Saturday arrival for all-inclusive group The group will meet at Rome Fiumicino airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO) between 10 am and 3 pm. If your arrival is a different time, we will provide instruction on how to be transferred to the villa. Upon arrival at the villa, a family member will welcome you and will guide you to your room. You will then have time to unpack, relax, and maybe have a refreshing glass of prosecco by the garden. In the early evening, you will take a guided tour of the villa led by your host. You will then enjoy an aperitif before your first homemade Abruzzo dinner including the estate wine.

After breakfast, you will drive through the beautiful Abruzzo countryside and visit the Fortress of Civitella del Tronto which stands at 600 meters above sea level. A very strategic position at the old northern boundary between the Kingdom of Naples to the South and the Kingdom of the Holy Sea to the North. This is one of the largest and most important creations of military engineering in Europe. Next, we will have lunch at a family owned restaurant where we will enjoy the local cuisine. Later that evening you will participate in your first cooking class at Dimora Morello.

Upon waking up at Dimora Morello you will enjoy a fresh homemade breakfast. You will then drive through the magnificent countryside of Abruzzo for your first winery visit, which is located at Castel di Lama. The grapes that you will enjoy include pecorino, passerina and piceno. We will be attended by the sommeliers Paolo and Peppe as they explain the different techniques of the production and the history of the family and their wine. Following this we will start tasting all the different wines with a pairing of delightful local meat and cheese served on the patio. Our next stop is the old medieval town of Offida where we will enjoy the serenity of the piazza, one of the most beautiful villages of Italy. After dinner at Dimora Morello will follow a nice walk by the seaside of Tortoreto.

After breakfast we will visit the seaside town of San Benedetto for shopping at the mercato (market) and following we will purchase fresh fish for our cooking class. Next, we will have lunch at a trattoria Anchise in Tortoreto Alto village then we will take a short walk to the breathtaking fortellezza (panoramic view) of the Adriatic Sea. We will return to Dimora Morello for a pennichella (nap) and in the afternoon we will attend the cooking class for a fantastic dinner and wine to celebrate your holiday.

Following breakfast, we will visit the legendary Nunzio, a world recognized pecorino cheese maker in the beautiful farm of Anversa. With about 15 cheese varieties, derived from 100% range feeding cattle each of them having specific organic properties. We will have lunch at the farm enjoying these organic cheeses and meat produced here, the historic plentiful mountains are a continuous surprise. From medieval towns to old sheepfolds and cattle-tracks it is still possible here to experience the rhythm of nature. This is, after all the legacy of the shepherd traditions that have fed this territory. From Maiella to Camosciara, the core of Abruzzi Natural Park the “reign” of local species still roams free. For example, the brown bear (Orso Bruno Marsicano), the chamois (Camoscio d’Abruzzo) and the legendary wolf of the Appennines (Lupo Appenninico). We will end our adventurous day at Dimora Morello with delectable Arrosticini.

We are approaching the end of the holiday, will be a long day but 100% worth it! After breakfast we will travel to Rocca Calascio where we will visit the medieval castle, truly one of the most beautiful sights a person can imagine! For its fascinating position, the Rocca was often used as the scenery for epic movies, such as Lady Hawk, The Name of the Rose, and The Highlander. This is such an incredible location we will stay for lunch at the local restaurant under the fortress and you will feel as though you are transported back to the medieval time. Following this experience, it is time to have fun hunting truffles in San Demetrio Nevestini where the local truffle master will guide us. After a long day a large bottle of montepulciano will be waiting for us to enjoy along with lovely dinner including all the delicate truffles we find. Upon arriving back at the villa, the wine cellar will be open for any courageous guests that wish to carry on.

The holiday is not finished yet… After breakfast we will enjoy a cooking class for lunch, served in the garden how Italians love to; under the shade at a slow pace we will have a delicious meal with wine. Sharing love of culinary perfection, passion and humor with a raise of a glass. Following lunch and a time for you to rest we will bring you the beach to relax for few hours while we prepare the grand finale for a spectacular dinner on the tower balcony. Starting with an aperitif during the sunset, by the time we end the dinner we will be enjoying the breathtaking sky under the stars celebrating life.

Starting with a very early breakfast we sadly end our time with you. After the toss of a coin from the tower like we do at the Fountain of Trevi we transport you back to Rome for your flight. We hope to see you all for another adventure next season!