10 DAYS

BERGAMO - TURIN - SALUZZO - ALBA - ASTI - MONTE ROSA
8-10 day round trip
800km round trip (Bergamo, Turin, Saluzzo, Alba, Asti, Monte Rosa and return)

  Largely ignored in favour of seemingly more illustrious regions such as Tuscany and Umbria, Piedmont proffers a surprising palette of options for all tastes. Turin, the regional capital, exudes a certain grandeur with its proud, elegant centre and charming riverside location. It offers all the delights of the big city, in marked contrast to the options beyond. Head southwest for Saluzzo, a pretty medieval town at the beginning of one of a number of enticing valleys that lead west into the French Alps – an option worth taking up if you love nature and have some extra time. Due east of Saluzzo you enter gastronome territory – the Langhe hills. The nerve center of this prestigious wine-making area is Alba, famed for its white truffles. Whit your own wheels you can explore the villages that give their names to some fine tipples and tasty meals: Barolo for noble reds; Cinzano for its tart liquor; or Cherasco for its gourmet snail dishes. To the north is Alba’s medieval arch rival, Asti, another wine center (this time white). Still more reds are produced in the verdant Monferrato region to its north. From here, shoot north along the A26 to Lago d’Orta, one of the prettiest lakes in northern Italy. Think about an overnight stay in the charming lakeside village of Orta San Giulio. Fans of the Alps could then head west for Varallo and the Valsesia valley. At the valley’s end you butt up against the walls of the Swiss Alps. You can opt for skiing or hiking in the shadow of the mighty 4633m-high Monte Rosa, or whitewater rafting along the Sesia River, before returning to Bergamo.

 


BERGAMO - AMALFI - CAPRI - SORRENTO - NAPOLI - POMPEI
Days recommended for the trip 10
Total Km of the tour 1.700km(Bergamo, Amalfi, Capri, Sorrento, Napoli, Pompei and return.)

CAMPANIA
Exploring the Mezzogiorno makes for an incredible trip, whether you want to live it up in a crazy, chaotic city, ponder the greatness of civilisations long past amid their ancient ruins or explore some of the country’s most dazzling coastline. Sitting in the shadow of Mt Vesuvius, Naples is a thriving metropolis where life is lived at a raucous and anarchic pace. You’ll want to devote two days to exploring the city quarters around Spaccanapoli, the grand Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the city’s trattorie. Within striking distance of this fascinating city lie the ruins of two Roman settlements where daily life was frozen in time by a fierce eruption from Vesuvius, Herculaneum, once a Roman resort town, is still being excavated and Pompeii, Italy’s premier tourist attraction offering an enthralling insight into the daily lives of the Romans, needs no introduction. You could devote a day or more to this excursion. Don’t ever think about leaving the Bay of Naples without making a visit to Capri, the island home of spectacular caves, lush vegetation and charming villages. It is a magical place to spend a day or two. The Amalfi Coast is one of Europe’s most dramatic coastlines incorporating beautiful towns such as Positano, Amalfi and Ravello along its spine-tingling coastal route, while Paestum, a shade further south, boasts three Greek temples that are among the best-preserved monuments of Magna Graecia. Nearby, Agropoli makes makes a handy base for Paestum and the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano is good for a nature injection before returning to the chaotic hustle of Naples via a quick stop in Salerno before returning to Bergamo.

 

BERGAMO - VIESTE - BARI - LECCE - GALLIPOLI - TARANTO - CASTEL DEL MONTE
10-11 day round trip
2.500km round trip (Bergamo, Vieste, Bari, Lecce, Gallipoli, Sea, Taranto, Castel del monte and return)

PUGLIA
For many backpackers, Puglia means little more than a ferry to or out of Bari or Brindisi on the Italy-Greece route. But the region is rich in sigts and natural beauty, and boats and addictive cuisine. Start the Promontorio del Gargano, dotted with cheerful coastal village such as Vieste, and the inland objective of pilgrimage for Italians from around the country, San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio. You could also consider an excursion to the Isole Tremiti. Continue visitthe capital Bariand head inland for the extraordinary Castel del Monte. From there swivel northeast to the fishing town of Trani, wich is dominated by a remarkable Romanesque cathedral. You’ll now to backtrack south for the land ofr the trulli (conical-roofed stones houses) centred on Alberobello. Nearby, Ostuni and Martina Franca are among Puglia’s prettiest towns.Virtually directly south is the tatty but impressive Taranto.The coast to Taranto’s east is sprinkled with some great beaches. Follow them around to Gallipoli and proceed to the east of the Penisola Sorrentina, a wild, largely untouched area with some long,quiet beaches, before winding up in Lecce, an extravagant baroque treasure chest.

 




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