Italy: Abruzzo, Puglia and Matera

Welcome to Italy! After your morning arrival at the Rome Fiumicino Airport, a private shuttle will pick up our group at 12:30pm. The first beautiful stop on the itinerary is Sulmona, a small town hugged by mountains, where ancient history and strong traditions pulse through its soul.

After checking in at our hotel, there will be time to settle in and relax from your travels, and to get acquainted with Fabrizio, your incredible local guide for the trip. Fabrizio will offer an introduction to the diverse experiences he has planned for you in this remarkable region he calls home. In the evening, the group will come together for a lovely welcome dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast, we'll set off to visit the Confetti Museum to indulge in some of Sulmona’s tastiest traditions. We’ll view a wide variety of old-fashioned machines and memorabilia and will learn the fascinating ways the Sulmonese have created the most divine crisp-sugared almonds and other confections for centuries. After ample sniffing of the bewitching aromas of candy, caramel and vanilla, we’ll indulge in a proper candy tasting. for different tastes of history.

Marveling at the medieval aqueduct on Piazza Garibaldi and the majestic bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria Annunziata will likely leave us even hungrier! We'll enjoy another delicious, traditional meal together in the center of Sulmona.

After lunch, the afternoon will be yours to spend how you'd like. Spa services can be arranged at the hotel or you may continue exploring the shops, galleries and relaxing atmosphere of Sulmona. In the evening, you’ll be free to savor a slow meal at one of the many delicious, local restaurants. Fabrizio will be happy to share suggestions of where to dine and how to make the most of your time in this mountain town!

We’ll bid farewell to Sulmona and take a scenic drive through the breathtaking Apennine mountains, landing on the coast in Vasto. Along the way, we’ll visit the enchanting Hermitage of San Domenico in Villalago. We’ll also make a stop in Scanno, known to be one of the most charming villages of the Abruzzo region, with its clustered homes, winding alleys and thriving artisanal boutiques.

After lunch in Scanno, we’ll continue on to Vasto, where we’ll settle into our new hotel, the Hotel Europa. This seaside hotel in the Vasto Marina beach area is where we will spend the next 4 nights.

Vasto is an ancient Roman town, set on a hilltop with incredible views overlooking the Adriatic sea. It is also the hometown of your guide, Fabrizio! After we check in to our accommodations, we will enjoy dinner together in a nearby restaurant in the heart of the historical downtown.

Would you like to practice some casual Italian? Vasto’s local market is a wonderful place to do so! We’ll visit the market in the morning to peruse local products, do a little shopping and soak in the vibrant, festive scene.

From there, we’ll drive to the beautiful countryside where Fabrizio invites us all to enjoy time with his Italian family! They’ll graciously lead us through a cooking class based on family recipes, teaching us the secrets of local sauces and fresh pasta. Pasta alla chitarra, polpette, and tarallucci are examples of a few of the fun to say (and even more fun to eat) dishes that we may prepare. Lunch will be a relaxing, family feast of all that we’ve created followed by a traditional, Italian dessert.

In the afternoon, we’ll explore Vasto’s city center and some of its many historical sites, including the Loggia Amblingh promenade, the Cathedral and the Piazza Rossetti. You’ll be free to find dinner at one of the many restaurants of Vasto. If you’re still full from our lunch, Fabrizio will share some of the best locations for a simple aperitif or gelato.

Following breakfast, we’ll take an easy walk inside the Punta Aderci Nature Reserve. Noted as one of the 12 most beautiful Italian beaches by National Geographic, this will be the perfect way to experience this peaceful area and to find yourself engulfed in the vibrant hues of the sea and the sounds of the native birds.

Our next stop is a wine-tasting and lunch at an award-winning winery, nestled between the mountains and the sea. After a tour of the vineyard and cellars with winemakers Emanuele and Nicola, we’ll enjoy pairings of wines with local meats and cheeses.

After lunch, we’ll go back to the hotel for a quick rest before venturing to the “Fattoria d’Arte” (Art farm) in the hilltop village of Lentella. Local artist, Ettore, will lead a short walk through this enchanting landscape to gather materials for a small, souvenir project. Using leaves and flowers from Ettore’s property, you’re invited to create a postcard to send to a loved one, or to carry home with you.

Ettore and his wife Barbara will provide us with an aperitif and a traditional dinner.

Our destination this morning was ranked by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the 9 Most Beautiful Hilltop Towns in Italy! Roccascalegna provides unbeatable scenery from the historic Castle in the Sky, perched over 100m from the valley floor.

Back at sea level, we’ll meet Rinaldo, our host for the afternoon, who will introduce us to the unique fishing platforms, traboccos, which are a well known symbol of the Abruzzo region. Dating back to the 1700’s, these fishing piers jut out over the deep water and, while some are still used for their traditional purpose of fishing, many have been converted to local restaurants. Weather permitting, Rinaldo may demonstrate how to fish from a trabocco and will also regale some of the deep history these structures hold for his family.

After lunch in a nearby restaurant, the rest of the day will be yours to spend as you’d like. Maybe a walk along the crescent coastline, a museum or some shopping?

Enjoy a completely free day, with a variety of local markets, shopping and local museums all available as options. You could also head to the beautiful nearby beach for some relaxation, reachable by a nice 30 minute walk or short taxi ride. Take this day to recharge and soak up one final day in Abruzzo before transferring to Puglia the following morning. Your host, Fabrizio, will be on hand to assist with plans, allowing you to make the most of the unique and welcoming atmosphere of Vasto.

We’re off to Puglia! Also known as Apulia, this rustic region of Italy is also removed from typical tourism and will offer us a truly authentic, Italian experience. We’ll be joined by a local guide, Katia, who will bring us around the beautiful town of Trani, showing us through the historical district, the fishing port and the Church of the Templar Knights.

We’ll break for lunch and meet back together to move to Conversano for check-in at our stunning hotel. In the afternoon, there will be an optional guided walking tour of the town and for dinner, we’ll all dine together in the heart of Conversano.

This morning we’ll wander the enchanting streets of Bari, where bakeries, small alleys and beautiful stone buildings create a welcoming atmosphere. We'll observe the local women crafting fresh pasta in the middle of the streets and perhaps a celebration taking place at one of the impressive cathedrals.

After Bari, we'll drive a short distance to discover the amazing ocean views and charming streets of Polignano a Mare. We'll sit down for a traditional lunch in this delightful, cliffside village and have some free time to enjoy the galleries, shops, cafes, wine bars, historic sites and views of this wonderful town.

After breakfast, we’ll move to Monopoli, a coastal town with surprises around every corner. Here, we’ll visit a masseria (a traditional Apulian farmhouse) for a cooking class to make local recipes such as orecchiette pasta, and melanzane alla parmigiana, topped off with a classic Apulian, Christmas dessert.

We’ll enjoy a leisurely lunch of all the delicious food we’ve created before stretching our legs on a guided tour of Monopoli. We'll wind through the lanes and see what we discover in the majestic old town that is sure to impress.

In the evening, we'll return to Conversano.

Get ready for another incredible day! First, we’ll experience the taste of Puglia with an olive oil tasting in an ancient mill. Next up is Locorotondo, the most unique hamlet in the region, sitting high atop a hill. Locorotondo is known for its circular structure and white brick houses, and is considered one of the most beautiful locations in Italy. We’ll wander it’s cozy, winding streets and alleys as we fully enjoy this spectacular village.

Our next stop will bring us to the amazing Alberobello. This special town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical, limestone buildings known as the Trulli. These dwellings, dating back to the early 14th century, are a sight to behold with their iconic, conical rooflines and extremely unique architecture. We’ll spend time exploring this town before having a traditional lunch.

We’ll make our way back to Conversano in the evening.

After breakfast, we’ll drive to the town of Matera in the Basilicata Region. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Matera is well known for the Sassi. These cave dwellings and churches are dug into the mountainside and are where local people lived until they were forced to settle in modern accommodation in the 1950s.

We will have a guided tour of the Sassi, before some free time to explore Matera on your own. You can enjoy the sights and scenes of this intriguing landscape and then choose from any number of great cafes, bakeries and restaurants for lunch.

Once our visit to Matera is complete, we'll drive back to Conversano, have a late afternoon rest and then all meet up for our farewell dinner.

At 9:00am, a shuttle will take you from the hotel to the Bari Airport. The drive to the airport takes approximately 45 minutes.