Women's Tour of Abruzzo
SEPTEMBER 8-13, 2024
JUNE 30 - JULY 5, 2025
Adventurous women are invited to join me along with my incredible “sister” collaborators in Abruzzo for an unforgettable stay in the Majella mountains, named for the beautiful Dea Maja, the goddess of growth and nurturing.
DATES … September 8-13, 2024 & June 30-July 5, 2025
WHO SHOULD COME … Women! – that is, if you’re a woman who enjoys farm-to-table food and wine, stunning views, walking in nature (you do NOT need to be an expert hiker but you do need to be reasonably fit to fully enjoy this trip), and meeting other inspiring women from around the world! So grab your mother, daughter, sister, cousin, girlfriend (or come on your own) and join us!
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 itself and to its slow rhythm and warm and welcoming homestyle hospitality. Travelers who truly "get" Abruzzo are those who...
...are willing to unplug and leave their high heels and oversized suitcases at home!
...are easygoing and flexible - the beauty of rural Italy lies in its unpredictability
...are comfortable exploring on foot - the ability to walk at a comfortable pace and over uneven surfaces, and navigate stairs is a must
This 5-day 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 on 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!
Trip Highlights:
Have you ever traveled somewhere and wished you had a local friend who could really show you around?
That is what staying at Pietrantica is like – for a week, you'll live at the home of your Italian friends in a village where time has stood still.
WHERE WE’LL STAY … We have chosen Agriturismo Pietrantica as your home away from home, a farm-stay/inn owned by the warm and loving Sanelli family, with the effervescent matriarch Marisa at the helm. Pietrantica is located in Decontra, a tiny hamlet at 900 meters above sea level, in the heart of the Parco Nazionale della Majella. The complex is composed of old barns carefully restored using local stones, wood and terracotta. You’ll experience family-style homemade breakfasts and farm-to-table dinners using organic ingredients from the farm and from other local producers. Marisa’s cooking matches her personality – filled with warmth, nurturing and humor. But be warned – she might make you sing for your supper!
Leave your designer gear home for this trip! Agriturismo Pietrantica is spotless and comfortable and each room has a private bathroom and daily cleaning; however, it is not a hotel and therefore you should not expect hotel-like services and amenities. There is no room service and no porters - it's a rustic inn located in the mountains of Abruzzo and pure magic for women looking to unplug and get away from the noise, breathe the cleanest air, feast on organic farm-to-table home cooking and gaze up at a sky dotted with a million stars. This trip is perfect for travelers seeking a truly off-the-grid, authentic Italian experience.
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 in Scanno, a picturesque village in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo called “the pearl of Abruzzo” where we’ll explore the town, visit local artisans and enjoy a light lunch of local specialties, with a stop at the beautiful Lago di San Domenico first.
When we’re done exploring the area, we’ll drive to Agriturismo Pietrantica in the tiny hamlet of Decontra, located in the mountains of the Maiella National Park - your home away from home - and meet effervescent innkeeper Marisa who will show you to your rooms and help get you settled and cook you a farm-to-table welcome dinner.
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 meet our hiking guide and 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, we’ll drive to Il Boschetto (“little forest”), where we’ll enjoy a lunch spread of locally produced specialties.
When we’re done exploring the area, you'll head back to Decontra to dust off and unwind before dinner at nearby family-owned trattoria for an al fresco meal of local dishes
Day 3
Liquid Gold & Chitarra
After breakfast, we’ll drive to Bucchianico, to meet my dear friend Francesca, the owner of CantinArte, a boutique olive oil and wine company, where we’ll experience a guided olive oil and home-cooked lunch at her olive oil museum.
We'll stop at my favorite gelateria on the way back to the mountains and then meet a local guide for a walking tour of the lovely village of Caramanico Terme, one of the "Borghi Piu Belli d'Italia"
We'll enjoy dinner and a hands-on cooking class with Marisa this evening as she has us practice our strumming skills on a chitarra, a pasta tool traditionally used to make spaghetti
Day 4
Market Day & Hiking in the Hermitage
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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. After lunch, we will head to a local winery for a guided tour and tasting.
We'll head back to Decontra for a rest and then put on our hiking shoes and meet our guide for a sunset hike to the spectacular Eremo di San Bartolomeo in Legio, a rock hermitage carved into a cliff overlooking the valley of Santo Spirito by monks during the Middle Ages. Pope Celestine V (who famously renounced the post soon into his tenure) lived there between 1274 and 1276 with his followers. After our hike, we’ll enjoy lunch at a typical “ristoro” - a casual post-hiking eatery a short drive from the trailhead
Day 5
Day on the Coast
It’s a beach day!! We’ll leave Decontra early and head to the Costa dei Trabocchi - a stretch of scenic coastline known for the presence of spider-like wooden fishing platforms suspended over the sea called “trabocchi” - where we’ll spend the day relaxing at a beach club (weather permitting) on the Adriatic coast and enjoy a seafood lunch together. Rent bikes, shop, walk along the coast - this day is for you and your Adriatic beach dreams!
We'll head back to the mountains and enjoy a farewell dinner at Marisa's!
Tomorrrow morning, we'll head back to Rome with our driver.
WOMEN’S TOUR 2024 RATE: $3190.00 per person, in double occupancy room**
WOMEN’S TOUR 2025 RATE: $3290.00 per person, in double occupancy room**
RATE INCLUDES:
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Double occupancy room with private bath for five (5) nights at Agriturismo Pietrantica**
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Breakfast daily
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All except for two lunches (wine included)
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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 Agriturismo Pietrantica and an assigned meeting place in Rome
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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 $850.00 applies. Given the limited number of rooms available at Pietrantica, we can only accept a very limited number of travelers requesting single rooms.
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 (e.g, bike rentals at the beach)
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Gifts and personal purchases including snacks and refreshments during “free time” or during spontaneous stops along the way
Number of Participants: A minimum of 6 participants is required for the program to occur. The maximum number of participants for the program is 10.
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. We strongly recommend that you arrive in Rome at least one day before the start of the tour to ensure that you’ll meet the group on time (with the added benefit of sleeping off the jetlag and wandering the Eternal City for an evening.) We’d be happy to suggest a few of our favorite places to stay, things to do and foods to eat!
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.