Four private days in Rome, then south to the Amalfi Coast. Luxury Italy itinerary with Vatican before-hours access, the ancient Appian Way, and six nights at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento.
10 days
|From £4,580 pp
Four private days in Rome, then south to the Amalfi Coast. Luxury Italy itinerary with Vatican before-hours access, the ancient Appian Way, and six nights at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento.
Rome is one of the great cities of the world, and one of the most overwhelming. The queues at the Colosseum, the crowds at the Trevi Fountain, the sheer density of things to see and people trying to see them: most visitors leave feeling they barely scratched the surface, and slightly exhausted from the attempt.
This itinerary takes a different approach. Four days in Rome, structured around private access, early mornings, and the parts of the city that most visitors never find. Then south by train to Naples, and a private car transfer along the coast to Sorrento, where the pace drops entirely.
The Amalfi Coast is not somewhere to rush. Six nights at one of Italy’s most celebrated hotels, with the sea below and the lemon groves above, is exactly the antidote Rome deserves.
Private transfer from Fiumicino to the Villa Agrippina Gran Melia, a five-star hotel set in Mediterranean gardens just steps from the Vatican in the Trastevere district. Check in, take the city in from the terrace, and let the afternoon settle at its own pace. T
his evening is for Trastevere: dinner at a neighbourhood trattoria, a walk through cobbled streets that have barely changed in centuries. No agenda. Just arrive.
This is the day the trip is built around. A private breakfast tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, arranged for the hour before the doors open to the public. The galleries to yourself, the frescoes properly lit, and the Sistine Chapel in near-silence: this is the Vatican as it was intended to be experienced, and a world away from the midday version.
Do Not Disturb travellers consistently describe it as the single most memorable moment of any Rome trip.
The rest of the day is yours: lunch in the Prati neighbourhood, an afternoon exploring the castle Sant’Angelo, or simply the hotel gardens and a long aperitivo.
Rome rewards those who leave it occasionally. A private full-day tour heads 30 kilometers east into the Lazio hills to Tivoli, taking in two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Renaissance terraced gardens of Villa d’Este, with their hundreds of fountains, and the sprawling ruins of Hadrian’s Villa, the largest imperial estate ever built in the Roman world.
The drive alone, through olive groves and hilltop towns, is worth the morning. Return to Rome in the late afternoon for a final dinner in the centro storico.
One of the oldest roads in the world and, in a city as relentlessly busy as Rome, one of the very few genuinely quiet places within it. A morning walk along the ancient paving stones of the Appia Antica, past crumbling mausoleums, umbrella pines, and the catacombs of San Callisto, feels entirely removed from the city a few kilometers away.
It is the Rome that exists outside the tourist circuit. The afternoon is unscheduled: a final espresso, last-minute shopping, one more gelato. The train south leaves tomorrow.
The Frecciarossa high-speed train from Roma Termini reaches Naples in just over an hour. A private car meets you at Naples Centrale for the coastal drive to Sorrento: around 45 minutes, with Vesuvius across the bay and the water below getting bluer as you descend.
Check in to the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, a hotel that has been welcoming guests since 1834 and holds a place on the Conde Nast Traveller Gold List of the best hotels in the world.
The clifftop gardens overlook the Bay of Naples. Pavarotti played the piano in the salon. Caruso composed here. Princess Margaret was a regular. Dinner tonight at the Michelin-starred Terrazza Bosquet, with views across the bay to Vesuvius.
A day with no fixed agenda, which is exactly what the hotel is designed for. The pool terrace, the gardens, breakfast taken slowly on the balcony. Sorrento town is a ten-minute walk: good for espresso, ceramic shops, and the kind of unhurried morning the Amalfi Coast does better than almost anywhere.
In the afternoon, the hotel concierge can arrange a private lemon grove tour in the hills above town, or simply a table somewhere good for a long lunch. This is the day the trip shifts gear.
A private boat charter for the day is the best way to understand why people keep coming back to this coastline. Positano by sea, the turquoise water off Li Galli, lunch at a harbor restaurant in Praiano away from the road traffic, and the Grotto dello Smeraldo on the return.
The Amalfi Coast road is one of the most dramatic drives in Europe and one of the most congested in summer. The water is always the better option. Return to the hotel in time for sundowners on the terrace.
A private guided visit to Pompeii, 30 minutes from Sorrento by car, with a specialist guide who brings the site to life rather than simply walking you around it.
Early departure to beat the heat and the crowds: Pompeii by 9am is a different place entirely from Pompeii at noon. Return to the hotel for a late lunch and an unscheduled afternoon.
A private boat to Capri for the day. The Blue Grotto, the Faraglioni rock formations, a slow lunch at a table above the water in the Piazzetta, and an afternoon on the island after the day-trippers have left and the streets become themselves again.
Capri in the early evening, with the light dropping over the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a different place from Capri at midday. Return to Sorrento by boat as the sun goes down.
A final morning at leisure: one last breakfast on the terrace, one last look at Vesuvius across the bay. Private transfer to Naples Capodichino airport for the return flight home.
Step into the light and shadow of Caravaggio’s Rome. From hidden chapels to private collections, Caravaggio’s Rome is a Do Not Disturb experience that reveals the artist’s genius as it was meant to be seen — intimately, quietly, and in place.
Experience Rome’s culinary artistry in complete ease. From private gardens to hidden terraces, Roman Dining in Style is a Do Not Disturb moment where food, setting, and connection come together in perfect harmony.
Explore the Colosseum before the crowds with early-access family tours in Rome. A calm, engaging way to experience ancient history, curated by Do Not Disturb.
See Rome through a modern lens. Modern Rome: Art, Design & Aperitivo is a Do Not Disturb experience revealing the city’s evolving creative spirit — from hidden studios and private galleries to an aperitivo shared above the skyline.
Tell us how you want to feel, we’ll take it from there.
“Our trip was truly magical and full of core memories that will last us a lifetime.”
Michael • Bora Bora Honeymoon
“We just returned from an incredible journey through Ireland, and we couldn’t have had a better experience”
Brad • Ireland Adventure
“This was a flawless experience right from the beginning, we had so many thoughts and ideas flowing around and they took all of them and perfectly curated the most beautiful honeymoon for us.”
Kris • Sicily Honeymoon
6 min read
By eleven in the morning, the shutters are already closed and the tables have moved under the awning, earlier than they used to. Southern Europe has always paused for the heat. This summer, the pause is starting sooner and lasting longer.
5 min read
Chianti’s landscape of cypress-lined ridges, fortified wine estates, and medieval villages has long attracted travellers seeking something more considered than a hotel stay. Here, a villa is not an amenity but the destination itself.
8 min read
The honeymoon is the first major travel decision a couple makes together, and the range of what it can be, remote and silent, culturally immersive, or gastronomically driven, is wider than most realize. This guide matches eight distinct trip types to eight distinct kinds of couples, cutting through the noise to help you identify the honeymoon […]
5 min read
Lake Como and Lake Garda occupy different registers of the Italian lake experience, one defined by restraint, the other by scale and variety. For travellers weighing an Italian lakes holiday, the distinction matters more than most itineraries acknowledge.
Planning your trip should feel effortless.
You share what matters, whether it’s a destination, a feeling, or a moment worth celebrating.
Your dedicated expert shapes a thoughtful, private itinerary tailored entirely around you.
Every detail handled. Every moment considered. Support before, during, and after your journey.
Answer a few quick questions and we’ll craft a journey as unique as your state of mind.
Ask us anything.
It looks like you're visiting from outside the United Kingdom.
Switch to our US site to view prices in dollars and browse the US version of this page.
