8-Day Archaeo Sailing Tour Italy – Ventotene, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Paestum & Capri

Upon your arrival at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport or at the Termini train station, our staff will be waiting for you and bring you to a quiet and relaxing place on the via Appia Antica where you can relax until all team members have arrived.

The moment the team for this trip is complete we will leave by minibus to the port of Gaeta where we will stow your luggage on board of the Jua-Kali and have lunch in a restaurant situated in the small and beautiful port of Gaeta. After lunch we will sail to our first destination, the island of Ponza which we will reach depending on favourable sailing winds in 3 hours and a half.

Once arrived in the Port of Ponza you could relax on board of Jua-Kali or in Villa Isabella from where you can overlook the port and where you will spend your first night. Later, during dinner, we will explain to you how your week with us will evolve.

After a good rest and breakfast, it’s time to board Jua Kali to sail to the island of Ventotene. When we arrive, there will be some time for swimming near the beaches on the southside of the island. After bathing we will have a transfer to land and visit Villa Giulia an ancient Roman imperial villa or palace on the north tip of the island.

The huge villa complex of over 3,000 m2 area included thermae (thermal baths), terraces, gardens, an exedra and aqueducts. Emperor Augustus had this villa built in the early part of his reign as a summer palace. The maritime climate of Ventotene (ancient name Pandateria) was pleasant and the land was flatter than nearby islands, making construction easier. It became known as Villa Giulia as it was the place of exile of Augustus’s daughter Julia the Elder in 2 BC, as a reaction to her excessive adultery.

After a visit to Villa Giulia, we will have lunch in the port of Ventotene and prepare in the late afternoon to travel to the island of Ischia.

Since the voyage with our yacht will take quite some time, we have thought using the hydrofoil ferry from Ventotene to Ischia for a passage that takes only one hour. Jua-Kali will follow and will be ready the next morning in a small port next to the hotel. Once we arrive on the island of Ischia we will take taxis to the most western point of Ischia where our hotel that is located and were we will have dinner.

After breakfast in the hotel, we will board Jua kali to sail to the port of Miseno. In Roman times this port became the largest Roman port for the Classis Misenensis, the most important military fleet.

Pliny the Elder was the praefect in charge of the naval fleet at Misenum in AD 79, at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that is visible to the south across the Bay of Naples. Seeing the beginnings of the eruption, Pliny left on one of the ships he commanded for a closer view and to help people evacuate but was killed during the eruptions. The account of his death is given by his nephew Pliny the Younger, who was also resident in Misenum at the time.

Once at Miseno we will visit the Piscina Mirabilis a huge cathedral like water reservoir probably constructed during the reign of Augustus to supply fresh water for the military fleet.

From Miseno we will travel by Minibus to Baia to do a tour of the sunken Roman city of Baiae. In Roman times Baiae was a luxury costal town and most emperors had villas here. After lunch in Baia we will transfer to Cuma to visit the archaeological site and the amazing Antro della Sibilla. Cumae was the first ancient Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from the Greek island of Euboea in the 8th century BC and soon became one of the strongest colonies. Later it became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of Cuma.

After a out visits to Cumae we will transfer to our hotel in Pozzuoli where after some relaxation we will have dinner.

After breakfast we head off to the port of Pozzuoli to see the Temple of Serapis and later to visit the Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli.

This is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy, only the Roman Colosseum and the Amphitheatre of Capua are larger. It was likely built by the same architects who previously constructed the Roman Colosseum.

After visiting this imposing building, we will leave by minivan or taxis to Naples where we will visit the Cappella Sansevero to see the amazing sculpture “The Veiled Christ” a marble sculpture made in 1753 by Giuseppe Sanmartino. Although it’s not pure archaeology we are sure you will appreciate this works and the other amazing sculptures displayed in this small church.

For lunch we will take you to a historical restaurant at the seaside. In the afternoon we will explore underground Naples and visit the Archaeological Museum of Naples or as it was formerly called the Real Museo Borbonico since it was Carlo VII, the Bourbon King of Naples who in 1748 took an interest in Pompeii and had excavations started which initially produced the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum and many artefacts. In the museum we will see Roman and Greek art and other interesting finds from Pompei, you can also visit the secret cabinet (Gabinetto Segreto) which was closed until the year 2000 and holds the collection of erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

After the Museum you will be free to do shopping in Naples or head back to the hotel in Pozzuoli to relax until dinner time.

This morning we will sail on Jua Kali from Pozzuoli to the harbour of Torre Annunziata which is right in front of Pompeii. Once arrived in port we will take taxis to bridge the 4 km that separates us from the entrance of this important site.

Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area e.g. at Boscoreale and Stabiae, was buried under 4 to 6 m of volcanic ash and pumice in the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Largely preserved under the ash, the excavated city offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried, although much of the detailed evidence of the everyday life of its inhabitants was lost in the early excavations that started approximately in 1763. Pompeii was a wealthy town, with a population of ca. 11,000 in AD 79, enjoying many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings and works of art which were the main attractions for the early excavators.

After visiting Pompeii extensively, we will have lunch and sail to Sorrento where we will arrive around 5 pm. This will give you time to explore Sorrento or to relax in the hotel before dinner.

After breakfast we will board Jua Kali to sail between the island of Capri and Punta Campanella and make a slow 180° turn to reach the beach of Tordigliano which is next to Positano.

We will drop anchor in front of the beach to have a swim, relax and have lunch on board or on the beach.

After lunch we will heave anchor to set sail to Amalfi. When we arrive in Amalfi we will disembark and board a Minibus that will be waiting to take us to the archaeological site of Paestum.

Once there, we will visit the archaeological museum that apart from finds from Paestum also contains the finds from the associated Greek site of Foce del Sele where once a Temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Hera stood and which is located 8 km north of Paestum. The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, which are in an excellent state of preservation. The city walls and amphitheatre are largely intact, and the bottom of the walls of many other structures remain, as well as paved roads.

After this visit we will move to our hotel which is close to the site relaxation until dinner time.

In the morning we take our minibus again to arrive swiftly in Amalfi where Jua Kali will be waiting for us.

Upon arrival there will be time to visit this picturesque town. After visiting Amalfi, we will sail to Capri where we hope to arrive around lunch time. After Lunch in Capri, we will pay a visit to Villa Jovis built by emperor Tiberius and completed in AD 27. Tiberius ruled mainly from there until his death in AD 37. Villa Jovis is the largest of the twelve Tiberian villas on Capri mentioned by Tacitus. The entire complex, spanning several terraces and a difference in elevation of about 40 m, covers some 7,000 m² (1.7 acres). While the remaining eight levels of walls and staircases only hint at the grandeur the building must have had in its time, recent reconstructions have shown the villa to be a remarkable testament to 1st-century Roman architecture. The north wing of the building contained the living quarters, while the south wing saw administrative use. The east wing was meant for receptions, whereas the west wing featured an open-walled hall (ambulatio) which offered a scenic view towards Anacapri.

After Villa Jovis we will travel by taxi to visit Villa San Michelle, the dream home of the Swedish physician Axel Munthe. He first came to Capri in 1885 and built his villa on the ruins of an ancient Chapel dedicated to San Michele. ”My house must be open to the sun, to the wind, and the voice of the sea, just like a Greek temple, and light, light, light everywhere! Axel Munthe”.

Taking taxis, we will drive down to the port of Capri to take the fast ferry to Naples. Once in Naples we will transfer to our hotel that is situated close to the port and prepare for our farewell dinner.

After breakfast we will transfer you to Rome by Minibus or by highspeed train. During this travel we will assist you to reach the starting point of our journey back home or to escort you to a place for your next appointment.