Tour: Fully escorted and guided coach tour - small groups - air conditioned Mercedes Mini Bus
Tour length: 7 nights, 8 days
 Cost: $3750 USD/person based on double occupancy (single supplement $400 USD)
 Groups: Contact us for group pricing


To book or for more information
Contact: IV Travel
 


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Abruzzo at a glance
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Towns and cities in Abruzzo

L'Aquila
 Atri
 Pescara

Official sites

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

  • Transfers to and from Rome’s Fiumicino airport or Rome Termini station, or to and from Pescara airport

  • All land travel and transfers within Abruzzo during the tour by air conditioned                        coach. A small personalized group of maximum 10-12  passengers.

  •  Accommodation in Abruzzo – (8 nights accommodation): 3 nights at an agriturismo and 5 nights at country hotel. All with ensuite.

  • Meals – 8 breakfasts at the accommodation,

- 11 meals at various agriturismi featuring regional gastronomic specialities and fresh local produce; specially selected quality Italian restaurants, as well as a sumptuous al fresco picnic, weather permitting.

One cooking class preparing local specialties with a team of Abruzzese ladies.

All fresh ingredients included. Printed recipes supplied of meals created in cooking session as well as printed menus of many restaurant meals. Brochures and maps supplied.

  • Drinks – most lunches and dinners will include wine and water as well as coffee. Welcome drinks on evening of arrival  at the family run agriturismo.

  • Wine tastings of Abruzzese D.O.C Montepulciano and Trebbiano wines.

  • Visits to several cellars in the region with guided visits. Grape picking in Autumn tours in harvest season, weather permitting.

  • Two unique performances of Italian and Abruzzese Folk songs and music featuring Michael Howard, tenor, accompanied by local musicians.

  • Guided visits and excursions to villages such as Chieti, Pescara, Loreto Aprutino, Fossacesia coast, Guardiagrele, Pennapiedimonte,  Fara San Martino, Civitella, Roccascalegna, Palena, Iuvanum, Roccamorice

  • Personalised guided visits to meet olive oil producers, grape growers and cheese makers with accompanying tastings.

  • Admission to the various historical sites, galleries and museums mentioned in the itinerary

  • Guided gentle to moderate outdoor walks in Maiella National Park -  mountain gorges, alpine valleys and hidden canyons (maximum 30 – 40 min each direction)

  • Services of tour leaders and local guides throughout the tour.

 WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:

  • Airfares

  • Items of personal nature, phone calls, passport and visas (if applicable), laundry or tips

  • Personal transport, excess baggage, security and government taxes, travel insurance.

  • Beverages unless specifically described

  • Meals not specifically mentioned in itinerary

  • Entry fees to places other than those specifically mentioned in itinerary

  • Optional excursions or activities that may be offered which are not included in the tour price.

 
During this comfortable and immensely enjoyable tour of Abruzzo you will encounter a part of Italy not seen by many tourists - and an intimate look into the everyday lives of the Abruzzi people.

Featuring private concerts
with Michael Howard

Starting from Rome, you'll spend a leisurely journey into the heart of this magnificent region, a region that contains the highest mountains of the Appenine chain, fertile farmlands, verdant olive groves and vineyards, scintillating harbours and beaches, and a number of charming old towns and bustling cities.  You'll enjoy flavors, smells, sounds, and vistas that you will not find anywhere else in the world.

Guides: Luciana Masci and Michael Howard
Transportation: Air conditioned Mercedes Minibus (10-12 passengers)

To book or for more information
Contact: IV Travel

Itinerary
 breakfast Breakfast    lunch Lunch    dinner Dinner

Day 1 - Saturday

Arrival: Rome to Ortona
lunch dinner

You will be met at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport at Fiumicino at 10.30 am. A small private air-conditioned coach will transfer you to Abruzzo in time for lunch at the Di Carlo family’s Agriturismo. The afternoon is at leisure or unwind in a wine spa bath, followed by welcome drinks at the accommodation, then dinner in nearby Ortona where seafood is a specialty in this coastal town.

Day 2 - Sunday

Loreto Aprutino - Olive groves, Medieval Church and Art
breakfast lunch

A scenic drive today through stunning countryside covered profusely with over 400,000 olive trees. Lunch at a charming country restaurant in Loreto Aprutino overlooking olive groves and gentle verdant hills. Meet a local producer and enjoy tastings of his Montepulciano wines and exquisite olive oils. Marvel at a superb 15th century fresco cycle. Evening: Unwind as we take our leisurely passeggiata along the corso; enjoying a gelato, caffe macchiato or just simply sit and take it all in.


Day 3 - Monday

Pescara - Local vineyards, Wine tastings, Dinner concert
breakfast dinner

Today we visit the Museum of the Abruzzo people, housed in an 18th Century Bourbon Jail beautifully displaying the traditions of sheep rearing and cheese making, grape harvesting, olive growing, jewellery, traditional costumes, ceramics and maiolica ware. Time for shopping Italian style - for those leather shoes and bags! Afternoon visit to local cellars and enjoy tastings of Montepulciano and Trebbiano wines. A delightful 3 course dinner will be served at the accommodation while you are being serenaded by star tenor, Michael Howard, with songs by F.P Tosti a world famous Abruzzese composer.
 

Michael Howard in concert


Click pic

 Guests of the tour will enjoy two private concerts by one of your guides, international recording artist and two time Grammy award winner, Michael Howard.

Michael's bio: Click here

Day 4 - Tuesday

Chieti - Coastal scenes. Transfer to National Park
breakfast dinner

After breakfast we visit Chieti, a charming hilltop town where we can explore its ancient streets and alleys, complete with Roman baths and amphitheatre. Marvel at the elegant 19th century Opera House, and visit the archeological museum’s important finds. Detours to colourful local market, pizzerias, gelaterias and cafes for lunch. Afternoon sightseeing takes in the Adriatic coast with ‘trabocchi’ - ancient fishing structures as well as the majestic 12th century church of S. Giovanni in Venere. Enjoy slow food at its best with an exquisite 4 course dinner in a converted mountain grotto.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Pasta Factory - Picnic Lunch - Gorge Walk - Scenic drive - Cooking class - Concert
breakfast lunch dinner

Visit a local Pasta Factory, home of world famous pasta made from durum wheat and crystal clear pure springwater. After a sumptuous al fresco picnic lunch head into the gorge for a short walk. See ruins of a 9th Century monastery with sensational views to Monte Amaro and surrounding villages. Create delicious regional specialties in a hands on cooking session with wonderful local Abruzzese women. As we enjoy the meal, be entertained by star tenor Michael Howard, joined by the local village choir. A truly unforgettable evening!

Day 6 - Thursday

Pennapiedimonte - High Alpine valley scenic walk - Guardiagrele
breakfast lunch

Arrive at Pennapiedimonte, a village literally built into the rocky sides of the Appenines. Take in breathtaking mountain scenery with our leisurely alpine valley walk 669m above sea level and catch glimpses of grazing mountain sheep and goats.  A magical 4 course lunch in a superb restaurant and a local favourite, set in a beautifully restored 19th century carpenter’s workshop. Unwind afterwards as we stroll around Guardiagrele and meet traditional craftsmen in wrought iron work and goldsmiths making Abruzzese jewellery. Evening at leisure.

Day 7 - Friday

Cheese Factory and Tastings - Roman settlement - Medieval Castle
breakfast lunch

Drive along the picturesque edge of the Maiella National Park and visit a local cheese factory. Be delighted with tastings of fresh mozzarellas, ricotta, giuncata and caciocavallo cheeses. Visit Iuvanum, a significant Roman and pre-Roman settlement with the magnificent Appenines as backdrop. Leisurely lunch at a nearby Agriturismo then join our local guide to explore the medieval castle of Roccascalegna perched on a rocky outcrop. Evening - at leisure, or come with us to relax with the locals in a village bar. 

Day 8 - Sunday

Departure for Rome Fiumicino Airport.  End of Tour
breakfast

After breakfast, transfer to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport at Fiumicino or make your own arrangements for your onward journey.

 
 

Looking for suggestions to extend your journey to Italy?

  • How about a few days in Calabria where you will find extraordinary landscapes, gregarious people, and long, wonderful days under a hot sun.
  • Or go to Basilicata and marvel at one of the least visited but most interesting regions of Italy.

     

    Want to extend your tour for a few more days?
    ItalianVisits.com can customize your tour.

    Contact: IV Travel
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