Some of our former guests once said: “Come as a guest, leave as family”.
We truly embrace our guests and we treat them as if they are family. We have a different way of doing tourism. We are not the Marriot or Hilton. We are not “manufacturing” a packaged deal as if it is made of plastic. We care and we treat our guest as if they are family. Do you want to experience what is like to be part of an Abruzzese family?
DAY 1: FREE AIRPORT PICK-UP AND WELCOME DINNER
Free Airport pick up in Rome (FCO), pick up at Terminal 3, arrivals at 1:00 pm and then drive across the Abruzzo mountains towards the Palazzo Tour d’Eau in Carunchio, where you will be staying. After you are settled in, we’ll meet for a cocktail and a briefing of the tour. A welcome dinner will follow, with a multicourse meal.
DAY 2: CARUNCHIO OLD-TOWN, QUICK AND HEALTHY ABRUZZESE DISHES AND VISIT AN OLIVE OIL PRESS
After a short morning walk around the old-town, we get started on our first class. We’ll explore the basic ingredients of traditional Abruzzo cuisine and make some flavourful sauces for pasta dishes. The theme for this lunch will be “quick and healthy homemade meals”. You’ll see how delicious, easy, and healthy Abruzzese cooking can be. We’ll lunch on our tasty creations in traditional Italian style, slowly and in good company!
After lunch, you’ll rest up for the afternoon activities. Next, we will visit an organic olive oil press, where the owner of the farm will show us the traditional ways of making the “real extra virgin olive oil”. You will also have the opportunity to do a professional olive oil tasting.
DAY 3: HOMEMADE PASTA EXTRAVAGANZA, SOMMELIER
Learn how much fun and delicious making pasta can be, in a variety of colours and shapes. We’ll teach you 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 lunching on your creations and a well deserved break, our own sommelier will show you wine sampling techniques and you are going to learn all about Abruzzo wines.
DAY 4: VASTO, TRABOCCO “FISHING HOUSE”, SHOPPING, “TASTE OF THE ADRIATIC” SEAFOOD
The day starts with a visit to the curious trabocchi fishing houses, a unique piece of art that is available only on this small strip of the Adriatic. Lunch at the best restaurant in town, serving a seafood sampling feast. After lunch we’ll have the opportunity to do some window shopping in Vasto: shoes, lingerie, jewelry, clothes and much more . Dinner at the palace.
DAY 5: COOKING PEASANT FOOD AND BISCOTTI, FREE AFTERNOON. EXTRA ACTIVITIES LIKE TRUFFLE HUNTING, MASSAGES, HIKING
Learn some recipes of the old world, the peasant food. What it used to be peasant food is now super gourmet. And it satisfies all the palates because it is a vegetarian dish. For dessert we will be making the best almond biscotti ever made, with an Abruzzo twist. In the afternoon you’ll be free to walk around town and enjoy the peaceful environment in the small village of Carunchio or enjoy a nice hike to a close by trail. We also offer, if weather permits or available: truffle hunting, massages and more.
DAY 7: LAST DAY
On this day we take you back to the airport. Make sure you’re going home with everything you came for.
DAY 6: AGNONE, CHEESE MAKER, BELL FOUNDRY, PORCHETTA AND PIZZA MAKING CLASS
In the morning, we will head to Agnone, in the region of Molise, where you can watch real family production of mozzarella, burrata and caciocavallo. Agnone is famous in the area for its quality cheese, especially caciocavallo, which is a gourmet version of provolone. Then we will visit a historic artisan bell foundry which still makes church bells manually for the Vatican. We will learn about the manufacturing phases. Lunch will be a gourmet street food and that is a porchetta sandwich, pair with a fine Italian beer.
In the afternoon after a small rest, we will be making pizza, in our woodfired oven. Stretching pizza dough, top it with fresh ingredients and throw it in an artisan wood fired oven. The result is a crunchy, thin crust, flavorful pizza.