Grand Canal , Venice , Italy Mount Etna , Sicily
DAY 15 • Valletta , Malta Discover Valletta , Malta ’ s walled capital city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site on an included tour of the city ’ s highlights .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 16 • Valletta • Hagar Qim • Three Cities Visit the temple complex of Hagar Qim before exploring “ The Three Cities ,” the three historic towns of Cospicua , Senglea , and Vittoriosa . Explore Vittoriosa on a walking tour .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 17 • Valletta • Mdina • Controversial Topic : Late journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
Discover Mdina during a tour of the this medieval city ’ s historic and cultural gems . Learn about the Controversial Topic of corruption within the Maltese government — and the investigative journalist who gave her life to expose it .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 18 • Marina di Riposto , Sicily • Taormina Dock in Marina di Riposto and then depart for the resort town of Taormina perched above the Ionian Sea .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 19 • Marina di Riposto • Mount Etna • Italian geology conversation
Hike along Mt . Etna today . Later , enjoy a conversation on Italian geology .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 20 • Lipari , Aeolian Islands • Salina • A Day in the Life experience • Strait of Messina
Enjoy a panoramic bus ride to our NEW A Day in the Life experience of a small-scale caper farm on the island of Salina .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 21 • Salerno , Italy • Paestum • Salerno in World War II conversation
Tour Paestum and witness Doric Greek temples and the ruins of ancient homes . Next , journey to a local buffalo farm to sample fresh cheese and enjoy lunch . Later , learn about the Allied landing at Salerno during World War II .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 22 • Salerno • Optional Pompeii tour Explore Salerno on your own , or journey to one of the world ’ s most famous archaeological sites : Pompeii .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 23 • Sorrento • Home-Hosted Lunch Enjoy a discovery walk through the cliff-side town of Sorrento before savoring a Home-Hosted Lunch with a local family .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 24 • Explore Naples Embark on discovery walk with a native resident before sampling sfogliatella , a shell-shaped Italian pastry , at a local bar .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 25 • Explore Pozzuoli Explore the Flavian Amphitheater , the Serapide Temple , and the local fish market .
Meals : B , L , D | M / V Athena
DAY 26 • Gaeta • Disembark ship • Ninfa • Rome Disembark in the port of Gaeta and begin your overland transfer to Rome . stopping for an included tour through the Garden of Ninfa .
Meals : B , L | Hotel Delle Nazioni or similar
DAY 27 • Explore Rome • Controversial Topic : The Catholic Church ’ s sexual abuse scandal in Italy
Set off to discover the “ Eternal City ” and the myriad treasures it has amassed over more than two and a half millennia . This afternoon , learn about the Controversial Topic of how the Vatican and the Italian authorities have handled decades of abuse allegations .
Meals : B | Hotel Delle Nazioni or similar
DAY 28 • Explore Rome Continue exploring Rome . We ’ ll witness its massive central park which features two aqueducts , a small lake , and several different types of fruit-bearing trees .
Meals : B , D | Hotel Delle Nazioni or similar
DAY 29 • Return to U . S . Fly home or join our Tuscany : Florence & Siena post-trip extension .
Meals : B
See the full deck plan for the M / V Athena on page 324 .
For more details , visit www . oattravel . com / rvm
246 Italian Coastal Odyssey : Hidden Italy , Sicily & Malta