Italian Beercation

Friday | Nov 7

We first will load luggage on our bus from Alterini Bus Firenze at Hotel Mercure Napoli Centro Angioino. (Bus will meet us at Hotel Michelangelo Sorrento for check-in) before we head to Naples Beverello docks to board our Alilauro ferry to Sorrento.

Once in Sorrento, we will walk from the Port of Sorrento and to the Hotel Michelangelo. (20-minute walk, and yes, there are steps!) and then we will check-in to Hotel Michaelangelo Sorrento.  You will have some free time to explore the area around our hotel before we meet for our Beercation Welcome Toast and pre-dinner aperitivos on the hotel's rooftop bar.

After our toast, we will walk as a group to our welcome dinner (12 minutes away) at O'Parrucchiano La Favorita.  After dinner the remainder of your night is free.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Sorrento Map to explore this Italian coastal town on a Friday night!

Saturday | Nov 8

Today we embark on a day trip to Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello along the Amalfi Coast.  At 8:00 we will board our two mini-busses from Amalfi Coast Private Tours. 

After a short drive we will arrive for our guided tour of Positano, followed by free time to explore and shop before we board our boat and depart for Amalfi (weather permitting).

Once we arrive in Amalfi we will continue guided tour on our way to our group lunch stop.  After lunch we will make our way to Ravello before we depart back to Sorrento and arrive back at our hotel.

The remainder of evening free.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Sorrento Map to continue your exploration of this beautiful coastal town!

Sunday | Nov 9

Today will be the first day we board our bus from Alterini Bus Firenze.
(This will be our bus for the remainder of the beercation, until we reach Venice)

This morning we depart for the ancient city of Pompeii for guided tour with Antonio Somma Tours. (Antonio Somama is the guide company commended by Rick Steves in his 26th edition Italy guidebook) – after the tour there will be time to visit the gift shop and café before we continue on back to Naples for one night.

Once we arrive at the Hotel Mercure Napoli Centro Angioino and get checked-In, you will have a little free-time before our Pizza & Beer Walking Tour from Eating Europe Naples.

After which, the remainder of the evening is free for you to explore Naples.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Naples Map to explore this famous Italian coastal city where pizza was created!

Monday | Nov 10

Today you will have a free morning to explore Naples before our late checkout of the hotel...  you can sleep in, or get up early and explore Naples. Maybe walk along the beach or visit a museum. When you check out ask the front desk to place your luggage in their luggage room until our departure time.

Make sure to grab lunch if needed, as the drive to Rome will take 2-3 hours depending on traffic.

In the afternoon we will depart for Rome, and once we arrive get checked in at our hotel for the next three nights, Hotel Ponte Sisto.

You will have some free time to relax or explore the area around our hotel before we meet in the lobby to walk to our meeting spot for our next walking tour with Eating Europe Rome where we will learn about Roman culture, delicacies, and street foods with the amazing guides from Eating Europe!

After our tour ends you will have the rest of the night free.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Map to explore the diverse Roman night life and Italy’s Eternal City! From night walks past historic sites to enjoying Rome’s bars… from wine & cocktails to Italian craft beer, the city has it all! 

Tuesday | Nov 11

Vatican City & Vatican Museum

Get your walking shoes ready for this morning we visit Vatican City and the Vatican Museum. We will have a guided tour of the area, including the Vatican Museum, before viewing the Sistine Chapel!

Due to our tour size we we will divide our group into smaller groups, each with a private guide for the morning.  After our tour we will have a group lunch at one of Italy's oldest craft breweries, Open Baladin, before giving you the rest of the day free to explore more of Rome.

Visit the Trevi Fountain, or wander past some of Rome's ancient sites.  Take in a daily market, do a little shopping, or use your  PubCulture.Beer Rome Map to visit the beer bars, bier halls, and breweries in this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage City!

Wednesday | Nov 12

This morning we will "dig deep" into Rome's ancient history! We will depart from our hotel for the Roman Forum. (only a 20-minute walk, or you may choose to use a taxi, 10-15min - but beware of the unpredictable Roman traffic!) for a guided tour of the Roman Forum, once again splitting up into smaller groups.

After the Roman Forum we will tour the Roman Colosseum.  After our tour of the Colosseum, our guides will lead us on a walking tour past the infamous Circus Maximus (ROman chariot races) to Isola Tiberna for our Beyond Roma Cooking Class Lunch where we will learn how to make two kinds of pasta!

Rome Brewery Bus Tour

After lunch we will stop back by our hotel before boarding our bus for a PubCulture.Beer Rome Brewery Bus Tour where we will visit three craft breweries around Rome - ECB – Eternal City Brewing, Jungle Juice Brewing & Taproom, and Mad Hops Brewpub.

After our return to the hotel, the remainder of your night is free to use your PubCulture.Beer Rome Map to explore more of Rome’s incredible nightlife!

Thursday | Nov 13

Today we leave Rome and depart for Siena, Italy.  On our way from Rome we will make a lunch stop at a small, up-and-coming Italian craft brewery for a tour, tasting and lunch, before continuing on to Siena.

Once we arrive and get checked into Hotel Chiusarelli, the remainder of the day is free for you to explore Siena.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Siena Map to explore this famous Tuscan city. Discover beer, wine, and cocktail bars as well as restaurants and points of interest!

Friday | Nov 14

This morning we depart Sienna for Greve in Chianti, Italy for a tour, tasting, and wine paired lunch at the Castello Vicchiomaggio winery.  After our lunch we will continue on to FLorence, but will first stop in Tavarnuzze, Italy, at the Florence American Cemetery and WWII Memorial where you will be able to explore the visitors center and cemetery on your own.

We will continue on with a short drive to Florence, get checked into our hotel, and give everyone a small amount of free time to explore the area around our hotel before our net walking Tour of Florence with Eating Europe.

After our tour use your PubCulture.Beer Florence Map to explore this famous Renaissance City on a Friday night!  Discover beer, wine and cocktail bars as well as explore points of interest… and maybe even find a few shops open late!

Saturday | Nov 15

Today we start our day with a Florence City Walking Tour followed by a group lunch of traditional Tuscan foods, before continuing our Florence tour visiting the Uffizi Gallery & Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze - home of Michelangelo's famous "David"!

After visiting the art galleries, the reminder of night free.  Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Florence Map to again explore Florence. From street markets to small shops selling Tuscan-made leather items, there is plenty of shopping to explore.

Craft beer also abounds in Florence, as well as amazing wine and cocktail bars. Find a restaurant and enjoy a dinner enjoying the amazing flavors of Tuscan cuisine – like Bistecca alla Fiorentina! Oh, and don’t forget dessert, as Florence is the home of gelato!

Sunday | Nov 16

Today you have a free morning to explore Florence before we depart this afternoon for a day-trip to Pisa.  Once in Pisa, we will divide up into smaller groups giving everyone a chance to climb the 256 steps to the top of the famous leaning tower!

After we climb the famous “Leaning Tower” you will have free time to explore Pisa. Grab yourself an espresso or some gelato, do some shopping, or just explore this famous Tuscan town before we return to Florence for the night.

Once we return to our hotel, you will have a little time to relax and/or shop before we have a Tuscan group dinner.

The remainder of the evening is free to enjoy your last night in Florence.

Monday | Nov 17

Today we make our way to the final city on the Italian Beercation - Venice, but first, we will make a stop in Varona, the “storied” city, famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet”.  You will have time to visit the courtyard with the tiny balcony overlooking the courtyard at “Juliet’s House”.  You may also choose to visit the Verona Arena is a 1st-century Roman amphitheater in better condition than the Colosseum in Rome!  You might even stubble across some of the first Christmas Markets in Italy!

After a few hours, we will depart for Venice, where upon arrival unload everything off our bus and take water taxis to Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal. Once we reach the hotel and get checked-In, you will have some free time to explore before our final group dinner at OKE Santa Lucia (a 5-minute walk from our hotel)

After dinner the remainder of the night is free.

Use your PubCulture.Beer Digital Venice Map to explore this famous Italian maritime city. Discover beer, wine, and cocktail bars as well as various points of interest!

Tuesday | Nov 18

We start the day with a late morning Venice Walking Tour (About 2½ Hours) followed by a free afternoon to pack, grab those last few souvenirs, visit a museum, take a gondola ride, or just relax canal side reminiscing over the past 11-days.

Then, we will meet for our final group event, the Farewell Group Toast with shareable appetizers.  After our farewell toast, it is up to you to decide how to spend your last night in Italy. Whether you keep the beer and wine flowing, stay up figuring out how to pack all the souvenirs into your suitcase, or turn in early and prepare yourself for the long day of travel back home…  however you finish your “Italian Beercation”, the memories surely will last forever!