ABRUZZO FOOD AND WINE TOURS 2010
Discover the unspoiled Abruzzo's hidden gems!
2010 Operating Tour Dates:
SPRING TOUR: 29 May to 6 June (no longer available)
FALL TOUR: 2 to 10 October (still places available!)
- 9 Days, 9 Nights
- Airport pick up in Rome Fiumicino on Saturday morning
Introduction
Abruzzo is the long-lost Italy you've been searching for: awe-inspiring mountains, wooded solitudes, verdant gentle hills rolling toward warm sandy beaches, bustling medieval cities and unspoiled hill towns where centuries-old traditions persist, and generous welcoming people. Untouched by mass tourism, it offers an unrivaled opportunity to experience an unadulterated and genuine culture. Abruzzo's craftsmen, practicing centuries-old arts like ceramic, lace, wrought iron and jewelry making, are among Italy's finest. And the region's cuisine is perhaps Italy's most diverse and imaginative. Abruzzese cooks have long been considered among Italy's best.
Hotel
First of all, we elected Pescara as base for the whole tour. The lodge we chose is the brand new 4-star Hotel Victoria, right in the heart of the city center, two steps away from the beach; the hotel really offer guests all kind of facilities. Previous tour accommodations in Pescara (having no choice at that time), have nothing to do with this hotel. To get familiar with the Victoria, please see the following webpages:
Itineraries:
While confirming in the schedules most of the well-known places and activities of our latest successful tours, the central base on the Abruzzo coast allow us to easily include visits to new destinations: Città Sant'Angelo, an ancient town facing the sea from the top of a gentle hill, surrounded by typical olive groves and rich vineyards; Ortona, an important harbor also famous for its Aragonese Castle and the Canadian cemetery, heritage of a sanguineous 6-months battle during World War II, for which Ortona was defined by Winston Churchill as "little Stalingrad"; Picciano, cute village in the internal area, site to modern astonishing "Museum of the Farmer Arts and Traditions" (Museo delle Tradizioni ed Arti Contadine).
Finally, a special gift for all of our travelers who asked us many times to pay a visit to the Shrine of Saint Pio (also known as Padre Pio) in San Giovanni Rotondo, in the northern coast of Apulia. And then our usual and often requested destinations, places of natural beauty, rich in medieval architecture and works of art: Atri, Castelli, Scanno, Pescocostanzo, Sulmona, Loreto Aprutino, and more… Also, a final visit to L'Aquila will let you be aware what happened here, and how beautiful the city was: better to say, how beautiful the city is.
Foods, wines, traditions, family…
You will be delighted as you visit vineyards and wineries, observe family-owned olive oil manufacturers and cheese producers. Each day you will discover the diversity and excellence of Abruzzo's unrivaled cuisine, enjoying traditional dishes in first-class restaurants or at country farms, specialized in recipes with home-grown ingredients and genuine products. In addition to these culinary activities, see Abruzzo's craftsmen practicing centuries-old arts like ceramic, lace, wrought iron and jewelry making.
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 forebears, 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
Fly from the airport of your choice to Rome Fiumicino
or reach Pescara by other means: see the Italian railway website and the connections to the Abruzzo airport just outside Pescara.
- Saturday (Day 1)
Features: arrivals, settle in, welcome dinner, Pescara.
Morning: pick up in Fiumicino-Rome and transfer to the Hotel Victoria in Pescara. Settle in and time to rest.
Late afternoon: welcome meeting at the hotel business room, then guided orientation in the city center, followed by a special "welcome dinner" in a traditional trattoria, to start getting familiar with the generous foods of the region and…your new tour companions!
Meals included: dinner
- Sunday (Day 2)
Features: art treasures in Atri, Adriatic beach, "gelato".
Morning: visit to the Romanic town center of Atri, including the newly restored and finally reopened Church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its marvellous frescoes by the Abruzzese artist Andrea di Litio, contemporary of Giotto. Then, learn from chef Lidia at Podere San Domenico how to make a perfectly home made pasta: you'll even try your hand at making it! Following vast meal based on homegrown specialties.
Afternoon: walk the promenade by the sea at Silvi Marina, where you will also taste the great homemade gelato (Italian ice cream).
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Monday (Day 3)
Features: Abruzzo wines, Medieval castle and War Cemetery in Ortona a Mare.
Morning: Transfer to Ortona a Mare for a visit to the Aragonese castle, located on a impressive cliff above the Adriatic Sea. Following, drive across the vineyards till the multi award-winning "Il Feuduccio" winery, producing Montepulciano wines of Abruzzo in the Orsogna countryside, enjoy a wine tasting with snacks and experience a genuine meal served by the local chef.
Afternoon: Stop to the Moro River War Canadian Cemetery, the largest of its kind in Italy: a tribute to the 1,615 soldiers, most of them belonging to the Canadian Loyal Edmonton Rgt, who lost their life during World War II, in a 6-months battles during late 1943 in and around Ortona against the Germans.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Tuesday (Day 4)
Features: Free day.
Plan with us a personalized visit to your ancestral village where to meet your relatives or make a family research (*), or simply enjoy Pescara, with its many shopping facilities and its beautiful sandy beach.
Meals included: breakfast
- Wednesday (Day 5)
Features: medieval villages, women in typical costumes, National Park, confetti candies.
Morning: after a bus drive along the impressive Sagittario Valley, walk the old narrow streets of Scanno, a well preserved village also known for his active crafts and the old women still dressing with traditional costumes. Don't miss a chance to take pictures at the shores of the nearby lake, immersed in the intact natural environment of the National Park of Abruzzo. Noon meal in a local "agriturismo" near Pacentro, to enjoy the delicious home grown food of the area.
Afternoon, Transfer to Sulmona, world capital of the "confetti" candies. Guided tour of the historical center of the town, also famous to be the birth place of the Latin poet Ovid. A short visit to the Pelino confetti factory and museum is included.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Thursday (Day 6)
Features: Padre Pio, Abruzzo coast.
Morning: trip to San Giovanni Rotondo, popular pilgrimage destination. This is the place where St. Pio of Pietrelcina (25 May 1887 - 23 September 1968) is buried. Padre Pio was a Capuchin priest from Italy who is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He was popularly known as Padre Pio after his ordination to the priesthood, and became famous for his stigmata. Noon meal based on local fishing cuisine.
Afternoon: on the way back to Pescara, spectacular trip along the southern "coast of the trabocchi" (ancient wooden fishing constructions): stop to the trabocco of Punta Tufano to learn about it, with aperitifs and snacks by the waves!
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Friday (Day 7)
Features: olive oil tradition, farmer's heritage.
Morning: visit to the hilltop town of Città Sant'Angelo, with its picturesque city center overlooking the shore and the beautiful cathedral. Transfer to Loreto Aprutino, when you will learn about the extra virgin olive oil production in the local agriturismo "Le Magnolie", followed by a typical genuine and rich meal.
Afternoon, short transfer to Picciano, a little town in the countryside, home to an impressive museum, full of memories of the pastoral tradition of Abruzzo.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Saturday (Day 8)
Features: goldsmiths, wrought iron, pillow lace.
Morning: Visit to the impressive mountainous village of Pescocostanzo, see the Church of Santa Maria del Colle and enjoy the traditional jewelers stores, the pillow lace activity and the ironworkers' shops. Noon meal at well-known Paolino, to experience the many specialties "della casa". Most people say of it "the best ravioli ever"!
Afternoon: Back to Pescara, leisure time to rest and to enjoy your last evening in Pescara.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
- Sunday (Day 9)
Features: ceramics and majolica, arrosticini, L'Aquila.
Morning: check out from the hotel. Visit to Castelli, an impressive mountain village worldwide famous for his beautiful ceramics: see the local museum, follow the artisans during the laborious pottery processing and finally shop around the many nice stores in town. Noon meal based on "arrosticini", delicious spit-roasted meat sticks, typical of Abruzzo.
Afternoon: stop in L'Aquila for a safe visit to the accessible Piazza Duomo, the heart of the wonderful city center. Learn about the earthquake, and check directly with the efforts for the difficult reconstruction, which will bring one day the city to its original splendor.
At the end of the day, drop off at the Hotel del Mare, Fiumicino, in the center of the beach town along the seafront. Alternatively, we'll help you coordinate transportation options and any post-tour planning, in case you desire to stay in Italy longer, leaving you well prepared for the road ahead.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
See Hotel del Mare website
- Monday (Day 10)
Morning: Shuttle service to the airport.
Meals included: breakfast
(*) These itineraries may slightly change, according to unforeseeable closings, unexpected events or new seasonal options, but always in the travelers' best interest. The general itinerary (included towns and activities) will remain the same.
Our 2010 Food and Wine Tours include:
- 8-night hotel accommodation at the 4-star Hotel Victoria in Pescara, based on double room occupancy. The hotel have fully equipped rooms with private bathroom and shower and many other facilities
- 1-night Hotel del Mare Fiumicino
- Rich continental breakfast daily, both buffet and a la carte
- 8 authentic traditional Abruzzese meals
- 1 Abruzzese cooking lesson
- 1 Wine tasting with appetizers
- 1 Extra virgin olive oil tasting with appetizers
- 1 aperitifs with snacks at the trabocco
- All touring as described per day-by-day itinerary
- Experienced tour guides and staff throughout the tour. Our local 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, including airport pick up at Rome's Fiumicino at your arrival time on day 1, and drop off in Fiumicino hotel on day 9
- Paid entrance inclusive to all activities, sites and museums
- Land insurance coverage for health, accident and liability by major Italian company
- Abruzzo guide books, maps and handouts inclusive for all visits
- 1 day at leisure (Tuesday)
The Tours do not include:
- Airfares. Contact your travel agent, or get the best rate on the Internet (just let us know your flight details: we'll pick you up at your arrival time in Rome on day 1)
- Single room: 250 Euros additional charge
- Evening meals (except on day 1) and meals on the day at leisure (day 4)
- Personal transport costs (car rental, taxi, trains etc.), phone calls, hotel laundry service etc.
- Individualized assistance during the day at leisure (*)
- Anything not specified above
* We can provide you with a car, a driver and a guide/interpreter at a very special rate, according to the mileage. Consider a 350 Euros fee, for a 200 km total mileage. Meals are not included. We suggest to book this service well in advance, because of the limited availability of our team. Tell us in advance also in case you would like us to make a family research and contact your relatives, in order to arrange family reunions.
Tour Price:
- 1,990 euros per person, in double room occupancy -- reservation deposit: 290 euros - balance: 1,700 euros (*)
- Single room supplement: Euros 250
- 50 euro discount (per person) for bookings made before 2 Sept, 2010
(*)The 290 euro deposit is non-refundable, unless the tour is cancelled. The balance (1,700 euros) is due no later than 30 days before the tour starting day: in case you won't be able to join the tour for any last minute unforeseeable event, we will refund you the total balance amount anyway.
CONTACT US for bookings and any further information
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