10 Days Wine & Food Tasting - Abruzzo tour

Day 01 Saturday
Meet on arrivals at Rome-Fiumicino airport. Transfer to Pescara (bus ride: 2h 30m). Arrival in Pescara, and settle in at the 4-star Hotel Victoria, time to rest 
Late afternoon: welcome meeting at the hotel reception later optional walking orientation in the Pescara city center, very busy for the Saturday night's passeggiata. Pescara is the largest city of Abruzzo, it is among the main commercial and tourist centers along the Adriatic coast. Sandy beaches heare extend for over 20 uninterrupted kms. Gabriele D'Annunzio the famous Italian poet was also born in Pescara. Dinner will be at Locanda da Pia restaurant you will be familiarised with the generous foods of Abruzzo here. Walk back to the hotel, for overnight
Meals included: dinner

Day 02 Sunday
Morning visit Scanno a little town in Abruzzo with old narrow streets of the well preserved village situated in the middle of the intact natural environment of the National Park of Abruzzo. Scanno, considered by many to be the true symbol of Abruzzo, is also known for its active crafts and the old women still dressed in traditional costumes. This is the birth place of the "presentosa", a gold filigree medal traditionally donated on the engagement day. Sunday's mass available. Noon meal at Posta Pacentrana, on the road to Pacentro.
Afternoon: transfer to Sulmona, world capital of the confetti candies. According to historians, the first confetti were produced on 14 d.C.: by that time, they were considered extremely rare sweets. Guided tour of the historical center of the town. Sulmona is also famous for being the birth place of the Latin poet Ovid. See the Cathedral of San Panfilo, the Annunziata church and Piazza Garibaldi with its medieval aqueduct. Then, back to the hotel, evening and dinner at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Day 03 Monday
Morning: visit to the celebrated Camillo Montori winery in Controguerra, producing some of the best award winning wines of Abruzzo (Montepulciano, Trebbiano, Cerasuolo, Colline Teramane, Colli Aprutini, Controguerra). Follow wine experts for an in-depth visit to the winery, and learn everything about the wine making process. Enjoy wine tasting with a great selection of different labels. Noon meal based on traditional sea food in Giulianova at "Locanda il Moro". This restaurant, right in front of the beach, is considered among the best in the region of its kind.
Afternoon: visit the olive oil farm Matalucci, located in the picturesque countryside near Pineto (bus ride: 20m): learn about the extra-virgin olive oil process, and how they produce it according to the oldest trations. Finally, taste "pane e olio". Then, back to the hotel, evening and dinner at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Day 04 Tuesday
Morning: transfer to Elice, in the beautiful western hillside area of Pescara, for a visit to the Pastificio La Mugnaia, to learn how they make this particular kind of pasta, typical of Elice, thanks to the quality of the river Fino. Following, visit to the nearby family-run factory producing traditional cookies and cakes (dolciumi d'Abruzzo). Then, visit to the Museum of Arts and Traditions of the Farmer in Picciano, contains hundreds of items used or made by Abruzzese peasants: oil and wine presses, farm implements, pasta makers, textiles, kitchenware... Noon meal at ristorante "Terre e Sapori", specialized in innovative recipes based on homemade pasta.
Afternoon, transfer to nearby Città Sant'Angelo, a medieval town overlooking the Adriatic Sea for scenic views. See also the beautiful cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo. Then, back to the hotel, evening and dinner at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Day 05 Wednesday
Free Day. You may 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

Day 06 Thursday
Morning: Check out from the Hotel Victoria, then visit to the ancient Roman town Atri, province of Teramo, with its many treasures of art. See the Museo Capitolare and the newly restored church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its amazing frescoes by Abruzzese artist Andrea De Litio, contemporary of Giotto. "Hatria", a Roman colony from which many historians also derive the name of the Adriatic Sea, is today one of the most important historical, cultural and artistic centres in Abruzzo. The surrounding landscape is also impressive for the canyon-like calanques and the partly-unexplored caves. Then, reach Podere San Domenico, where chef Lidia, the delightful and funny proprietress, will offer an Abruzzese cooking lesson (homemade pasta, scrippelle 'nbusse), followed by a vast lunch based on home-grown food and arrosticini, delicious spit-roasted meat sticks typical of Abruzzo.
Afternoon: we leave Lidia and head for Loreto Aprutino, to check in at your second tour base, the historical residence 4-star Castello Chiola. Time to relax, then aperitifs and a special dinner in the astonishing scenery of this centuries-old palace, dating back to the year 864. The impressive and stately castle arises from the top of the hill around which nestles the medieval town. The castle, itself, is one of the tour highlights! (Read what independent travelers say about the Castello Chiola).
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 07 Friday
Morning: From Loreto Aprutino, drive through the impressive rocky mountains of the Gran Sasso until Campo Imperatore, a vast plateau rightly called "Little Tibet of Italy". Visit to the cheese making farm "Gran Sasso" at Castel del Monte, producing some of the best cheeses of Abruzzo, including the "canestrato". Cheese tasting. Noon meal in Castel del Monte, a well preserved mountain village. This town was chosen in late 2009 by George Clooney as the main set for his movie "The American".
Afternoon: transfer to Castelli, an impressive village located at the foot of Mount Camicia, and see how some of the finest artisans work in the ceramics laboratories, and which techniques they actually use. Visit also the School of Art with its museum and the church of San Donato, with its breathtaking XV-century floor and ceiling entirely decorated with sixteenth century polychrome bricks. Stroll around the many stores of the village. Then, back to the hotel, evening and dinner at leisure.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Day 08 Saturday
Morning: Visit the beautiful town of Guardiagrele, south of Chieti, hometown of Nicola da Guardiagrele, unsurpassed master of Abruzzo jeweller's art, and "capital" of copper and wrought-iron crafts. This centre has also become universally famous as the "noble stone city" in D'Annunzio poem "Trionfo della morte". When you first arrive, you're welcomed by the sight of the Majella on the horizon, and the hills and calanques around. See the wonderful Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the treasures of the region. Inside the town, wherever you look, traces of a rich past appear from walls and common houses. Noon meal at Villa Maiella, one of the few restaurants of Abruzzo selected with the highest scores by the main cooking guidebooks (Gambero Rosso, Michelin etc.).
Afternoon: Back to Loreto, some time on your own before enjoying your last evening in Abruzzo.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Day 09 Sunday
Morning: Check out from the Castello, then transfer to Chieti. This city lies on a crest along the Pescara river with its unmistakable profile with the high belltower of San Giustino against the sky, a few km away from the Adriatic Sea, and with the Majella and Gran Sasso in the background. It was a Roman town, Teate, and important medieval centre, that's why walking through the city you see Roman and medieval ruins side by side. See also the Cathedral of San Giustino (mass available). Then, transfer to Celano, near Avezzano, for a traditional noon meal at "Guerrinuccio" specialized in meats and mountain cuisine.
Late afternoon: drop off at the 4-star Hilton Rome Airport or the 4-star Seccy Hotel (bus ride: 1 and a half hour), best hotels available in Fiumicino, for your last night in Italy, at 10-minute distance from the flight terminals. Evening and dinner at leisure (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

Day 10 Monday
Morning: room check out, go the airport, according to your flight schedule.
Meals included: breakfast

Cost : The individual quote in double room € 2499.00 per person Contact us to book

Booking terms Initial deposit: 499 euros to confirm reservation (the deposit is non-refundable, unless the tour is cancelled)
Final payment: 2000 due no later than 30 days before tour starting date (in case you won't be able to join the tour for any reaso this (Euro 2000 is fully refundable)
Single room supplement: 450 euros ("single" is a wide "double room for single use")
Suite room supplement: 850 euros

The cost includes:

9 nights hotel accommodation, based on double room occupancy: 5 nights in Pescara at the 4-star Hotel Victoria, 3 nights in Loreto Aprutino at the 4-star Castello Chiola, 1 night in Rome-Fiumicino at the 4-star Hilton Rome Airport or the 4-star Seccy Hotel. 
Rich continental breakfast daily
9 authentic Abruzzese meals - 7 lunches and 2 dinners - based on the best traditional recipes. Lunch is the main meal of the day in Abruzzo.
1 Abruzzese cooking lesson at Lidia's
Wine, cheese and olive oil tasting
Tours as per the Itinerary
Services of Experienced English Speaking tour guides
All transfers by air-conditioned minibus throughout the tour, including airport pick up and drop off with Rome-Fiumicino
Paid entrance inclusive to all activities, sites and museums

The Cost does not

Airfares. Contact your travel agent, or buy tickets on your own. Then, let us know your flight details: we'll pick you up at your arrival time in Rome
Suite accommodation at all hotels, additional charge: 850 euros
Lunch on the day at leisure (Wednesday), and dinners when not mentioned in the Itinerary
Individualized assistance during the day at leisure (Wednesday):

Anything not specified above


Contact us to book