Everyone is more or less familiar with Italian culture, from watching movies, learning about the Roman Empire, or simply eating pizza. But not until you arrive in the country do you realize that everything you thought you knew is really just the tip of an enormous iceberg. Every region—every town even—has a unique personality, so no matter how many times you visit Italy, you’re always left with the craving for more.
July 27 – Aug 1, 2024: Puglia (5 nights)
Aug 1 – 6, 2024: Sicily (5 nights)
Aug 6 – 7, 2024: Rome (1 night)
Aug 7, 2024: Departure
In July and August, Southern Italy typically experiences hot and dry weather with temperatures often exceeding 30°C (86°F). Visitors can expect clear skies, ample sunshine, and occasional coastal breezes, making it ideal for enjoying the region's beautiful beaches and outdoor activities.
U.S. passport holders do not need any special visa to enter Italy for tourism. Make sure your passport is valid for at least three months after your travel dates.
These guidelines are for reference only. Scenset holds no responsibility for travel restrictions. Travelers are responsible for ensuring the right documentation to travel.
We have put together this Destination Guide for you, full of unique insights and ways to get excited before you travel, such as:
Plus more!
Best known as the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia has long been a favorite getaway for Italians but is still relatively off the radar for foreign tourists. Cavernous grottos and sandy beaches draw visitors to the dreamy Salento Peninsula, but the countryside is just as alluring with the fairy tale trulli cottages. You’ll likely see local women hand-rolling orecchiette pasta in the street, best enjoyed with freshly caught seafood and a glass of Puglia wine.
Upon arrival at Naples Airport, your driver will meet you after exiting baggage claim for a private transfer to your Borgo in Puglia.
You will be able to stop for breakfast along the way after your long flight.
Time: Morning
Meeting point: After exiting baggage claim
Driver: will be provided
Contact: will be provided
Journey: About 3 hours
Booked by Scenset
Start your first night in Puglia with an event across the entire borgo: La Festa del Borgo. This is a wandering dinner that will be held along the beautiful alleys of the Borgo, where social tables and live buffet stations will be set up, serving the most traditional dishes of Apulian cuisine (from appetizers to desserts). Seating is not reserved as the party is designed to let guests experience the spirit of Apulian conviviality.
Reservation: In the evening.
The cost will be provided. This is to be paid directly at the property. For any questions regarding the event, reach out to the Borgo Egnazia concierge.
Here are some recommended restaurants near your hotel. If you'd like a reservation at any of them, let us know.
Why we love it for you: Borgo Egnazia replicates an actual Puglian borgo, or village, and guests are even given a map to navigate the winding streets and lively piazzas. The whole property feels a bit like walking around the movie set of Gladiator with candle-lit corridors and stone villas, but with a few modern updates. Stretch out in the state-of-the-art yoga studio, dine in a Michelin-star restaurant, play a round of golf, and take a dip in one of the swimming pools worthy of an emperor.
Booked by scenset
Today is all about exploring the Puglian countryside and culinary delights!
Transfer by minivan to Monopoli Harbor.
Booked by Scenset
The Puglia coast is known for its sea caves, dramatic cliffs, and rock formations—not to mention the crystal clear Mediterranean water. Explore Polignano a Mare from the best perspective possible: on the water. You'll see caves that glow from within and have plenty of opportunity to jump off and swim in the sea.
Refreshments provided on board. Snorkeling equipment included. This is a half-day boating excursion.
Booked By Scenset
Transfer by minivan back to Borgo Egnazia
Booked by Scenset
The rest of the evening has been left for you to relax at your own pace.
Booked by a person
Today is all about exploring Puglian towns.
Drive from your hotel to Alberobello.
Booked by Scenset
Alberobello, a village in the hinterland of the Itria Valley, is undoubtedly the capital of the Trulli. Enjoy this unique experience with a local guide and great connoisseur of Apulian traditions. Take a guided walk in the heart of the town with its iconic Trulli buildings before visiting a rural dairy farm where you will witness the artisanal production of mozzarella and taste the freshly produced dairy delights.
Cheese tasting with snacks included.
Booked By Scenset
Drive back to your hotel.
Booked by Scenset
The rest of the evening has been left for you to relax.
Head out of the Borgo tonight for dinner at La Marea, serving traditional seafood in a charming ambiance.
Roundtrip transportation to La Marea is included. Confirm your pick-up details with the Borgo Egnazia concierge.
Booked by a user
Today, explore the Puglian coast!
Private transfer to a local Masseria.
Included
In Puglia, every meal is like a ritual: from the selection of the ingredients at the local market to the preparation of the food and the meal itself. Inside the amazing atmosphere of a 17th-century Masseria, our local friends will open the doors of their home to share some of the most traditional recipes. You will get a hands-on guided experience of how to prepare your own Apulian meal and enjoy a glass or two of delicious local wine to accompany it.
Lunch prepared by you included.
Booked By Scenset
This is a shared experience
Enjoy a shuttle transfer back to the hotel.
Included
The rest of the afternoon has been left for you to relax.
Booked by a user
Enjoy your last full day in Italy soaking in the sun at Borgo Egnazia. If you'd like something to be organized, we're happy to do so.
Let us know if you'd like to book an appointment at the Borgo Egnazia Vair Spa so you can fully relax on your last day and return home feeling rejuvenated from your trip.
Recommended by Scenset—nothing has been booked.
Enjoy your day at leisure.
Head to the nearby town of Fasano for a final dinner in Puglia.
Canceled by clients.
A roundtrip transfer to the town of Fasano has been organized by Borgo Egnazia, to be paid at check-out from the hotel. For pick-up details, please speak with the Borgo Egnazia concierge.
Booked by a person
Nowhere in Italy mixes landscape, culture, and history quite like Sicily. In the span of a day, you can hike a spewing volcano, go for a swim in the crystalline sea, take photos of Baroque architecture, and gawk at ruins so old that they make the Colosseum look young. Even Sicilian cuisine is something unique, where couscous is as common as pasta and gelato isn’t served in a cup or a cone but rather a freshly baked brioche bun—the ultimate ice cream sandwich.
You'll be picked up from your hotel for a private transfer to Bari Airport for your flight to Sicily.
Booked By Scenset
Upon exiting baggage claim at Catania Airport, meet your driver for a private transfer to your seaside resort.
Booked By Scenset
The rest of your afternoon has been left for you to relax.
Tonight enjoy a romantic dinner for two at the Ristorante Sant'Andrea, located on the gorgeous Belmond property in Mazzaro.
Reservation: Dinner time
Name: will be provided
Directions: Ristorante Sant'Andrea is just a 5-minute walk from your hotel
Dress code is smart casual. No beachwear is permitted.
Here are some of our favorite restaurant recommendations in Taormina and the surrounding area. Let us know if you'd like any reservations.
Why we love it for you: Mazzarò Sea Palace is set above Taormina's beautiful Mazzaarò Beach. It has a wellness center, its own sea-view pools, and a free private beach. Mazzarò Sea Palace's wellness center provides a wide range of massages and spa treatments and has Turkish baths. Rooms have been refurbished and are elegant and spacious. There is also a babysitting service on-site in case parents want to have an evening out without kids.
Booked by Scenset
Perched like a stork’s nest on top of a hill, Taormina is as ancient as it is beguiling. The maze of tiny corridors are as irresistible as the most charming Italian towns, but none of the others come with Taormina’s panoramic bombshell. The Ancient Greeks built their amphitheater facing south toward the sun, a seemingly strange oversight. But once you’re standing on the steps and taking in the view of Mt. Etna and the Ionian Sea, it’s clear the Greeks knew exactly what they were doing.
Start your adventure with an exploration of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest volcano and one of the most active volcanoes in the world! Visit the 2,000-meter (6,000 ft) area of the Silvestri Craters, where four major craters lie, and explore the intriguing volcanic landscape with its solidified “rivers” of lava, craters, lava caves, nature trails, and stunning views of the countryside and the sea.
Afterward, enjoy lunch on the volcano at an Etna winery, where vineyards grow in nutrient-rich volcanic ash.
After lunch at the winery, you can head back to your hotel or continue on to Taormina.
Lunch at the winery including wine tasting.
Booked By Scenset
The rest of the evening has been left for you to relax.
Enjoy a family dinner tonight at Ethica in Taormina. You will be seated at the chef's table so you are immersed in the dining experience.
Reservation: Evening
Name: will be provided
Location: Location here.
See the menu here.
Is it Sicily's most stunning city? It's hard to say. But one thing's for sure: Siracusa's vibrant tapestry of history, culture, and human expression will captivate you. This ancient gem boasts a millennia-old legacy, once rivaling the power and opulence of Athens. It stood tall against Rome's siege, guided by the genius mathematician Archimedes.
UNESCO honors Siracusa as a World Heritage Site. A living testament to human achievement, this gem encapsulates a multi-millennial architectural and cultural treasure trove, preserving antiquities predating its Greek scenset.
Explore Siracusa, where time unfolds its wonders in an ever-evolving story of greatness!
Pick-Up Time: Morning
End Time: Please discuss with your driver in the morning what time you would like to be back in Mazzaro by
Driver will be provided
Guide: will be provided
Spend the day relaxing on the hotel's private beach or by the pool. Alternatively, take a cable car to Taormina to explore the town.
Spend the day exploring Taormina at your leisure. You have easy access to the cable car which goes from in front of your hotel to the entrance of Taormina. Enjoy the view!
Directions: The cable car stop is 3 minutes walking distance from your hotel
Recommended by Scenset—nothing has been booked.
The rest of the afternoon has been left for you to relax.
Enjoy a day at leisure at your beachside resort. There's a private beach to enjoy at the Mazzaro Resort. If you'd like additional activities planned, we're happy to make recommendations or organize something.
Relax your body and mind at the Mazzaro Spa, which offers types of treatments from massages and body rituals to couples programs and facials. The Mediterranean is known for its healing properties, so let yourself be washed away in them.
Recommended by Scenset—nothing has been booked.
Enjoy your day at leisure.
Experience the Taormina Bay boat tour aboard a private yacht, on a journey led by a personal skipper. One of the highlights of the tour is the visit of Grotta Azzurra with its colorful shades of blue in contrast to Capo Taormina and its rocky coastline - made famous by the film Le Grand Blue. Etna and the Gulf of Giardini Naxos will provide the perfect background for your day on the water. Swimming in the waters surrounding the Grotta del Giorno is a must. The tour will continue along the coast toward the Baia di Mazzarò and the Baia delle Sirene, one of the most secluded and characteristic bays of the entire coastline and a perfect location for a swim in the clear, warm waters.
Light lunch and soft drinks included on board. This is a full-day boating excursion.
Booked By Scenset
The rest of the afternoon has been left for you to relax.
With an uncanny sense of foresight, Rome was first called the Eternal City 2,000 years ago. Even by today’s standards, it’s still grand in a way that few other places can compare to. The buildings are dilapidated and the roads disheveled, but chaos has never looked so exquisite. The cobblestone streets may be nonsensical, but a wrong turn always leads to an unexpected delight: an intimate piazza, a baroque fountain, or a homey trattoria serving house-made cacio e pepe.
You'll be picked up from your hotel for the drive back to Catania Airport.
Booked By Scenset
Catch a short flight from Catania Airport back to the mainland to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Booked By Scenset
Upon exiting baggage claim, meet your driver for a private transfer to your hotel in the city center.
Booked By Scenset
As a special perk for using Scenset, enjoy a credit per room to use at the hotel for food, beverages, room services, or the spa!
Why we love it for you: With its perfectly calibrated balance of chic and cheek, Maalot Roma is one of the most exciting additions to the Italian capital city's boutique hotel scenset. Set so close to the Trevi Fountain that you can hear the water rush, this irreverent bolthole serves up its bold maximalist luxury with a refreshing wink-and-nudge playfulness.
It's time to pack up and head home today, but this will surely not be your last time in Italy. Thankfully in Italy we don't say goodbye but rather a dopo, or until next time!
You'll be picked up from your hotel this morning and taken to the Rome Airport in private transfer.
Booked By Scenset