Sardinia & Corsica: Islands of Italy and France

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  1

  Overnight Flight

  You're on your way. Two islands – one Italian, one French – both shaped by millennia of outside influence and still entirely their own world. Sardinia and Corsica sit at the heart of the Mediterranean, close enough to see each other across the Strait, worlds apart in language, culture, and table. Start letting go of what you think you know about Italian food: Sardinia shares its pantry with the mainland but cooks by its own rules entirely. No cacio e pepe, no tiramisu. What you'll find instead are ancient pasta shapes, lamb slow-cooked over open fires, wild boar, fresh fish, and tables loaded with vegetables, legumes, and lean protein in small portions of everything — the very rhythm of eating that has made this island one of the world's Blue Zones, home to one of the highest concentrations of centenarians on earth.
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  2

  Rome, Italy

  Rome asks for nothing today – just your curiosity. As arrival times vary, the day is yours to explore at your own pace: a wander through cobblestone neighborhoods, a stop at a corner caffè, a gelato eaten standing up like a local. As evening approaches, gather with your fellow travelers for a welcome aperitivo drink before a night on your own.

  Accommodations:  Aria Palace Hotel
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  3

  Rome - Fly to Alghero, Sardinia

  A one-hour flight carries you off the Italian mainland and into a different world entirely. Sardinia belongs to Italy on paper – but it has always played by its own rules. Touch down in Alghero on the island's western coast and check in to your hotel. Alghero is unlike anywhere else on the island: dominated for centuries by the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon, its dialect is closer to Catalan Spanish than Italian – and that history is still written into the street names, architecture, and speech of its residents. Join your Tour Manager for an orientation walk through this walled city before an evening at leisure in this lively locale.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Hotel Catalunya
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  4

  Alghero

  This morning, visit Nuraghe Palmavera – a Bronze Age tower complex built by Sardinia's indigenous Nuragic people, a civilization that left more than 7,000 stone structures scattered across the island. Afterward, wander the fruit and vegetable stalls at Alghero's public market, where the pulse of daily life plays out in color and noise. Lunch and the afternoon are on your own: the old town's pedestrian lanes are lined with local restaurants, small shops, and a coral museum worth a look. Consider a motorboat ride out to the Neptune Caves, where stalactites and stalagmites fill chambers right at sea level. As evening falls, take a passeggiata (stroll) along the city ramparts.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Hotel Catalunya
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  5

  Alghero - Ferry to Bonifacio, Corsica

  This morning, travel north through Sardinia with a stop in Castelsardo – a hilltop town wrapped around a medieval Castle. Its narrow lanes are still home to artisans who weave palm-leaf baskets by hand, a craft with roots in agricultural and fishing life that has defined the town for generations. In the afternoon, climb aboard a ferry* for a one-hour trip across the Strait of Bonifacio, watching the white limestone cliffs of Corsica rise from the sea as you approach. France's largest island has been claimed by Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Pisans, and Genoese; it didn't pass to France until 1768, one year before Napoleon was born here. Corsicans have always pushed back against outside rule: even governing themselves as an independent Republic, led by Pasquale Paoli, the island's national hero. Despite being French territory, Corsica's dialect is rooted in Italian and Tuscan – a mirror image of Alghero across the water, where the dialect is closer to Catalan Spanish. Two islands, one strait, centuries of shared and rival history. Transfer to your hotel and settle in for an evening at leisure.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Santa Teresa Hotel
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  6

  Bonifacio

  This morning, it's your choice! Join a local expert for a walking tour of Bonifacio’s old town, tracing history as you take in the Étendard bastion and the Citadel -OR- pull on your walking shoes for a hike** along the limestone cliffs above Bonifacio, where the views stretch across the old town and all the way to Sardinia on the horizon. The afternoon is yours to explore the town at your own pace.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Santa Teresa Hotel
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  7

  Bonifacio

  Today is yours. Hop a local boat out to the Îles Lavezzi – a cluster of uninhabited islands in the Strait, known for their hidden coves and clear water – or join an optional excursion to Porto-Vecchio. Built by the Maritime Republic of Genoa in 1539 as a fortified hilltop port, Porto-Vecchio was designed to control the sea lanes and hold the south of Corsica against invasion. Walk the old fortifications and browse the lanes at your own pace before returning to Bonifacio for an evening on your own.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Santa Teresa Hotel
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  8

  Bonifacio - Ferry to Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia

  Cross back to Sardinia by ferry boat* this morning and trade the cliffs of Corsica for the rugged granite hills of the Gallura. Along the way, visit a local winery for a tour and a tasting lunch of their own production. This afternoon, check into your resort hotel on the Gallura Coast – perched in a panoramic position on Sardinia's northern shore, with extensive grounds and a private beach within walking distance. Settle in for a three-night stay.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  Accommodations:  Mangia's Sardinia Resort
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  9

  Gallura Coast - La Maddalena National Park

  Today is a full day on the water*. Following an early morning transfer to the port, board your boat for a cruise along the Costa Smeralda before reaching the archipelago of La Maddalena – a national park made up of more than 60 islands and islets off Sardinia's northeastern tip, where the water runs through shades of turquoise and emerald over granite sea floors. You'll cruise aboard a large, shared vessel (150–200 passengers); the format is standard for this protected park, where the national authority regulates access, routes, and timing for all boats equally. The practical upside: the vessel has toilets on board, a proper swim platform, covered and open-air seating, and a gangway for going ashore. The boat makes three stops in total – the village of La Maddalena and two island landings where you can walk the beaches or swim. From mid-May through late October the water is warm enough for a swim, so pack a swimsuit and a lightweight travel towel. Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Mangia's Sardinia Resort
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  10

  Gallura Coast

  Today, it's your choice! Take a full day to unwind at the resort – lounge by the pool, walk the private beach, and simply let the pace slow down -OR- head to glamorous Porto Cervo, the village at the heart of the Costa Smeralda. In the early 1960s, Prince Karim Aga Khan set out to build one of Europe's first purpose-designed luxury coastal destinations along this stretch of Sardinia's northeastern coast – low-density by design, rigidly controlled architecturally, and adopted almost immediately by the international jet set. The result was Porto Cervo: a place that manages to feel both exclusive and stunning.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Mangia's Sardinia Resort
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  11

  Gallura Coast - Barbagia Countryside

  Leave the coast behind and drive into the mountainous interior – a Sardinia that the outside world has never quite managed to reach. The Barbagia has been shepherd country for centuries, shaped by isolation, seasonal transhumance, and a fierce resistance to outside influence that outlasted every foreign power that tried. En route, visit a cork workshop and get to know one of the island's most important crafts: Sardinia supplies some of the finest cork in the world, stopping the bottles of Chianti, Brunello, and Barolo that line cellars across Italy. Check in for a three-night stay at Su Gologone Experience Hotel – a property built around the living traditions of the Barbagia. The rooms are simple by design; the corridors are hung with local crafts and artwork. Rooms are spread across the hillside, some requiring 1–3 flights of stairs, with steps inside*** – a feature that fits naturally into the landscape of Mediterranean scrub and forest that surrounds the hotel. Dinner is served around 8 p.m., when the sun finally drops. That rhythm – easy movement, late meals, small portions of everything, time outdoors – is exactly the un po' di tutto approach that researchers have tied to Sardinia's extraordinary longevity: this is one of the world's Blue Zones, and you'll feel it in the pace here.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  Accommodations:  Su Gologone Experience Hotel
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  12

  Barbagia Countryside

  This morning, visit the village of Mamoiada and step into one of Sardinia's most distinctive living traditions. At the Mediterranean Mask Museum, explore a collection of masks from carnival traditions across the island and Italy – including the haunting Mamuthones, weighed down with heavy bells and moving in slow, rhythmic procession, and the Issohadores, dressed in red and white, who shepherd the procession with ropes. These figures carry pre-Christian, agrarian meaning – symbols of seasonal cycles, land, and the balance between order and wildness – still performed each February by volunteers from across the community. This experience is an Impact Moment: your visit directly supports the local carnival association in maintaining the handcrafted costumes and masks that anchor this tradition. Back at the hotel this afternoon, roll up your sleeves for a Sardinian cooking class — and come ready to unlearn everything you think you know about Italian food. What goes onto the table here has nothing to do with the mainland: the pasta shapes are different, the sauces are different, the proteins are different. You are the chef of your dinner tonight – buon appetito!

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  Accommodations:  Su Gologone Experience Hotel
• Day
  13

  Barbagia Countryside

  This morning, it's your choice! Work alongside a local artisan at the hotel in a hands-on craft workshop – a window into the skills passed down through Barbagia's ovili settlements for generations -OR- climb into an off-road vehicle for a 30-minute drive to a Bronze Age Nuragic village. The hike** to the ruins gains about 150 feet on an unpaved path with roots and loose gravel – and rewards with the sight of a stone settlement built between 1800 and 800 BC. Those who want to go further can enter a cave with prehistoric relics still inside. Everyone comes together at midday: load back into the jeeps and head to a local shepherd's hut for lunch. The meal is exactly what a shepherd would pull together from the land in this season – simple, honest, and deeply connected to the present season. Return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure before gathering this evening for a Blue Zone dinner: ancestral recipes from Barbagia's home kitchens, the kind of table that – along with a life spent moving, eating in moderation, and spending time in community – has helped keep this corner of Sardinia's centenarian count among the highest in the world.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  Accommodations:  Su Gologone Experience Hotel
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  14

  Barbagia Countryside - Fly to Rome Fiumicino

  Say goodbye to Sardinia this morning. A two-hour drive brings you to Olbia for your flight back to Rome Fiumicino, where you check into a seaside hotel near the airport – a comfortable place to land for a final night before tomorrow's departures.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast
  Accommodations:  Hotel Tiber
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  15

  Fiumicino - Tour Ends

  Depart for home carrying a different understanding of two islands that share a sea but sound, eat, and live like nowhere else on earth.

  • Meals Included:
  • Breakfast

Optional Activities:

• Hilltop & History: The Road to Porto-Vecchio

  Location: Bonifacio
  Price: $149.00 per person

  
  Perched on a hilltop above a sheltered bay, Porto-Vecchio was built by the Maritime Republic of Genoa in 1539 with one purpose: control. Control of the sea lanes, the southern coastline, and any power that dared challenge Genoa's grip on Corsica. Walk the old fortifications and feel the logic of the place – the elevated position, the thick walls, the sightlines to the water below. Beyond the ramparts, the old town's lanes open into a quieter story: local shops, café terraces, and the unhurried pace of a town that has long since made peace with its history. This excursion steeps you in history and beauty of a place that was built with intention and built to last. Duration approximately 7 hour(s). Transportation is included. A minimum of 10 passenger(s) is required to operate this option. Please note, this option must be booked at least 30 days prior to departure, and availability is not guaranteed while on tour. Please note, this option must be booked at least 30 days prior to departure, and availability is not guaranteed while on tour.

Tour Extensions:

Pre-tour Extension

• 2 Night Rome Pre- Extension (Land Only)

  Price: $999.00 per person

  
  Begin your Italian journey with a 2-night stay in Rome, the Eternal City. Step back into antiquity alongside an expert guide as you explore the Colosseum and Roman Forum, then discover the city's vibrant food scene with an evening tasting tour through the charming Monti district. Continue uncovering Rome’s iconic landmarks, from the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps to Piazza Navona, before joining your fellow travelers for your exploration of Sardinia & Corsica or stay an extra night in Rome.

Tour extensions are 1-night in length, unless noted otherwise.