South Italy tour

This is a wonderful tour and we loved Naples. We did stay an extra day to see a few things we didn't see on the tour and eat more pizza!! We took a really interesting tour of underground Naples (not offered during the tour) which we really enjoyed! Here's the link: https://www.napolisotterranea.org/en/naples-underground/

Wow Andi, thank you very much for the link. I will check it out.

This tour was fantastic! Naples is definately not a relaxing place. Went up to the top of the castle to see the awesome views. The town on top of the hill is much nicer and cleaner as well as the waterfront. Wouldn't spend a lot of time in Naples. Vieste was the best kept secret. Matera was also a great experience. The Buffalo Mozzarella farm was a great experience with the best lunch. And the highlight was for sure Positano and the Amalfi Coast.

Great tour, but we felt two days in Naples was enough.

Thank you Lee and Cill

Hi na!
You will love the RS South Italy tour. I did it a couple of years ago and it was a fantastic experience. I agree with Lee Anderson's post about the entire tour. I could have spent a few days in Vieste. Matera was magical. Regarding Naples, I heard it was a dirty, dangerous city but I found it no more dirty or dangerous than New York or LA. You just have to be careful where you wander and be street-smart, as you would in any other large city. Our guide gave us a good walking map and I actually spent an afternoon walking the city as a solo female and felt confident and safe. There was a wonderful street that was packed with vendors that sold nothing but beautifully crafted figurines for Christmas creches. It was a fascinating peek into the back streets of Naples. I think that two days in Naples is enough time, but if I had an extra day I would go back to the Archaeological Museum to spend more time than the RS tour allowed and go to the top of the fort.
Happy Trails!

thank you StrayPup. I guess i'll have to read up on the archeological museum to see if I'd like to spend more time there...

We loved this tour and were surprised by how much we loved Naples. Naples has a bit of a reputation. As someone above said, you will get a walking tour of the city and they basically tell you where not to go. The folks that we dealt with in restaurants and shops in Naples could not have been nicer to us. Also the view from the Fort up top is spectacular and well worth the short funicular trip to the top.

Most dangerous things we did: Crossing the street and avoiding Vespas in the "pedestrian only" areas. We also took a taxi ride that was more than a little exciting.

Have a great time in Naples

LOL thanks so much jk !
I'm now confirmed for this tour in May ! I'm really looking forward to seeing the southern part of the country.

I see that temperatures are already in the mid 70s this week

I'm excited for you! This is a tour that you will enjoy from start to finish. My husband says that Vieste was his favorite stop. We were there in May a couple of years ago and it is a wonderfully relaxing town. It is a resort town and from what I understand it gets quite busy during the summer months, but May was a perfect time there. My favorite stop was Matera. As another poster says, "It is magical!" I just loved it's uniqueness and the views of the city. The hotel we stayed in was definitely different from anything we had experienced and had a spa that was dedicated to the myth of Medusa. This is a spa like I've never experienced before. It in itself is a journey! As for Naples, there are pros and there are cons like any other large city. You just have to keep an open mind, and I believe that it has gotten a bad rap. Naples has a lot to offer and it is an exciting city. All in all, this entire tour has been well thought out and well organized. We found the whole trip to be well worth the time and expense. There was not one experience that we would have changed. Enjoy!!

Hello Pat
Thanks so much for your comments.

I see from the itinerary that they've built in plenty of free time so I"m now researching stuff to do.

I'm really looking forward to visiting the south. I've spent years looking at photos and reading about the cities of the Southern regions. I'm sure having the knowledgeable guides will make each of the stops even more meaningful.

Alfio Di Mauro was our outstanding guide on the Sicily tour last year. I understand that he also does the South Italy tour. If I were going on the South Italy tour, I would ask which tours Alfio will be leading.

Hi Bob
Thank you for writing. I've actually already signed up for my tour. And although I haven't been informed who will be guiding it I'm confident it will be a memorable tour.

I do think it's nice to have a native person guiding. You get insights from them that you wouldn't necessarily get from a non native.