Ercolano - Villa Campolieto - Paestum - Salerno

Route: Naples - Ercolano - Villa Campolieto - Paestum - Salerno - Naples
Duration: 9 h
Our first stop in this tour will be at the Herculaneum, a bit like Pompeii, is characterized by the Archaeological Excavations of the ancient city, which was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Hidden until the 18th century, its artful frescoes and mosaics have retained much color and are truly a sight to behold. Your tour includes visits to the House of the Mosaic Atrium, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite and the House of the Deer. Continuing on our walk we will visit the Decumanus, the Palestra, the Basilica and the Thermal Baths of the Forum. Visiting Ercolano means giving closure to the cultural and historical trip, enriching not only culturally but also spiritually. In 1997, the ruins of Herculaneum, along with the Pompeii ruins and Oplontis, became part of the UNESCO heritage, for its interest and importance. Next we will visit to Villa Campolieto was built by the will of Prince Luzio De Sangro, Duke of Casacalenda in 1755. The building is set to a square plan, articulating the four blocks of a central Greek cross tunnel, and is spread over five levels. The rear facade of the Villa opens with an elliptical porch with Tuscan columns that forms a covered lookout and ends with a magnificent view of the sea with a bathtub and an elliptical staircase that combines the factory body with the garden below. During the visit you will see the impressive stable, the room called "Cannocchiale",  the hall "of Mirrors",  the Festival Hall and the frescoes on the walls. Next we will visit to the Paestum, one of the main centers of the Magna Greece and one of the precious archaeological pearls of Italy. Legend attributes its foundation to the Argonauts, but the story say that in 600 BC Greeks from Sybaris settled in this area and founded a city called Poseidonia, which soon became one of the most active of Campania. In 273 BC the Romans established there a colony, changing the name of the city with the current one. Three Doric temples of the V century BC, named Temple of Neptune, Basilica and Temple of Ceres stand in the city. The excellent state of preservation of the buildings makes them among the best examples of the Doric order in the West.The entire archaeological area of the city was included in the UNESCO list. Next we will visit to Salerno which is an important town on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the east of Amalfi. The town is best known for its cathedral, castle and old-town centre. A town has existed on the site for more than 2600 years, when the Etruscans established a settlement called Irna here. This was replaced by the Roman town of Salernum in the second century AD. In 1943 the Salerno then became the the capital of Italy for a few months until the north of Italy had also been regained. During our visit you will see the seafront promenade "Lungomare Trieste" it is almost eight kilometres long and lined with palm trees,  Schola Medica Salernitana which is the place in the history books as the site of the first medical school in the world. Started in a dispensary in a monastery here in the 9th century, from the 10th to the 13th centuries the school was the most important centre in the world for medical training and learning. The school brought together knowledge from Ancient Greek, western, Arabic and Jewish sources and as a result attracted both students and the sick from all around the world. The garden which called the Giardini della Minerva on Via Ferrante Sanseverino and below the castle. The garden dates from the 12th century and reputed to be the oldest botanic garden in Italy, perhaps even Europe. Salerno Cathedral of Saint Matthew the current cathedral dates from the 11th century, although an earlier cathedral stood on the same site even before that where look at the 12th century belltower and the courtyard-atrium of the cathedral that incorporates columns from the ancient Greek temple site of Paestum. Inside and in the crypt of the cathedral is the tomb of Saint Matthew, one of the 12 apostles of Christ, brought here in the middle of the 10th century. The other main regions of interest to visitors to Salerno are in the narrow streets and alleys of the medieval centre and along the broad boulevards of shops around Via dei Mercanti. After free time we return to Naples.
Price: per person