About Majella Tours
Meet Michelle
My name is Michelle DiBenedetto-Capobianco.
I’m a daughter of Italian immigrants, mom to three boys and a corporate lawyer-turned-cooking-school-owner in New York.
I organize experience-based, small-group tours of my beloved, unspoiled Central Italian region of Abruzzo – a land of sprawling national parks, pristine Adriatic coastlines, hidden hermitages carved into stone and rambling medieval villages.
Abruzzo is my heart and my second home.
La Majella ("Mah-yel-lah")
My father, Gino, was born and raised in Salle, a tiny town located in the Parco Nazionale della Majella in Abruzzo. Named for the beautiful Dea (goddess) Maja, for the Abruzzesi, the Majella mountain is revered as “La Madre” – the mother – a proud and nurturing symbol of the region’s land and fertility.
A quick personal aside – during a visit to Salle when I was a teenager, my then precocious 6-year old cousin, Davide - now the mayor of Salle - nicknamed me “Majella” as he led me around town spewing gossip about the villagers!
Get to Know Locals Who Will Become Friends
The local guides on our Abruzzo tours - winemakers, olive oil producers, chefs, nature guides, innkeepers & artisans -
are all dear friends. They are proud abruzzesi who will welcome you with open arms and go out of their way to share with you their passion for their beloved region.
Explore Undiscovered Places
With one-third of the region designated as national park land, Abruzzo is wild and untouched. It's the only region in Italy in which you can hike to the summit of the Majella in the morning and dine on a trabocco on the Adriatic Sea at sunset. It's a place to feel free - to stand in an open grassy plain dotted with wildflowers in the shadow of a majestic mountain and simply breathe the crisp, clean air. From heart-shaped Lago di Scanno to Rocca Calascio, the imposing fortress in the sky, Abruzzo leaves intrepid travelers with the feeling that they have uncovered a secret Italy.
Savor Unforgettable Food & Wine
Abruzzo’s cuisine is rustic and pure – you can taste the land in its wine, olive oil, cheese, lamb and ancient grains.
Our tours offer guests one-of-a-kind experiences that celebrate the region's food & wine culture:
hands-on cooking classes; grape, olive oil & saffron harvesting in the fall; farm-to-table meals; guided wine tasting and private winery tours; al fresco meals with new local friends & more
