Taste of Abruzzo Tour
MAY 11 - 17, 2025
Experience the best of Abruzzo's national parks, mountain villages, pristine coastline, culturally-rich cities, farm-to-table cuisine and native wines. In the spring, you'll enjoy verdant pastures dotted with wildflowers that are still flanked by snowcapped mountains while in the fall, you'll witness olive trees and grapevines ready to be harvested. Please join us for a curated 5-day escape to Abruzzo in which we’ll immerse ourselves in the region's diverse landscapes, artisanal treasures and rich food and wine culture.
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DATES … May 11 - 17, 2025 ​
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WHO SHOULD COME … Friends, couples, family members, solo travelers – our trips to Abruzzo are best suited to lovers of the outdoors and of amazing food and wine. This is very much rural Italy - a place that is still largely untouched by mass tourism, and as such, does not cater to tourists. Instead, Abruzzo stays true to its authentic self and to its slow rhythm and warm and welcoming homestyle hospitality. Travelers who truly "get" Abruzzo are those who...
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...are willing to leave their high heels and oversized suitcases at home!
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...are easygoing and flexible - the beauty of rural Italy lies in its unpredictability
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...are comfortable exploring on foot - the ability to walk at a comfortable pace, over uneven surfaces and to navigate stairs is a MUST. You won't fully appreciate Abruzzo if you are unable to enjoy its national parks so please be mindful that some guided hiking excursions will included on the itinerary
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This tour is ideally suited for travelers seeking a meaningful travel experience in an untrodden part of il bel paese, but who also want time to explore some of Italy's more traversed destinations such as Rome or Florence on their own. Only two hours from Rome yet seemingly worlds away, Abruzzo is centrally located but not easy to explore independently. On this curated tour, there is so much to see and experience so you shouldn't expect very much downtime! Guests to Abruzzo will enjoy gentle hikes in its majestic national parks, explore the region's pastoral and artisanal traditions, savor home-cooked meals, enjoy hand-crafted wines and meet new Italian friends. We will pick you up in Rome early Sunday morning and drive you back in time to catch an afternoon flight on Friday (or better yet, to spend the day gloriously exploring the Eternal City!)
Travel Tip: Care to tack on a few days in another city or region in Italy? Rome (your pickup & drop-off point) is less than two hours by train to Florence & Tuscany (north) and Naples & Amalfi Coast (south). You can also catch a train to Venice from Abruzzo's port city of Pescara in under 5 hours and enjoy views of the Adriatic Coast along the way!
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Trip Highlights:
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Tour Itinerary
Day 1
Benvenuti in Abruzzo!
We meet in the center of Rome and then drive through the mountains to begin our adventure in off-the-grid Abruzzo!
Arrive at the jewelbox village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, put on the map by the powerful Florentine Medici family for its prominent position in the wool trade during the Middle Ages. We'll get acquainted over a leisurely Sunday lunch at a restaurant in the village, and then head to the nearby mountain village of Castel del Monte for a walking tour with local guide Davide.
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When we’re done exploring the area, we’ll drive to Navelli and check into Dimora dell’Arte - our home base for the tour- and meet our hosts Francesca & Diego who will get you settled and treat us to home-cooked dinner paired with their Cantinarte wines.
Day 2
La Maiella...Abruzzo's "mother mountain"
Today we’ll explore the Parco Nazionale della Maiella, Abruzzo’s “madre montagna” or mother mountain. After breakfast, we’ll drive to the Valle dell’Orfento - “The Land of the Fairies” - a lush river valley with waterfalls and just about every shade of green imaginable. After our hike, head up to visit my dear friend Marisa at her mountaintop farm in the hamlet of Decontra for a farm-to-table lunch.
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When we’re done exploring the area, we'll head back to Navelli to freshen up and unwind before a saffron-themed dinner at a nearby family-owned trattoria.
Day 3
Cooking Class & L'Aquila
After breakfast, we'll visit the stunningly frescoed oratory - called the Sistine Chapel of Abruzzo - and climb up to the watchtower at Bominaco before heading to a nearby farm for a hands-on, Kilometro Zero cooking class and lunch with local chef Leonardo.
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In the evening, we'll take a guided tour of Abruzzo's young and energetic capital city of L'Aquila including the stunning Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio and explore the centro storico, which was severely damaged in an earthquake in 2009, but has slowly come back with renewed vibrancy and determination.
Day 4
Sulmona & Rocca Calascio
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We'll start our day in the lovely town of Sulmona, where you'll visit the most picturesque weekly market in Abruzzo, set in a piazza flanked on one end by a medieval aqueduct and on the other by the Morrone mountain range. You'll have free time to shop in the market and in Sulmona's many fantastic shops and to have lunch on your own in one its pretty piazze before our visit to a local winery for a guided tour and tasting.
In the early evening, we'll drive up to the Castello di Rocca Calascio to visit this ancient fortress dramatically perched at 1460m above sea level, the highest in all of Italy. We’ll hike up to the castle at sunset and marvel at the surrounding plains in technicolor.
Day 5
The Adriatic Coast
​This morning, we’ll head to the Adriatic coast and take a gentle hike with our guide to Punta Aderci, a picturesque nature reserve with a trail dotted with olive trees and grapevines leading to the turquoise sea. We'll then enjoy a multicourse seafood feast for lunch on a trabocco, a spider-like wooden fishing platform jutting into the Adriatic Sea.
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We'll head back to Navelli and enjoy a farewell dinner at with Francesca & Diego!​​
On the May trip, which is six days, we will follow a slightly slower pace, make a few extra stops along the way and have some additional down-time than outlined above. For more details, please email info@majellatours.com
WHERE WE’LL STAY … Dimora dell'Arte, a lovingly restored historic property in Navelli
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We'll stay at a Dimora dell'Arte, a historic property in the medieval village of Navelli that has been converted into a boutique accommodation by the warm and loving family behind Cantinarte wine and olive oil - here, you will truly feel at home with Francesca and Diego and their loved ones. Dimora dell'Arte consists of seven cozy but modern double occupancy rooms, two indoor common areas, a garden with a pool, a cantina and tasting room.
TASTE OF ABRUZZO TOUR 2025 RATE:
May 2025 Rate: $3890.00 per person, in double occupancy room**
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RATE INCLUDES:
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Double occupancy room with private bath at a historic boutique property
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Breakfast daily at the B&B
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All meals (wine included) except for one lunch and one dinner
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All ground transportation via private coach and drivers
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All hiking excursions
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Any entrance fees, tours and local guides
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Transfers between Rome and Abruzzo
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Taxes and service charges
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Gratuities (however, at the conclusion of the tour, if you are pleased with the hospitality and service of our local partners, additional recognition at your discretion is appreciated)
**Single supplement of $700.00 applies
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NOT INCLUDED IN RATE:
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Airfare
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Trip insurance
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Two meals
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Optional activities during free time
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Gifts and personal purchases including snacks and refreshments during “free time” or during spontaneous stops along the way​
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Number of Participants: A minimum of six (6) participants is required for the program to occur. The maximum number of participants for the program is 12.
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Getting to & from Abruzzo: Our private coach and driver will pick you up and drop you off in an assigned meeting spot in Rome. From there, we’ll whisk you off to Abruzzo in a private coach bus. You'll need to arrive in Rome at least one day before the start of the tour to ensure that you’ll meet the group on time. We’ll send you a list of a few of our favorite places to stay, things to do and foods to eat in the Eternal City!
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Deposit & Terms & Conditions: A $500 non-refundable deposit (for administrative fees) per person payable by check to Three Little Guys LLC (D/B/A Majella Tours of Abruzzo), is required at the time of the reservation of the tour for each participant. Final payment of the balance must be received no later than 120 days prior to the first day of the tour. Upon payment of the deposit, the tour registrants expressly agree to be bound by the Terms & Conditions set forth in the tour agreement.
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