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Free Airport Pick-up and Welcome Dinner

We will meet you at the airport in Rome or Pescara (preferably) and drive you in our own van across the beautiful Central Apennine mountains directly to Palazzo Tour D'Eau in Carunchio, where you will be staying. In the evening you'll attend a multi-course welcome feast and we'll all get acquainted and settled in. Please note that our groups consist of maximum 8 people.

Vasto, Shopping, Trabocchi, Seafood Dinner

This day will be dedicated to my home town of Vasto. This ancient town, situated on a hill, like the majority of the towns around here, has a beautiful view of the Adriatic sea. On this day, you will experience the Vasto lifestyle. We will walk around the beautiful square, visit the church of San Giuseppe, admire the Palazzo d'Avalos and its gardens, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the gulf of Vasto Marina. Last but not least, we'll have an aperitivo at the cafe in Piazza, in good keeping with the modern Italian custom. After this, we'll be hungry for shopping at a shoe outlet with tons of selection.

If we are in season, we will also visit an olive oil production farm where the friendly owner will show us how this wonderful product is made. We will learn how to sample olive oil and what characteristics distinguish the good quality oil from the bad.

One cannot visit Abruzzo without considering its great affection for the Adriatic Sea. The locals here have their family fishing houses along the coast, called "trabocchi." If the season is right, that is in the summer, we'll dine on the coast of Fossacessia, on one of these trabocchi, tasting the finest local, just caught seafood.

Navelli, Rocca Calascio, Santo Stefano, Campo Imperatore.

We start off in Piana di Navelli on the Saffron Road. Saffron, a precious ingredient in the finest dishes, reached this area from the orient over the historic "transumanza" sheep herding paths that drove the local economy for centuries. These well-trodden paths led from the mountains down to the grasslands by the sea, where herders would take their sheep for grazing in the winters, trading their goods along the way. Then we go on to Rocca Calascio where we find the first Swabian castle. Next we visit Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a rare example of a village built entirely of stone and preserved intact. Here in the historic centre, once home to the most famous Florentine merchants, the Medici family, we find flavours passed down over time. We will enjoy lunch in this enchanting village. For a fine end to this exciting day, we visit historic Castel del Monte and its enchanting scenery and go on to Campo Imperatore and enter the rooms of Hotel Duca D'Aosta where Benito Mussolini was in hiding and imprisoned at the end of WWII.

Learn the Art of Preservation, Desserts and Liqueurs

Learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables in the Italian way. Make fruit preserves and a variety of pickled vegetables, plus learn how to preserve using oil. Taste and discover how these ingredients are a big part of the Abruzzese cuisine. Later, make mouth-watering traditional desserts, and pair them with liqueurs. We'll teach you how to make Limoncello and you'll taste a variety of liqueurs created from local ingredients.

After lunch, we're off to the airport.

Civitella del Tronto, Castelli

Civitella del Tronto is one of the largest medieval fortified towns in Central Italy. An area of 26,000 squared meters, surrounded by walls and towers, takes you back to the past and makes you reminisce about how hard life was in medieval times when predators and barbarians ran around devastating all the villages in their paths. This fortified town was built to fight against all such injustice. Come into contact with over 10 centuries of history and changes. This is quite a place to see!

After a quick lunch we will head to Castelli, a treat for those who love ceramics and art in general. Home of the Art Institute and a Ceramics Museum, Castelli offers a big variety of artwork made of ceramics. This is the perfect place to find authentic souvenirs to bring back home. The town is filled with many small shops of handmade ceramic masterpieces.

Sulmona, Scanno

Sulmona, home of the historic Roman writer and poet Ovidio, famous for his "Ars amatoriae" tales of a generous land that produced great olive oil and precious wines, is a beautiful city from an architectural point of view and is surrounded by breathtaking views. Here we visit one of the most famous manufacturers of "confetti" (sugared almonds) in the world, which uses traditional recipes from over 2 centuries ago. From Sulmona, across the Gole del Sagittario natural reserve, we make our way to Scanno, a village that historically subsisted solely on the creation of products from the once precious black wool. Now it is famous for its original designs in fine jewelry and filigree work. Here in this land of flavours we can taste the cheeses paired with local chestnut honey and strong and lively wines. To end the day, we will visit one of the most important wine makers in Abruzzo. We will go behind the scenes, learn the tricks of the trade and sample some of their finest selections.

Seasonal tour (e.g. Tremiti Islands)

For this special tour we are limited to very specific climatic conditions (i.e. summer weather). If we have the weather is right, this is an extremely wonderful experience. You will have the chance to appreciate the cleanest water in the Adriatic, enjoy a full day boat ride on a fishing boat, and last but not least, dine on the catch of the hour. Can it get any fresher?

Spiritual tour: Padre Pio of Pietralcina, our latest Saint.

All good Catholics will appreciate a chance to visit Padre Pio's hometown of San Giovanni Rotondo in Puglia (one hour away). The little village was isolated from the rest of the world, which made it a good place for meditation and prayer. In 1918, in front of a big crucifix, in the little church at the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio received the stigmata on his hands, feet and chest. For more than 50 years, he carried these marks on his body. Some believed them to be a falsification while others saw them as a sign of God's presence in him. In 1940 he started building a big hospital near the convent and some years later he began the movement of the "prayer groups"; the two initiatives were born, grew and prospered with his blessing. The "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" (the hospital) was opened on the 5th May 1956; the prayer groups received an indirect approval by the church authorities the 31st July 1968. His name is known all over the world and innumerable extraordinary events are said to have occurred through him. Padre Pio was recently made a Saint by the Vatican.

Rome or Pompei and Amalfi Coast

Your choice between:

 

An organized full-day outing in Rome including visits to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, the capital building (Campidoglio), Via del Corso, Via Condotti, Trevi Fountain and the Vatican City.

 

OR

 

An organized full-day visit to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. Pompei is an outdoor museum. The city was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The ashes buried the entire civilisation, preserving these Roman ruins intact for centuries. After extensive excavation works, we can now enjoy all the ruins and walk on floors where Romans used to 2000 years ago. After this unique experience, we drive to Amalfi and admire the beautiful coastal views.

All these tours sound appealing?

Keep in mind that we also offer 7 day tours to fit everything in.

Please e-mail us with any questions you may have.

This is a sample itinerary.  Destinations may vary based on time of year and group size.