Europe Explorer Grand Tour “Imperial Route”

Bari, the capital of the Puglia region, is a city where time seems to have stopped. The presence of the relics of the Patron Saint Nicholas in the homonymous Basilica make it one of the most important religious destinations of southern Italy. The ancient village, also called "Bari vecchia" is a magical place, where you can learn about the culture and traditions of Bari and exchange a few words with the friendly inhabitants. On the doorstep of the houses the women will invite you to taste the local specialties while they prepare the famous orecchiette, the typical handmade pasta. You will not be able to resist the scent of the focaccia and the very tasty street food. Overnight in Bari at Hotel Auditorium 3* or similar.

After arrival in Port of Bari, we will continue to Foggia, where we have a city tour. Discover the fascination of Foggia, with special openings of monuments and the historic centre. Visit for free the Civic Museum and the Cathedral Beata Maria Vergine Assunta in Cielo. Let yourself be enchanted by the beauty of the historic centre, to discover the most fascinating places in the city from the period of Emperor Frederik II, to the second world war.  Then continue to Pescara.  Pescara is the city that embodies all this nature and the challenge. Abruzzo is a region where the mountains are the highest in the Apennines and the coast is long and varied. It has been defined as the “Green Region of Europe.” Located not far from mount Gran Sasso and Maiella, overlooking the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and developed around the mouth of the river that bears the same name, and that cuts it in two. Where to cross the river, just near the point where it definitely immerses into the Adriatic, the citizens of Pescara have built a bridge - among the longest in Europe - and have called it Ponte del Mare. It rises above all sea that defines the city; in Pescara, where everything is mostly modern.  Accomodation in hotel (Alba 3*, or similar) and overnight. 

After breakfast, continue to Ancona. We will have a walking tour among the alleys, monuments and views of Ancona to admire the town through the ages, from its doric origins to the present days. Walking through the streets of the Old Town it will be possible to capture the images of the main attractions and to know anecdotes, stories and legends that make Ancona fascinating and mysterious.  In the afternoon proceed to Rimini. Those who believe that all roads lead to Rome are mistaken. Rimini was already from the times of the Roman Empire, a maritime city that fulfilled the function of access from the Mediterranean to the whole Europe. A walk through the city is a travel through time that takes us through twenty-two centuries of history of a central city, from ancient Rome to Fellini, passing through the Middle Ages and Renaissance noble families. The classic itinerary of the historic center starts from the Roman Arena. The remains of this amphitheater are the last testimonies of grandiose shows of gladiators that amused the Rimini of the III century. As further proof of the importance of Rimini at the time of imperial Rome, we continue with the Arch of Augustus, a monumental entrance to the Roman city of the first century BC. Walking along Corso d’Augusto, ancient “decumanus”, we reach Piazza Tre Martiri, ancient Roman forum transformed for centuries into the lively “piazza delle erbe” surrounded by shops and by the lovely sixteenth-century temple dedicated to Sant’Antonio da Padova.  Accomodation in hotel (Sport 3*, or similar) and overnight.