South of Italy - Amalfi and Rome - April 2027
South of Italy
Amalfi Coast & Rome — Naples, Capri, Pompeii, the Vatican.
An Italian Journey in Three Acts, guided by Irish musician Shane Hayes.
Italy isn't meant to be rushed.
It's meant to be tasted slowly.
Passed around in bottles.
Argued over at dinner.
Remembered long after dessert.
This journey through southern Italy and Rome is built like a story — unfolding across coastline, volcano and empire — where legendary sights are matched by vineyards on volcanic slopes, hands-on cooking, and evenings spent exactly where Italy makes the most sense: around a table.
Book Now'Tutte le strade portano a Roma''All streets lead to Rome'
A Journey in Three Acts
Bay and cliffs. Volcanoes and lost cities. Eternal Rome — three profoundly different Italies in one unforgettable week.
The Bay & the Cliffs
The curtain rises around Naples and the great crescent of water beneath Mount Vesuvius — a setting as theatrical as anything opera ever dreamed up.
From here, the road traces the Amalfi Coast: villages balanced impossibly on cliffs, lemon trees glowing in the sun, terraces hovering above a sea so blue it looks unreal. You drift by boat along the shoreline, linger over seafood lunches, and let conversations stretch while the afternoon quietly disappears.
You'll also spend time in Sorrento — relaxed, elegant, and perfectly placed above the bay — where evening strolls, sunset aperitivi and long dinners set the rhythm for the days ahead.
Out in the water, Capri shimmers — vertical, glamorous, irresistible. Chairlifts float skyward. Aperitivo arrives with views. Photographs become secondary to simply sitting still and taking it all in.
Volcanoes & Lost Cities
Then the story turns inward — and backward in time.
At Pompeii, everyday Roman life lies startlingly intact: bakeries, villas, crossroads frozen mid-stride beneath volcanic ash.
Above it all looms Vesuvius once more — its dark slopes today patterned with vines. Here you visit a working vineyard where grapes grow in mineral-rich soil, tasting wines shaped by fire and ash while long tables fill with conversation and plates of local food.
Another day brings flour on your hands and laughter in the kitchen: a countryside cooking experience where you roll dough, top pizzas with garden-fresh ingredients, and sit down together to eat exactly what you've made — wine poured freely, stories travelling faster than the dishes.
It's Italy distilled: agriculture, history, cooking and companionship, bound into one delicious chapter.
Eternal Rome
The finale belongs to Rome.
Here, every stroll feels operatic: fountains exploding from stone shells, domes rising over tangled streets, ruins casually embedded into neighbourhood cafés. You walk through layers of empire, from the thunderous scale of the Colosseum to quiet corners where laundry flutters above ancient columns.
Inside the Vatican Museums, masterpieces accumulate until the senses almost overload — frescoed ceilings, galleries of sculpture, and finally the Sistine Chapel itself, painted by Michelangelo and waiting at the end like a held breath.
And when night falls, Rome softens.
Wine glasses clink.
Scooters hum past honey-coloured façades.
Dinners stretch into laughter — the kind where strangers become friends and plans for a return visit are sketched before dessert.
The Shape of the Week
Four nights on the Amalfi Coast.
Three nights in Rome.
Based in Vico Equense for the first half — within reach of Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Capri, Pompeii, and Vesuvius — then transferring to Rome for the final three nights.
The week is structured to give each region its proper weight. The south is active and full — there's a lot to see and the landscape demands it. Rome allows for more breathing room, with free afternoons to explore independently.
Group meals anchor the key moments.
Local guides join for specialist knowledge in each city — this isn't a tour where one person has to know everything about everywhere.
Designed for travellers who want to see southern Italy properly — not in passing — and who understand that a week of this quality takes real organisation. That's what we provide.
Shane Hayes
Led by Shane — Irish musician, whiskey host, and long-time resident of Florence — the tour is shaped by someone who doesn't skim Italy's surface, but enjoys settling into its rhythms: markets, meals, wandering cities on foot, and knowing when to slow everything down for one more glass of wine.
The Offer
Airfare not included
Single supplement available on request
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FAQ
Everything you need to know before booking. If you have a question that isn't answered here, use the contact form below.
This journey is for curious travellers who like their culture served with conversation and their history paired with good wine.
If you enjoy walking through great cities, lingering at lunch, sitting around long tables with new friends, tasting local wines at the source, and letting a place reveal itself slowly rather than sprinting between highlights — you're exactly who this was designed for.
You don't need to be an expert in Italian history.
You just need an appetite.
There is more walking on this tour than on the Irish whiskey routes — particularly in cities like Rome and through archaeological sites.
Walking is purposeful rather than constant: guided visits followed by proper breaks for lunch or free time, rather than frequent short stops. Comfortable shoes are essential, and a reasonable level of mobility will help you enjoy the experience fully.
This is cultural strolling — not hiking — but it does reward travellers who like being on their feet.
Very deliberate.
This is not eight days of museums.
And it's not eight days of eating either (tempting though that sounds).
Across the week you'll enjoy:
- ancient cities and world-famous monuments
- a vineyard visit on volcanic slopes
- wine tastings
- a hands-on countryside cooking and pizza-making experience
- coastal scenery
- four hosted group dinners included in the tour price
- plus free evenings to explore on your own
The idea is contrast — grand sights paired with excellent meals, dramatic landscapes followed by long lunches, culture by day and conversation by night.
Each departure is limited to one coach only.
That keeps the group manageable, social and easy to host — large enough for lively dinners and conversation, but small enough to move smoothly through hotels, restaurants and guided visits.
These are still intimate, hosted journeys — not multiple buses leap-frogging through the same itinerary.
Shane hosts the journey — setting the tone, telling stories, keeping things flowing, and making sure the group feels relaxed and well looked after.
After several years living in Florence, Italy has become something of an adopted home: the pleasure of wandering cities on foot, understanding the rhythms of meals, and knowing when to slow things down for one more glass of wine.
Local expert guides handle the specialist history — Shane shapes the overall experience.
Yes — and they're central to the week.
Wine at a vineyard on volcanic soil.
Cooking together in the countryside.
Shared meals in atmospheric restaurants.
Regional specialities enjoyed in the right place, at the right moment.
These aren't extras.
They're part of the story.
Not a problem at all.
Wine is part of Italian culture, but never compulsory. Alternatives are always available, and the experience is just as rich without alcohol — food, landscapes, history and company don't depend on what's in your glass.
Very much so.
Many guests join on their own and find this style of tour ideal for solo travel. Hosted dinners, shared experiences and small-enough groups make it easy to settle in quickly and feel part of the group from the first evening.
Very naturally.
Some guests choose to pair this Italian journey with Shane's Heart of Ireland: Whiskey, Music & Landscape tour — creating a two-week experience that moves from Atlantic coastlines and distilleries to Mediterranean cliffs, volcanoes and Roman ruins.
Two countries.
Two cultures obsessed with hospitality.
One seamless flow of storytelling, scenery and shared tables.
We're happy to help coordinate flights and timing so the transition feels smooth rather than rushed.
This is not a dedicated music tour in the way the Northern Ireland experience is — but music absolutely plays a role.
Across the week you'll encounter live local performances, traditional sounds and carefully chosen cultural moments that reflect each region. It's part of the atmosphere rather than the main headline: another thread in the tapestry alongside food, wine, history and landscape.
Comfortable, characterful 4-star properties chosen for location and atmosphere — places where evening strolls make sense, dinners nearby are easy, and breakfast feels like a pleasure rather than logistics.
Absolutely.
Whether you'd like a few extra nights in Rome, to return to Florence, continue south, or add another Italian city altogether, we can help arrange extensions and bespoke add-ons before or after the tour.
Just tell us what you're dreaming about — we'll take care of the details.
Because the best moments in Italy rarely happen on a rigid timetable.
They happen when lunch runs long.
When the wine bottle is refilled.
When dessert gets ordered for the table.
When conversation takes over and nobody checks the time.
That's what this tour is built for.
Thank you!
Shane will be in touch with you personally within 24 hours. We can't wait to start planning your journey.
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