Our group of six persons did an Abruzzo Cibus tour in June. Palazzo Tour D'Eau is a beautifully restored palace situated at the top of the hill in Carunchio with breathtaking views. The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable and each has its own bathroom. It was a wonderful experience to stay in a palace with our own personal chef to fix our meals. Dinners were absolutely delicious! We did several guided tours exploring some of the small towns in the area which were most interesting. We also took one cooking class that was a lot of fun. I highly recommend Palazzo Tour D'Eau. It is a hidden treasure in a beautiful region of Italy. Abruzzo is probably Italy's best kept secret and Abruzzo Cibus tours provide a good way to experience Abruzzo. If you have never been to Abruzzo, I urge you to go. You won't be sorry!"
Judy from Indiana - litchmail-box@yahoo.com
My husband and I just returned from a wonderful Italian vacation which included a stay at a fabulous Palazzo on the top of a mountain! What a find! We didn’t want to do the typical “Tuscan” thing so we chose Abruzzo Cibus and we are so glad that we did. Carunchio is about 20 miles from Vasto Marine, but a world apart. As we climbed the mountain and passed several ancient abandoned homes, my friends began to ask at each if this one was the PALACE. I must admit to a certain apprehension since I had selected this tour based on my conversations with Massimo and his web site. When we finally arrived at the Palazzo, which sits right on top of a mountain, the jokes and my apprehension ceased. The Palazzo is gorgeous. It has all of the old world charm of an elegant Palazzo with a totally renovated interior. The rooms are beautiful and comfortable. The bathrooms are spacious, but be prepared for lovely, but very small showers. The views took our breath away. We did a 4 day stay. We learned how to prepare some very interesting and easy Italian dishes with, Cheryl, the wonderful cooking instructor. I am no longer intimated about making pasta, pesto or canning! Cheryl printed out all of the recipes and then put them into booklets for each of us I can not say enough wonderful things about Massimo. He personally conducts all of the excursions away from the Palazzo. He is very knowledgeable about the history of the area and the places were he took us. We loved spending time with him and learned so many interesting things. The tours were interesting and allowed us to purchase goods from each place at wholesale prices! Fun Shopping. We absolutely loved everything about the Palazzo and the entire experience. I am looking forward to returning in the future.
Diana from Chicago - diana@creativewallsandspaces.com
In October 2008 my husband and I spent 3 weeks in Abruzzo and Molise. Part of that time was spend with Massimo at Abruzzo Cibus. Since it was late in the season, we were the only guests and stayed in Vasto. Even though we did not stay at the palace we did visit it and it is beautiful. I hope on our next trip we can stay there. Cooking with Cheryl was wonderful. Even though I am a pretty good Italian cook, I did perfect my pasta making and my husband loved it. As soon as we got back to the states he had me buy a chitarra and we make pasta for a dinner party. We really enjoyed the tours of the sausage and cheese factories, bell foundry and the olive oil press. Massimo even accomodated us with a trip to a winery as it was harvest time. In all, it was a wonderful trip and I would highly recommend it!
Susie from South Carolina - scwherry@hotmail.com
I was greeted at the train station like an old friend by the owner himself. The next day, my guide brought me to the village of my ancestors and I was invited to his parents house for dinner, where I met and was treated like one of the family. They made sure I was comfortable and went out of their way to help me connect with my Italian roots. I plan to bring my family the next time.
Jim from Rochester, NY - jmorasco@rochester.rr.com
We had the whole palace to ourselves. We did some cooking and we went for fun half day trips. I really enjoyed my time in Abruzzo and I would recommend it to anyone. Massimo has been our dedicated tour guide and he was great.
Anthony from New Jersey - AGiacoio@aol.com
We went to Abruzzo and were delighted with the way we were treated. Since we went "off-season", we were the only ones in the class so it felt less like a class and more like a visit to an old friend. The chef was very knowledgeable and taught us, not only Italian cooking, but tips on cooking in general. We stayed in an out-of-the-way part of Italy and never ran into another tourist. It was delightful. My Italian was minimal, but the people were cheerful and gracious. Our host, Massimo, went far beyond the expected to help us have a marvelous vacation. I especially liked the wine class where he showed us various wines and how to appreciate them. The trips to the little towns in the area gave us memories of a unique Italy. We had such a problem with hair. We had a converter, but the curling iron, hair dryer, or electric curlers would not work with it. I'm not sure this is something you want to warn people about or not.
Cindy from Colorado
I have just completed a cooking vacation to Abruzzo, Italy. It was much, much more than I expected. Our host, Massimo, was incredible. He seemed to anticipate our every need. He was so knowledgeable and all of his tours were not only fun, but very informative. We got to know and love Abruzzo during that week. It is a beautiful area with warm, friendly people and few tourists. Our chef, Cheryl, gave us great recipes as well as many helpful cooking techniques. She had a great understanding of Abruzzo foods and how to prepare them, but most of all, she was very entertaining company. We thoroughly enjoyed our cooking lessons. This week will be one of my best memories. Thank you so much.
Linda from Texas
Beautiful town, wonderful hotel, great cooking classes, exceptional tour guide – just what we were looking for as a vacation in Abruzzo!
Mary, Ray & Giovanna from Maine
Anyone who is interested in a fabulous vacation that combines culinary classes with a master teacher, rooms in a real castle, great meals, and wonderful sightseeing in an area as beautiful as Tuscany....THIS IS FOR YOU!! We took our 14 year old grandson as a bar mitzvah gift and he was thrilled.
Barbara and Ed Zinbarg and Jesse, NY
