amalfi Coast, just like described above. It has a flat promenade and good sized beaches. I might have been on the same tour as Mary above, haha
Posted by
17 posts
Okay, I toured with a different Mary. Our Vieste boat ride was not cancelled. It was a highlight, we went into about 6 or 7 grottos.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2305 posts
Another source of ideas are the scrapbooks from previous years. If you click on “Our Tours” there is a section for scrapbooks with how previous posters spent their free time. There was a cooking class in Vieste on our tour and then we hiked the hills for outstanding views. Our travel partner had a very distant relative who lived in Matera so we went to lunch at the family restaurant, but many others did the spa.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32363 posts
For anyone that will be staying in Maiori on this tour, here's a brief look at the town. It looks beautiful!