ABRUZZO FOOD AND WINE TOURS 2013
- May 25 to June 3 (no longer available)
- September 28 to October 7
Foods, wines, traditions, family...
 The tours (10 days and 9 nights) give an excellent overview of Abruzzo, include some if its singular cultural, natural and culinary destinations, are intimate (about 15 people max), offer cooking demonstrations, and first-class accommodations. The first tour departs May 25; the second on September 28.
From L'Aquila to the villages of the national parks, across the highest elevations of the Apennine mountains and along the most unspoiled stretches of the region's coastline, the variety, breadth and quality of the ingredients, flavors and dishes are astounding. Though Abruzzo remains a place where tradition is honored and forms the basis for all cuisine, respectful innovation allows the "cucina" of this incredibly diverse and naturally stunning region to continue to evolve. At restaurants in medieval mountain towns and sleepy fishing villages, you will taste creations that are seamless extensions of "la cucina tipica abruzzese".
 We'll take our small groups to our favorite sites and dining places in Abruzzo: pristine medieval mountain villages, elegant Renaissance thoroughfares and piazzas, tiny rural agriturismi (farm restaurants), village trattorie and sophisticated restaurants.
In addition to Abruzzo's world-class food, our guests will be exposed to the region's unadulterated traditional culture and its spectacular landscape. And to make your tour an experience you'll treasure for years to come, we offer an exclusive opportunity to visit your ancestral towns, and get in touch with your lost Italian family! We can arrange for you a daily visit during the tour (there is one day at leisure) to see that dear, never forgotten place of your forebearers, the landscapes that they always kept in their hearts, and to perhaps meet, at last, the relatives of whom your parents and/or grandparents spoke!
Day-per-day itinerary
- Friday (May 24, Sept 27)
 Fly from the airport of your choice to Rome Fiumicino
or reach Pescara by other means
- Saturday (May 25, Sept 28)
Features: arrivals, settle in, welcome dinner
Morning: flight arrivals in Rome-Fiumicino airport. Transfer to Sulmona (bus ride: 2h 30m). Arrival in Sulmona, and settle in at the 4-star Hotel Royan, an attractive accommodating 4-star hotel in a restored palazzo (number 1 hotel in Sulmona: read what independent travelers say, or visit the hotel website). Settle in, time to rest .
Afternoon: town orientation, followed by a special "welcome dinner" in a local traditional restaurant, to start getting familiar with the generous foods of the region and your new tour companions.
Meals included: dinner
 Sunday (May 26, Sept 29)
Features: cities of art, Sulmona and Pescocostanzo
Morning: Morning: guided tour of the historical center of Sulmona, also known to be the birth place of the Latin poet Ovid and the world capital of the "confetti" candies. Sulmona has numerous bars, caffes, gelaterie, etc. It has a very nice passeggiata (evening stroll) and active piazza life. Then, transfer to the mountainous village of Pescocostanzo, among "Italy's most beautiful villages". This a charming place, with a pristine medieval center constructed of white stone. Noon meal at Paolino's, to experience the many specialties "della casa".
Afternoon: see the Church of Santa Maria del Colle and enjoy the traditional jewellery, the pillow lace and the ironworkers' shops. Back to Sulmona, evening at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Monday (May 27, Sept 30)
Features: Gran Sasso landscapes, medieval mountain villages
 Morning: travel around the mountains of Gran Sasso and Campo Imperatore plateau, "the little Tibet of Italy". Enjoy the scenery so dear to Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood ("spaghetti western"): rocky peaks and grandiose plains, herds of sheep, free range cattle and wild horses…Enjoy the steep alleys of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a picturesque village where the watch seems to has stopped to the medieval time. Lunch in a local selected restaurant.
Afternoon: according to the weather, follow us for a light hiking to the amazing castle of Rocca di Calascio. Then, on the way back to Sulmona, see the beautiful mountain churches of Santa Maria Assunta and San Pellegrino at Bominaco. We are on the Navelli plain, home to the local saffron, considered by many the best in world. Back to Sulmona, evening at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Tuesday (May 28, Oct 1)
Features: : cheese tradition, pillow lace, women in typical costumes, National Parks
 Morning: after a short trip along the impressive Sagittario Valley, visit to a typical cheese farm and learn how they produce a variety of great cheeses, following the ancient pasture tradition; tasting and opportunity to purchase cheese and other organic goods. After an extra short drive, reach Scanno, where you will enjoy a typical noon meal.
Afternoon: the ancient narrow streets that climb and descend past medieval and Renaissance palazzi, tiny piazze and shops, made of Scanno the obsession of photographers for decades! The well preserved village is also known for his active crafts and the old women still dressing with traditional costumes. Finally, relax by the shores of the nearby lake, immersed in the intact natural environment of the National Park of Abruzzo, the oldest in Italy (1922). Back to Sulmona, evening at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
 Wednesday (May 29, Oct 2)
Free Day. Enjoy Sulmona, with its picturesque and crowded Wednesday square market, other than its many surprising treasures of art. In option, arrange your independent trip in the area (by rental car, trains, buses etc.). If you desire, you can plan with us a personalized visit to your ancestral village: we can take you there and assist you, and even arrange a family reunion, in case you already have contacts with your relatives. If you've lost those contacts, don't forget we are specialized in making documented family researches in Abruzzo.
Meals included: breakfast
- Thursday (May 30, Oct 3)
Features: Chieti and Pescara, the ancient and the modern
 Morning: After the hotel check out, visit to a local "pastificio", producing pastas of indisputable quality. Then transfer to Chieti: see the ancient Cathedral of San Giustino, enjoy the walk along Corso Marrucino and the city center, until the National Museum of Abruzzo, where - among other treasures of art and history - is kept the statue of the Warrior of Capestrano, probably the most important symbol of Abruzzo. Noon meal in a local typical trattoria.
Afternoon: transfer to the nearby Adriatic coast of Pescara, and check in at your next tour base, the 4-star hotel Victoria (number 1 hotel in Pescara: read what independent travelers say, or visit the hotel website). Then, follow us for a short orientation in the city center and the beautiful sea promenade. Enjoy your evening stroll around this very active and modern city.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Friday (May 31, Oct 4)
Features: vineyards, Adriatic coast and trabocchi, Benedictine abbeys
 Morning: Spectacular drive across the vineyards area of Abruzzo, till a multi award-winning winery, producing Montepulciano of Abruzzo. The sweetness of Abruzzo's hills and the perfume of the Adriatic Sea is evident in this wine and olive oil country. Learn about the wine making process, then enjoy a tasting with a variety of the awarded local wines. Then, down to the shore for a visit to a "trabocco", a historically protected wooden fishing platform. Today the "trabocchi" are still located in southern Abruzzo and around Termoli, and some of them were restored and converted to picturesque and unique dining places… so, why not having some sea food by the waves?
Afternoon: final visit to the extraordinary 13-century benedictine abbey of San Giovanni in Venere in Fossacesia. Back to Pescara, evening at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Saturday (June 1, Oct 5)
Features: home made pasta, ceramics of Castelli
 Morning: visit to the Romanic town center of Atri, including the astonishing church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its marvellous frescoes by the Abruzzese artist Andrea de Litio, contemporary of Giotto. Then, learn from chef Lidia at Podere San Domenico how to make a perfect home made pasta and other recipes: you may even try your hand at making it! Following, vast meal based on home-grown specialties, including "arrosticini", delicious spit-roasted sheep sticks, typical of this area of Abruzzo.
Afternoon: trip to Castelli, an impressive mountain village worldwide famous for his beautiful ceramics: local artisans still produce small masterworks, and the products of their shops spill out into the town's medieval streets. Back to Pescara, to enjoy your last night in Abruzzo.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Sunday (June 2, Oct 6)
Features: L'Aquila
 Morning:
After the hotel check out, transfer to L'Aquila: see the unique Fountain of the 99 spouts (cannelle) and Santa Maria di Collemaggio, and walk along the wounded heart of the city. The medieval old town has suffered damage from the April 2009 earthquake and many of its buildings are bracketed with wooden and other anti-seismic supports. But, L'Aquila is still, in everyone's eyes, beautiful. Lunch in a local genuine restaurant.
Afternoon: we'll travel directly to Fiumicino and the 4-star Tiber, for the last night of your tour. This is modern and well-appointed hotel (Read what independent travelers say, or visit the hotel website). Advice on where to eat in Fiumicino if you want dinner. Locating in Fiumicino will make for a calmer and later final morning. The hotel has shuttle vans running frequently to the airport (10 minutes) as opposed to a chaotic, fiendishly 1-hour ride from the city center of Rome. Reserve at the hotel desk, at your desired time, your transportation to Fiumicino airport for the next morning.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Monday (June 3, Oct 7)
Morning: Hotel check out, and short transfer to the airport for your flight back home. In case you desire to stay in Italy longer, we'll help you coordinate transportation options and any post-tour planning, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead.
Meals included: breakfast
These itineraries may slightly change, according to unforeseeable closings, unexpected events or new seasonal options, but always in the travellers' best interest.
Our 2013 Food and Wine Tours include:
- 9 nights hotel accommodation, based on double room occupancy: 5 nights in Sulmona at the 4-star Hotel Royan, 3 nights in Pescara at the 4-star Hotel Victoria, 1 night in Rome-Fiumicino at the 4-star Hotel Tiber. All hotels have fully equipped rooms with private bathroom and shower and many other facilities (for more details visit the hotel websites)
- Morning breakfast with daily food variety (ex: home made cakes, hams and cheeses etc.)
- 8 authentic and very rich meals in selected restaurants/trattorie based on the best local recipes
- Abruzzese cooking demonstration at Lidia's
- Wine and cheese tastings
- All touring as described per day-by-day itinerary
- Experienced tour guides and staff throughout the tour. Our guides have knowledge of the Abruzzo area and of all shopping, cultural sightseeing and dining venues you will be visiting
- All transfers by air-conditioned minibus throughout the tour, with professional drivers, including airport pick up and drop off to Fiumicino hotel
- Paid entrance inclusive to all activities, sites and museums
- Group protection coverage for health, accident and liability by Europ Assistance
- Abruzzo guide books, maps and brochures inclusive for all visits
The Tours DO NOT include:
- Airfares. Contact your travel agent, or get tickets on your own. Then, just let us know your flight details (we'll pick you up at your arrival time in Rome)
- Single room or suite accommodation (see below for extra fees)
- Lunch on the day at leisure (Wednesday) and all dinners (except Saturday, day 1)
- Hotel extra services (ex: laundry, phone calls etc.)
- Individualized assistance during the day at leisure (Wednesday): contact us well in advance (our team has limited availability) for a quote, in case you want to use our guide and transport services
- Anything not specified above
Tour Fees:
- TOUR PRICE: euros 2,290 per person (double room occupancy)
- Initial deposit: euros 290 to confirm reservation (non-refundable, unless the tour is cancelled for any unforeseeable event)
- Final payment: euros 2,000 due no later than 60 days before tour starting date. In case you won't be able to join the tour for any unforeseeable event, we refund you this final payment amount
- Single room supplement: euros 300 ("single" is a larger "double room for single use " at all hotels)
- Suite room supplement: euros 600
For any further tour, booking and payment information please fill the form on line or email us to:
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