Day 01: Rome Arrival – Chieti Countryside | Welcome to Italy. Upon arrival at Rome airport, please proceed through the Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area. Meet your driver and transfer to Chieti Countryside. Rest of the Day at Leisure. Overnight in Chieti.
Day 02: Carunchio Old-Town | Breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver and guide at the hotel lobby. Today you’ll explore the basic ingredients of traditional Abruzzo cuisine and make some flavorful sauces for pasta dishes. This culinary excursion theme will be Old-Town, Quick and Healthy Abruzzese Dishes, Local Salame Makers, and Olive Oil Press. After a short morning walk is “quick and healthy homemade meals.” You’ll see how delicious, easy, and healthy Abruzzese cooking can be. You’ll lunch on your tasty creations in the traditional Italian style, slowly and in good company! After lunch, you’ll rest up for the afternoon activities. Then, a visit to a local salami production plant and learn how this incredible product is made and what distinguishes Abruzzo’s salami from the rest. Next, a visit to an organic olive oil press, where the farm owner will show you the traditional ways of making the “real extra virgin olive oil.” Late afternoon return to your Hotel in Chieti Countryside.
Day 03: Vasto, Lanciano, Trabocco “fishing house,” Shopping | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver and guide at the hotel lobby. “The day starts with a visit to the curious trabocch1 fishing houses, a unique piece of art that is available only on this small strip of the Adriatic. Next, you will explore a natural soap manufactory that has improved an old recipe to make soap with olive oil, goat’s milk, and donkey milk. Lunch at the best restaurant in town, serving a seafood sampling feast. After lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to do some window shopping in Vasto. Late afternoon return to your Hotel in Chieti Countryside.
Day 04: Gran Sasso National Park and Monti Della Laga | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver and guide at the hotel lobby. Today’s tour will take you through the beautifully quaint villages of the National Park of Monti Della Laga and Gran Sasso. Enjoy the Castel del Monte’s sights and the fortified village that sits on the southern slope of the Gran Sasso. You will visit the ancient rule of the Medici, S. Stefano di Sessanio, often described as one of the most beautiful villages in the country. At the medieval village, you will see the parish church of St. Stephen and the crenelated tower. Another medieval village in Pescara, Penne, will allow you to walk the Corso di Vestini. These narrow streets hold many wonders, including churches, monuments and not to mention the views. In the late afternoon, you will return to your hotel in the Chieti Countryside.
Day 05: Chieti – Isernia | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver at the hotel lobby. Today’s travels take you across the Molise Countryside to Isernia. After checking out of your hotel, enjoy a leisurely lunch before meeting your guide. You will explore the monuments of the city before arriving at the Pineta. Here, you will find the Paleolithic Homo Aeserniensis museum that showcases the first European men. Later in the afternoon, you will return to your hotel in Isernia for the night.
Day 06: Homemade Pasta Extravaganza, Agnone, Cheese Plant, Bell Foundry | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver at the hotel lobby. This morning learn how much fun and delicious making pasta can be in various colors and shapes. You’ll learn all the tricks, so it turns out great every time. You will be amazed by the variety: pasta alla chitarra, gnocchi, cavatelli, stuffed pasta, and so on. After lunch, transfer to Agnone, you can watch real family production of mozzarella, burrata, and caciocavallo. Agnone is famous in the area for its quality cheese. Then you will visit a historic artisan bell foundry, which still makes church bells manually for the Vatican. We will learn about the manufacturing phases. Late afternoon return to your Hotel. Overnight in Isernia.
Day 07: Venafro – Campobasso | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver and guide at the hotel lobby. This morning, you will visit Venafro, the ancient Venafrum Sannitica, which is attributed to Diomedes. Before lunch, you will visit the Archaeological Museum and other monuments of the historic city. Lunch will be served at a characteristic wine estate. After lunch, you will travel to Campobasso, where the Castello Monforte sits above the Old Town. Here, you will find the Sannitico Museum, housing many historical artifacts, 13th Century churches, and delightfully narrow streets. You will also experience the vineyards and cultivation techniques made famous by a local winery, allowing for tasting and appreciation of these wines’ pairing with specific appetizers. You will return to your hotel in the late afternoon and overnight in Isernia.
Day 08: Isernia – Rome Departure | Breakfast at the Hotel. Arrivederci. Ciao! Enjoy a Private Transfer to Rome Airport.