Start your holiday on the stylish Amalfi Coast, before heading south to the relatively undiscovered Cilento. From here, your self-drive journey continues to Maratea on the Basilicata coast and finally, inland to the astonishing ‘cave’ town of Matera.
Southern Italy Self-Drive Tour
Amalfi Coast
Fly-Drive Holidays
£ 2950 per person
Holiday at Glance
Try the wonderful Buffalo Mozzarella of the Cilento Park
Swim in secluded coves along the Thyrrenian sea
Sleep in a cave hotel in the multi-millennial city of Matera
Duration
14 nights
From
from £ 2950 per person
Including
Travel planning
Daily breakfast
Fully comprehensive car hire
3 nights sharing a superior with balcony sea view at the Oasi Olimpia on the Amalfi Coast
4 nights sharing a deluxe with sea view at the Hotel Marulivo in Pisciotta, Cilento National Park
4 nights sharing a deluxe double room at the Hotel Santavenere in Maratea
3 nights sharing a deluxe double room at the Corte San Pietro in Matera
What we can help you with
Private tours of the archeological sites
Private boat rental
Cooking classes and farm visits
Kayak tours and food trekking
Buffalo dairy farm visits
Rafting and Canyoning along the Lao River
Horse riding and Diving
The views of the Amalfi Coast
Enjoy the Amalfi Coast's glitz and glamour without the crowds in Sant'Agata sui due Golfi. The town's name translates as ''on the two gulfs'' as it stands above the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno. Amazing views
Relais Oasi Olimpia
Just above Sorrento, reachable with a 40-minute walk, the Relais Oasi Olimpia in Sant'Agata is a great base to explore the coastal towns, Sorrento Positano, Amalfi and everything in between can be reached with one scenic bus journey. Not only sightseeing but also farm visits and beautiful walks with breathtaking vistas.
Continue into the intriguing Cilento National Park
As you travel south to the Cilento, you can stop en route at the extraordinary ruins at Paestum, the medieval hilltop town of Castellabate or the fishing town of Acciaroli, best known for its connections with Ernest Hemingway.
Inland, the Cilento National Park offers some exceptional walking and the chance to visit the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Certosa di Padula monastery.
Hotel Marulivo
Simple but extremely stylish, the Hotel Marulivo has been converted from a 14th century monastery to offer a little touch of heaven between the sea and lemon groves of southern Italy.
Swim in secluded coves of the Thyrrenian sea
The coastline around Maratea in the Basilicata is known for its hideaway coves and bays, sea caves and crystal clear water. In Maratea’s harbour, yachts and fishing boats jostle for space, overlooked by restaurants and bars.
By contrast, perched up on the hillside above the coast, the medieval town of Maratea is a mass of narrow lanes linked by hideaway piazzas dotted with churches and some good cafés and trattorias.
Hotel Santavenere
Surrounded by private parkland and boasting an impeccable line-up of facilities (private beach, pool, a spa and gym), the Hotel Santavenere is perched on a promontory above the sea, just outside the port of Maratea.
Wander around astonishing Matera
From Maratea, it is just under a 3-hour drive across the Pollino National Park, to Matera.
The setting for several Biblical films, Matera’s ‘Sassi’ neighbourhood is an extraordinary sight, comprising narrow lanes and stairways characterised by stone dwellings and churches carved out of the rocks.
Corte San Pietro
Our hotel choice for Matera is the Corte San Pietro. Here, ancient caves have been transformed into spaces of rare elegance, with an essential and strong identity, where the stone interacts with a few calibrated furnishing elements. Each room is different. Inside, design, history and WI-FI.
Tour Map
What are our customers saying?
Antonio and Expert to Italy planned, organised and executed a truly excellent and magical holiday experience for us. They understood our brief, suggested a wonderful itinerary that met our brief completely and all of the destinations exceeded our already high expectations (this was our 3rd holiday with Expert to Italy). We particularly appreciated the following:- Local insight and understanding to suggest places we had never heard of and that gave us a real taste of Italy- Commitment to proactively suggest and amend details of our holiday even when it was fully booked and paid for- The personal relationship Antonio clearly has with the hotels we visited- Attention to detail and all arrangements considered to ensure we could relax to the maximumWe thank you for a wonderful holiday experience.
Outstanding service from Antonio and his team. Thank you for a holiday we will never forget.
Antonio is the best travel agent we have ever worked with. without question. He helped to plan our somewhat complicated Italian road trip and really took on board what we wanted (in terms of itinerary, type of hotels, etc). He did a fantastic job at rearranging our trip twice as a result of the Covid pandemic and, when the time finally came that we could go ahead, he was full of great suggestions for places to visit, scenic routes to take, things not to miss, places to eat, etc. He was also in touch with us while we were away and was incredibly proactive, re-booking a restaurant that he had previously booked for us when he found out it was going to be closed, and proactively booking 3 (excellent!) restaurants at Lake Como when he realised that everywhere was getting booked up quickly. We can't thank him enough for providing such a great service and ensuring we had a really marvellous holiday.
We have been on three lovely holidays arranged by ExpertoItaly. Our hotels have always been well-chosen and we get great advice about where to stay and places to visit. Antonio listens carefully to our requirements and reacts positively to questions and comments.
An intriguing part of a much loved country that I had undiscovered.ExpertoItaly - Antonio was attentive, helpful and meticulous at every turn. A fabulous support in navigating new territories. Truly an expert and nothing is ever too much trouble. Appreciated and highly recommended.
Antonio was a huge help in planning our big trip to Italy. He listened to what we wanted, what was important to us and factored it all into the plan. We had the best trip. The hotels were lovely and well located. Throughout our trip Antonio was available on WhatsApp if we had any queries or needed advice. We definitely had a better holiday because of his support. If you want to experience Italy and get great inside tips speak to Antonio!
My friend and I have just had a stunning holiday in Italy, all organised by Antonio. All the travel arrangements (we went by train from London to Paris, Turin, Florence, Siena and further south to Foligno) went like clockwork, and we stayed in simply beautiful palazzos, with glorious comfortable rooms , conveniently situated for the sightseeing we had planned. The palazzo staff/owners were very welcoming, extremely helpful in booking restaurants and taxis, printing entry tickets for cathedrals etc . Having Antonio make the arrangements took all the stress out of the holiday planning, and he remained in contact in case any difficulties were to arise. This was my second holiday organised by Antonio, the first being equally successful taking my 90 year old mother in 2017 to Venice and Florence, and my friend and I are now starting to think about the next one!
Being a single woman, traveling the globe for trade fairs in my industry, and never quite knowing where to stay and how to attain the best experience, ExpertoItaly was recommended to me by a colleague in the UK and I am thrilled to share that this was the best investment I could have made.To my amazement, this company spent countless hours supporting my travels, mapping out my routes, train stops, airlines, restaurants, shops, and more to inspire the most remarkable trip! Always available, with the most dedicated support, I can't begin to tell you how this made my travels the most remarkable experience~!I was abroad for 13 days for both business and pleasure and I could have never had the experience I did without the support, patience, kindness, and knowledge of this company. As I traveled, I spoke with innkeepers, restaurant owners, and many who knew this company from previous engagements and always smiled when I mentioned their company. This to me is stellar as I knew that I was in the right care.I will certainly refer and promote EXPERTOITALY to many of my colleagues, friends, and family because everyone deserves to travel the world and feel safe, and secure and have the best itinerary to explore as they travel! Much gratitude to EXPERTOITALY, I will be forever grateful and you can count on my business in the future!For corporate or family travel, this company will ensure your best experience. BRAVO!!!
We loved our week in Villa Lighea booked through Expertoitaly. If you are looking for a romantic, water-front cottage, this is it. We swam in the sea every day.It’s a bit remote from the major cities of Sicily but we hadn’t planned a lot of sightseeing. We ate at a few great restaurants but mostly cooked at the villa. Great weather and warm water in September.Antonio was easy to work with and flexible when we had to reschedule due to COVID. We would book with him again.
Antonio arranged a great two weeks in Campania for us this year. It was excellent to get to places that were quiet, smart and friendly. Everything worked just right, even this crazy year. Previously he has sorted us out a car tour of Sicily, two return visits to that lovely island, and breaks in the bay of Naples. We had done quite a lot of Italy under our own steam, but ExpertoItaly really are experts with a fantastic set of choices , and you get a great personal service. We will be back again next year.
Outstanding service, advice and organisation of our holiday combined with an intimate understanding and knowledge of places to stay and see.go no further.
Expertoitaly (and Antonio) first came to our attention in 2014 when we were planning a celebratory trip to Italy for 2015. Although we approached a number of household names about our plans and itinerary by e-mail Antonio immediately stood out. He phoned back almost straight away to get to know something about us and what we liked to do.On the back of that discussion he quickly put together a trip and budget. Given his obvious knowledge of the country and his quick grasp of what we were looking for together with the attention to detail it was a 'no brainer' to put our trust in this company. As a consequence we duly enjoyed a 3 week multi-stop trip in July 2015 tailored to suit us perfectly!On return we almost immediately booked to return in October for a short break to 2 of the locations in Tuscany we particularly enjoyed - Lucca and Montepulciano both of which are delightful.We fell in love with Italy and have returned several times since then all courtesy of Antonio:2016 - A short break to attend the Opera in Verona.2017 - 2 weeks in Sicily2018 - the same - we love Sicily and would urge anyone to go. (where we finally got to meet Antonio in Ragusa which was great)We were due to return to Italy this year for a 3 week road trip - albeit with private transfers rather than actual driving - from Verona to just south of Naples - all immaculately put together by Antonio of course. Alas Covid-19 had different ideas.We can only say that Expertoitaly have dealt with this professionally and as speedily as circumstances allowed and have refunded all the monies. We have no reservations about using them again in the future. In fact Antonio is already on standby to reprise the 'lost' trip as soon as this madness ends and unhindered travel becomes possible again - just extended an improved.Andrew & Susan SmithTadworthSurrey
If you are looking to go to Italy for a holiday, Antonio at Experto Italy is amazing. We have just come back from our fourth holiday he has arranged for us. He sent us to places that days of googling would never have found.He also has a knack of keeping to budget even with my numerous demands!Fabulous fabulous!!
Just returned from a fab trip to Italy - all organised by Antonio. His time and effort to get what was just right for us was amazing.. he had a lot to put up with! We have used Expertoitaly before and will do again.We visited Ischia and Naples. Both very different and wonderful. Ischia is perfect for a good rest (visits to the Giardini La Mortella and the Ravino Gardens are a must). The Gardens & Villas Resort is a beautiful setting, very private, calm with amazing staff. Also the little town of Lacco Ameno has some really nice restaurants. Naples was very HOT! but we still managed to spend 7 hours walking about just soaking up the atmosphere and visiting some of the fantastic historic sights. Visit to the underground roman town is well worth it - it is mind boggling to think it was built thousands of years ago.
This is the third occasion that Antonio has organised an Italian holiday for me. As it was a Birthday celebration involving a party of 10, the arrangements were complex, involving a villa, guides and attendance at the Palio on July 2nd. Without exception everything went exactly as planned. The recommended villa on the Montestigliano Estate, south west of Siena, was wonderful. Our guide made sure we had a full understanding of the history and culture of the Palio which meant that, with a spectacular view over the Campo from the apartment booked by Antonio, we were able to appreciate the event that much more.We shall certainly be going back to Italy with Expertoitaly.
We had an amazing trip organised by Antonio, we visited Naples for a few days then stayed in Sant’ Agata. Both hotels had fabulous amenities and restaurants. The trip was effortless and everything was meticulously arranged. Antonio was also on had for anything we needed during the trip.I would definitely recommend Expert to Italy and we will definitely use this company again in the future
Antonio with his meticulous planning and caring service has been solely responsible for the best Italian holidays we have had. His ability to offer excellent hotel accommodation which provides for every need and requirement is second to none . Hotels that are not main stream , that provide high quality of service in excellent locations are one of Antonio’s strength. It’s great to have a provider that know and understands his market. Grant B Stupart
July 2018_________________________________Have just completed another 10 day holiday arranged by Antonio at Expert to Italy. We went with Antonio's suggestion and spent 2 days at Matera and then the remainder in Pisciotta in the Cilento. Matera was amazing and felt completely different to anywhere else we have been in Italy. We loved Pisciotta and the hotel was wonderful with lovely owners who were great at suggesting things to do. We visited a buffalo farm, a vinyard and tooks boats to isolated coves with lovely clear water. All arrangements were absolutely faultless. We would never have found such lovely places without Antonio!2016_________________________________We have just returned from a fantastic holiday suggested no arranged by ExpertTo Italy. Once again the organisation by Antonio was flawless and everything worked perfectly. We spent 5 nights by lake Maggiore and 3 in Cogne in the Italian Alps. Both hotels and locations were fantastic - particularly the Bellvue in Cogne. Please see trip advisor if interested in the hotels as I will give a more specific review there - I'm not a fanatic reviewer but both really deserve it. We have used this company for the past 5 years and Antonio seems to have a real gift for finding fantastic hotels and matching locations to his clients. I would not usually put the level of trust in anyone to arrange holidays for me that I have with Antonio but he has delivered every time and I can unreservedly recommend his services. Italy is a beautiful country with huge variety - if you describe what you like to Antonio and let him make suggestions then you will not be disappointed. Very definitely 5 stars from me. So - Antonio and team, please keep it up!Jon
Antonio delivered more than expected! Our family of four stayed at two beautiful villa's on the Amalfi Coast. Both of the locations were top class. Antonio provided excellent service and was always available if we had questions about the details of our trip. He was easy to work with and we would recommend his services to others traveling to Italy.
This was our second holiday with ExpertoItaly, and it was just as good as the first! Antonio provided us with fast, efficient and personal attention. His choice of hotels was first class. Real attention to detail means that you get a holiday that really suits your personal requirements. Brilliant!
We have just made an amazing journey by train, taxi, boat and bus through France, a night in Paris, then a night on a mountain in Switzerland, train across the alps on the Bernina Express, 5 days on Lake Como and 6 days on Lake Maggiore. We stayed in the most glorious quality hotels. We made visits to local towns and attractions using buses and boats. Every connection on the journey was planned and executed wonderfully.This is 5 star planning, 5 star service, 5 star experience all personally organised by Antonio at ExpertoItaly. We must never forget the James Bond moment of being whisked across Como by Luca in his luxury Taxiboat from Varenna to the Hotel Filario in Lezzeno with Pavarotti as our musical accompaniment then met on the jetty by a lovely suited receptionist. A dream. Thanks Antonio.See views from our rooms Como then Maggiore.
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Package holidays are sold by ExpertoItaly Ltd (Reg. 12035194)
TTA membership Q8055
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