Naples, Pompei & Amalfi Coast

Overview

For some Expat Club trips choosing the main picture is a real challenge. Look at the one at the top of this trip for instance. It does not show the incredibly scenic coastal towns of Amalfi and Positano, neither can you see the island of Capri. Also it doesn’t show one of the world’s most incredible archeological treasures: Pompei and Herculaneum. Nowadays registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, these two Roman cities were destroyed by an eruption of the Vesuvius in 79 AD. A thick layer of dust fell down on the cities that were only rediscovered in the late 16th century. The perpetrator is shown on the picture, and during this trip you will have the opportunity took right into its crater. But our main destination and our base will be the city at the feet of this fire-spitting mountain, Naples. Home of the pizza, this ancient Roman city on the sea simply belongs on our calendar. This is yet another incredible trip to discover a part of beautiful Italy.

Pre-reserve now

Everything about the trip is confirmed, except the trip itself. We are waiting for positive news about the lifting of travel restrictions. If you would like to join, you can now simply pre-reserve your spot for free and without obligations. Note, unlike what we did in the past, this is more than just indicating interest. We expect you to be serious about joining us. Having many people on the list who are not serious in joining us is not helpful (we have to confirm flights and hotels as well at some point). You will not have to pay now, and you can still opt-out for free until the moment you have to reconfirm. In other words, zero risk. Note that a very quick decision once we can confirm after Europe opens up for travel again is required. Flight prices may go up quickly namely.

Videos

Rick Steves visits Naples

Watch this 8-minute video to get an idea of what happened in Pompei in 79 AD.

The Vesuvius volcano from above.

This video about the Amalfi coast starts a bit unclear, but rest assured you will get to see the full beauty of this incredible region.

Program

As with all Expat Club trips we carefully think about the entire program to arrange a smooth trip for everyone. This includes the location of the hotel, pre-reserved entrance times, organised lunches and dinners, good local transportation etc. Still, unforeseen things can happen that may influence our program, such as traffic and road blocks, unexpected closed destinations etc. We always do our best to come up with the best possible alternative in collaboration with local guides, bus drivers, hotels and welcoming restaurants and museums. The below program gives a good indication of what you can expect, but will surely still change until we can confirm it fully.

Thursday 10 June
10h35 – Departure to Naples
12h55 – Arrival Naples
14h30 – Check-in hotel
15h30 – Guided tour Naples
17h30 – Free time
18h30 – Dinner
20h30 – Evening program

Friday 11 June
07h30 – Breakfast
08h30 – Departure to Pompei
09h00 – Guided tour Pompei
11h00 – End guided tour & free time
11h45 – Lunch
12h30 – Departure to Herculaneum
13h00 – Guide tour Herculaneum
15h00 – Departure to Naples
16h00 – Pizza making workshop (t.b.c.)
20h00 – End workshop & dinner

Saturday 12 June
07h30 – Breakfast
09h00 – Departure to Salerno
10h15 – Arrival Salerno and boarding boats
10h30 – Departure to Amalfi, Positano, Capri & Sorrento
18h30 – Arrival Sorrento
19h00 – Dinner
21h00 – Train back to Naples

Sunday 13 June
08h35 – Departure to Vesuvius
09h30 – Arrival parking and walk up
11h15 – Departure to Naples Airport
12h00 – Arrival Napoli Airport
13h20 – Departure to Brussels
15h45 – Arrival Brussels

Destinations

There are so many amazing regions in Italy that you can spend an entire summer there and still not have enough time to see them all. For that reason Expat Club cuts it up for you in bite-sized pieces and enjoy many shorter periods. For this trip we use Naples as the starting hub for discovering not only the city itself, but also some superb destinations in its direct vicinity. Btw, during this trip we see three new UNESCO World Heritage Sites and experience one delectable UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

• Pompei & Herculaneum
• Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento & Capri
• Vesuvius volcano
• Naepolitano Pizzas ????

Napels
With almost 1 million inhabitants in the city and 3 million in the wider metropolitan area, Naples is Italy’s third largest city and a major tourist destination. The city was founded by the Greeks in the 2nd millennium BC, so it has well over 3.000 years of permanent habitation! Throughout history it has played an important role and of course we will learn all about it during a private guided city tour. There is really a lot to see in Europe’s largest historic city centre, which has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Naturally food is amazing in Naples, and we are certainly going to enjoy it on our first and second evening. On the second evening we do require you active participation though, from both your brains and your hands, because we are going to make our own pizzas… the Neapolitan way of course. (t.b.c. depends on interest participants, surcharge €84 incl dinner…).

Historic Center of Naples
From the Neapolis founded by Greek settlers in 470 B.C. to the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique site, with a wealth of outstanding monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and the Castel Nuovo. (source: Unesco website)

Pompei & Herculaneum
The year 79 A.D. will forever be linked to the destruction of the Roman towns Pompei and Herculaneum after the Vesuvius volcano erupted. A layer of four to six meters of ash and pumice, a super-heated and highly pressurised rock that is ejected from volcanoes, fell down on the two cities. The tragedy provides us nowadays with an exceptional insight into ancient roman life. Many buildings are superbly preserved, including wall paintings and their inhabitants, who died a gruesome death. As one of the world’s most important archeological areas, it goes without saying that it appears on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. We will be discovering Pompei with a private official guide to fully understand what life was all about about 1942 years ago before the natural disaster occurred, as well as what happened the years that followed until today.

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompei contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the holiday resort of Herculaneum, while the superb wall paintings of the Villa Oplontis at Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthier citizens of the Early Roman Empire.

Pizza workshop
Let’s do something educational and cultural. Since the art of Neapolitan pizzaiuolo is recognised by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity, we have a great excuse to do something funny and delicious. Because we are going to discover the True Naepolitan Pizza making process during a 4-hour laboratory workshop:

• Welcome with a cup of neapolitan coffee, History of the True Neapolitan Pizza – duration 20’
• Preparation of the dough of true Neapolitan pizza, discovering of its secrets – duration 90’
• Team work from stretching to cooking pizza Neapolitan pizza – duration 90’
• Tasting of true Neapolitan pizza – duration 40’

Art of Neapoloitan 'Pizzaiuolo'
The art of the Neapolitan ‘Pizzaiuolo’ is a culinary practice comprising four different phases relating to the preparation of the dough and its baking in a wood-fired oven, involving a rotatory movement by the baker. The element originates in Naples, the capital of the Campania Region, where about 3,000 Pizzaiuoli now live and perform. Pizzaiuoli are a living link for the communities concerned. There are three primary categories of bearers – the Master Pizzaiuolo, the Pizzaiuolo and the baker – as well as the families in Naples who reproduce the art in their own homes. The element fosters social gatherings and intergenerational exchange, and assumes a character of the spectacular, with the Pizzaiuolo at the centre of their ‘bottega’ sharing their art. Every year, the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli organizes courses focused on the history, instruments and techniques of the art in order to continue to ensure its viability. Technical know-how is also guaranteed in Naples by specific academies, and apprentices can learn the art in their family homes. However, knowledge and skills are primarily transmitted in the ‘bottega’, where young apprentices observe masters at work, learning all the key phases and elements of the craft. (source: UNESSCO website)

Amalfi Coast 
On Saturday we are going to enjoy a special day at sea. Gente di Mare we become! Expat Club arranged a nice private yacht to sail to the most amazing places on the famous Amalfi Coast. This gives us not only a great way of transportation, in comparison to a slow bus driving over super curvy roads, but also the best views from the sea and maximal flexibility. If we would take the public ferries, we are namely rather limited in dividing up our day in such a way that we can actually visit all places.

Costiera Amalfitana
The Amalfi coast is an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity. It has been intensively settled by human communities since the early Middle Ages. There are a number of towns such as Amalfi and Ravello with architectural and artistic works of great significance. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting their use of the land to the diverse nature of the terrain, which ranges from terraced vineyards and orchards on the lower slopes to wide upland pastures. (source: UNESCO website)

We begin our day in Naples at the harbour, so at a convenient and pleasant walk from our hotel. A private yacht will be waiting for us and sail to various amazing spot on the Amalfi coast, including Amalfi itself, Positano, Sorrento and the famous island of Capri. This is Italy’s most beautiful coastline, and what better way to see and explore it by boat? This will be a day never to forget.

Vesuvius
The Monte Vesuvio is a somma-stratovolcano at just about 10 kilometres from the city center, and we’ve probably mentioned it already somewhere up here. There is no avoiding this fire-spitter. The volcano consists of a large cone with a steep rim that reaches 1281m above sea level. It’s actually the only European mainland volcano that erupted in the last 100 years. The Sicilian Etna is of course on an island and much more active, but the Vesuvius it is perceived much more dangerous because well over 500.000 people live in the danger zone.

Of course we will go up the volcano. No worries, this type of volcano gives clear signals of an upcoming eruption, so you can definitely join us. A bus will take us to about 20 minutes walking from the top. The walk is doable for anyone who can walk up a hill. And since we give extra time for those who would like to explore the summit from a different side, you can take extra time to reach the rim. From the top you cannot only enjoy the view over Naples and the sider region, but of course the main view would be to look down into the crater.

Hotels

For your comfort, convenience, and safety, we will be staying in two great 4* hotels in Naples at a superb locations. Our first hotel is literally at the cruise terminal in the port of Naples and therefore “minus 1 minute” walking from the boulevard. Our second hotel is “plus 1 minute walking from the Boulevard, and thus on the opposite site of the road, just one block into the old town of Naples. Since it’s a Mercure hotel you can be assured of its quality. The rooftop terrace is probably the nicest thing, certainly for a relaxed breakfast in the morning with a view on a (hopefully still) dormant Vesuvius.

We have limited rooms in both hotels, and once full you can only opt for the other one. You can choose between the following room types:

• • Single room – 1 single bed for 1 person (surcharge applies)
  • Double room – 1 large bed for 2 persons (a couple or parent/child)
  • Twin room – 2 single beds for 2 persons (two friends sharing a room)
  • Twin room – 2 single beds for 2 solo travellers who would like to share a room
  • Triple/family rooms – at request

Room sharing for solo travellers
If you travel alone, you can share a “twin room” with 2 single beds (male or female rooms). We introduce you to the other travellers who also want to share a room. This means you don’t have to search for a friend who wants to join, just reserve a spot and we’ll do the rest. We won’t assign you to a room, but at the beginning of the trip we ask this group to come together and you choose who you want to share the room with. You can select this room sharing option during the reservation processs. It is a perfect way to lower your costs and to meet another friendly expat. Worry free.

Transportation

We will be flying with a direct Brussels Airlines flight from Brussels to Naples. The flight takes about 2h15 to 2h25 and of course we make sure that a private transportation to/from the city is waiting for us. Everything for your convenience.

• Thursday 10 June: Brussels 10h35 – Naples 12h55
• Sunday 13 June: Naples 13h20 – Brussels 15h55

Comments:

• Be aware that we only can offer limited spots on these direct flights (we don’t know how many beforehand). If full, or if the price goes up, we may still be able to offer you spots on flights with 1 stop both ways (Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich or Vienna). The arrival time in Naples is approximately the same, but the departure time back is 2 hours later. We may in that case offer you another nice thing to see in/around Naples. The return time is at night though.
• We offer the flights without luggage. You can add during the reservation process (generally +€50), but we’d like to ask you to seriously consider traveling with hand luggage only to save time. It’s summer anyway, so traveling light is easy.

In Naples we arrange a private transfer from/to the airport. To Pompei and Herculaneum we will go with a private bus or by train. To the Amalfi coast we likely take the train to Salerno and come back from Sorrento (both about 1 hour). For the Vesuvius we take a private bus since we have to go to the airport anyway.

Comments

• The trip will be carried out by Brussels Airlines.
• The trip is carefully planned. Still, all timings are indicative and may change if required by circumstances.
• The trip is sold as a package. You cannot go with your own transportation or arrange your own accommodation. If there are specific things that you do not want in the package, please let us know.
• You are personally responsible for getting good cancellation and/or travel insurance that covers you for unforeseen emergencies and medical expenses before or during the trip. 
• You are personally responsible for using the hotel room in an appropriate way. Any missing or broken items will be billed after the trip.
• Expat Club cannot be held liable for unforeseen delays that influence the program (e.g. missed guided tours), neither can Expat Club be held liable for weather-related cancellations or any other unforeseen events that influence the course of the trip, including, but not limited to technical problems with the coach, strikes, weather etc.
• Expat Club cannot be held liable for personal injuries during the trip, such as, but not limited to, things that happen during the guided tours. Joining this trip is safe but still at your own risk.
• If you do not find a room partner on your own, we will find one for you (male/male, female/female). During the outbound trip we will connect you with others in the same position. If you decide to take a single room during the trip, then you will have to fully pay for it yourself.
• If you book a double / twin room and your travel partner cancels, you will have to pay the single room supplement or share a room with another person (if available).