Italian Provincial Tours

04/07/2024

Day 7
Grande Tour Abruzzo
June 2024

We left Santo Stefano di Sessanio this morning and headed to the 3rd National Park of Abruzzo. We arrived at a bio agritourismo to meet with the shepherds before following them into the mountains ⛰️ where they graze the sheep 🐑

In the beautiful surroundings we learnt all about the history of shepherding in Abruzzo and about the native bears 🐻 , wolves 🐺 and other wildlife which call Abruzzo home.

Back at the farm we learnt how to make cheese from the farms own fresh milk 🥛

In the afternoon we visited the green lake with beautiful mottled green and blue water surrounded by greenery and the hermitage of Sant Domenico.

Then lastly we stopped to visit Scanno, a village with a rich history of wool trade, traditional dresses and jewellery making.

After a big day we enjoyed the scenic drive the rest of the way to our accommodation in Castel Di Sangro where we enjoyed a delicious dinner together.

25/06/2024

Day 6
Grande Tour of Abruzzo June 2024

Today was a truely unique experience for our group. From our base in Santo Stefano di Sessanio we headed higher into the Gran Sasso mountains to reach the plateau known as Italy’s little Tibet.

We had some Hills Are Alive 🎶 singing going and I had to include a photo of Liz taking a photo for our gentlemen of a driver Vincenzo 🚌

As we ventured through the plateau, motorbikes 🏍️ cars and a few vintage Ferraris flew past us. We were all heading for the same destination - the bbq location to eat arrositicini!!

We enjoyed the theatrics of being surrounded by Italians, cooking on long skinny bbqs and picnicking on picnic tables in the plateau. The men had a go at cooking the arrosticini - there’s a fine art to it 😄 and Marco’s cousin Valter was there to help us.

Afterwards, we walked up to visit the fort of Rocca Calascio and enjoyed the views of the valley below ⛅️

22/06/2024

Day 5 Grande Abruzzo Tour
June 2025

We left our gorgeous agritourismo accommodation today to move to our next location in the Gran Sasso mountains ⛰️

On the way we spent the morning in Sulmona where we experienced market day. We saw locally grown vegetables, legumes, truffle, honey, small goods and cheese. 🧀

In the main street we bought the renowned confetti (sugared almonds) made in Sulmona and admired the creative arrangements 💐 🍬

Lunch was Abruzzese street food in Garibaldi Piazza - porchetta panini (roast pork sandwiches) and spritz!

Afterwards, we visited Pacentro which is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and climbed the tower at Caldora Castel to see the stunning view of the village and The valley below.

In the afternoon we arrived in Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the Gran Sasso mountains. Here we each stay in our own apartment in the village so we can get a sense of what it’s like to live in a classic Italian village house 🏠

It was one of our nights to eat alone but the group was happy to eat all together again at a tiny restaurant (just big enough for our group and 2 more people) where everything grown around the village and prepared with lots of love ❤️

The restaurant is plant based 🌱 and Peter especially was really excited about that (not) 😂 Everyone thought the owners (chef and waiter) of the restaurant made the dinner super enjoyable 😄

17/06/2024

Day 4 - Part 2

After siesta, we headed out for the night. Our first stop was a lookout 1,300masl from where we could see 3 of the provinces of Abruzzo and the Adriatic Sea.

Then We visited the hilltop village of Bucchianico and sat and drank a spritz with the locals in the piazza.

Dinner was a delight for everyone ☺️🎉
We arrived at what looks like a restaurant but then we descended the stairs into a hidden Enoteca (wine bar) If you love cheese, wine and Italian small goods this place is paradise! 😋 🍷

Our host opened 4 types of Abruzzese wine for us to taste while we sampled cheese, salami and prosciutto from the tables. Waiters delivered delicious appetisers such as crispy pizza with lardo and stuffed and crumbed olives:🫒

Delicious! 😋

17/06/2024

Day 4 - Part 1

After breakfast on the terrace, we drove a little further into the Majella National Park to find the hermitages of San Bartolomeo.

First we visited Santo Spirito - a multilevel hermitage with stunning views from many vantage points. We had fun trying to find our way out 😆

Next was a wonderful walk through the national park to reach San Bartolomeo Hermitage. It was the perfect day, not too hot yet sunny and the wildflowers were pretty to look at along the way.

Allan raced down to the big rock below and I took the classic photo of him looking like he’s lifting it 😄

We all sat and in the hermitage, took in the view and the peace and quite the hermits would have felt in this serine place.

15/06/2024

Day 3 of our Grande Abruzzo Tour June 2024 🎉

We started off the day with breakfast served on the terrace overlooking the valley below. Allan asked Marco when I (Katri) was going to get changed which Marco found hilarious because moments before back in our room he had commented that my outfit for the day looked like pyjamas 😒😂😂

Hey, I was comfortable! 😆

We headed off on a scenic drive through the province of Chieti to visit Roccascalegna, a castle perched on top of a rock precipice.

Afterwards we headed to the Trabocchi Coast, a UNESCO listed area with huts built at the end of jetties which were used for fishing hundreds of years ago called Trabocchi. We enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch and white wine called cococchiola from the provinces of Chieti and Pescara.

13/06/2024

Day 2 of our Grande Tour of Abruzzo started off with a visit to our home town Loreto Aprutino. We learned all about extra virgin olive oil produced in the area and visited the historic olive oil museum and a very special ceramic collection.

Next we visited Abruzzo’s oldest wine makers Nestore Bosco where we toured the cellar and sat down to an antipasto lunch of locally sourced cheese and small goods with wine tastings.

In the afternoon, our host Donatella taught us how to make delicious meatballs and 2 types of pasta which we ate for dinner that night 😋

Thanks Peter and Maree for sharing their Spumante with us while we made pasta!

13/06/2024

Our accommodation for the 1st half of Grande Tour of Abruzzo 😍 Characteristic farmhouse with beautiful views and delicious home grown regional cooking 🧑‍🍳

12/06/2024

Day 1 of our Grande Abruzzo Tour for June 2024

Marco and I (Katri) met with our wonderful group of guests in Pescara and after introducing ourselves to each other we climbed aboard our minibus and headed out to the DOCG wine region of Tollo.

Our destination was Cantina Feudo Antico, a rather new winery with a modern establishment focusing on quality over quantity and hand picked grapes grown without using chemicals.

During construction of the building they uncovered Roman ruins and now it doubles as a modern boutique winery and a glimpse into the past.

The question of the day was “Would you like to see a skeleton”? 💀
To which everyone was like “heck yeah” 😂

We enjoyed a seafood 4 course meal of octopus, pasta with a gurnard sauce, perch and a light pistachio cake. All this was paired with 4 glasses of wine. Not to mention that the bread and olive oil were sublime!

11/06/2024

What a great bunch 🍇 we have for our Grande tour June 2024!!

Here we are on Day 1 enjoying the wine in the DOCG area of Tollo in Abruzzo.

05/04/2024

Cooking arrosticini they are amazing🍷🍷

28/11/2023

Ready to go to the frantoio.

28/11/2023

We’ve been back about ten days and I am missing Abruzzo already.
When we left there they were just wrapping up the years “raccolta d’ulivi” the yearly olive harvest.
This year it was pretty dry so the yield wasn’t as good as usual but although there was less olives the oil was still of high quality and more concentrated 🥰.
There is nothing like the smell of freshly pressed olives.

Here I am with Enzo in Loreto Aprutino where we also buy their home made preservatives free Monte Pulciano wine.

The pastore Abruzzese is never too far away

22/11/2023

One of the first meals we had to have when we went back to Abruzzo recently is the local iconic food arrosticini, it always amazes us how something cooked so simply can taste so delicious, I am convinced it the pasture in Italy that makes it taste so good.
I am still a bit Jet lagged I think.😀🍷🍷

18/07/2022

Village life in Abruzzo, Italy
Balmy nights and arrositicini with great company 👌🏻

11/07/2022

The musical bells of the Gran Sasso Mountain⛰

Have you seen our last post? 🤓

10/07/2022

Picture this.. you’re underneath the warm Italian sun but there’s a cool breeze because you’re high up in the mountains, you’re sipping cold local rosè while surrounded by Italians (not tourists) cooking a Sunday Abruzzese style BBQ featuring a regional specialty “arrosticini”.

Afterwards you take an impromptu ride on a ski lift with amazing views of the mountains and the plateau and then visit 1,000 year old fortress.

This is the amazing day out we had with Rob and Marg recently in Abruzzo 😁

Our arrositicini day on our tours of Abruzzo are one of the most loved experiences by our guests.

Our desire is to give you the opportunity to experience a side of Italy you don’t get to see along the tourist routes, even if you’ve visited many times before.

If you want a truely authentic Italian experience, come along on a journey with us next year. Dates have just been put up on our website www.italianprovincialtours.com 🥳

07/07/2022

Just a little Italian street scene I took on tour in

07/07/2022

The mighty Aglio Rosso di Sulmona 🧄 the most delicious in all of Italy 🇮🇹

We love visiting Sulmona on market day when on tour so you can check out all the local produce and see the locals out and about.

This isn’t a fancy pants market selling overpriced goods to tourists... it’s a real Italian market where the locals shop every week.

We’re all about getting off the beaten tourist track and giving you the opportunity to experience the real Italy!

05/07/2022

Nothing better on a 37 degree day at the beach in Abruzzo when the granita cart comes along! 🏖

What flavour would you get??

24/06/2022

C***o Grande, the highest peak in the Appenine Mountain Range 🏔 At 2,912 masl

Did you know a mountain range this high in altitude existed in Abruzzo? 😃

You can even go skiing ⛷ at places like Roccaraso and Passo Lanciano where you can ski and see the Adriatic Sea at the same time 😆

22/06/2022

22/06/2022

BBQ Abruzzese style!
These locals played Abruzzese folk music while we were in the mountains enjoying our arrositicini (sheep meat skewers)
Our tours are the least touristy tour you would have ever been on 😆
Join us next year!

17/06/2022

We had such a great day on the Trabocchi Coast with our group from the USA and Western Australia ☺️

The sea was glistening and the sun was shining 🌊 ☀️ No one can believe the amount of seafood we get to indulge in in the trabocco 😆

It’s a feast guys! 🦞

Not to mention the delicious white wine and rose wines to match the fresh seafood 🍷

The Trabocchi Coast with its many Trabocchi are unique to Abruzzo and it is a UNESCO heritage site.

A must do when visiting Abruzzo is dining on a trabocco out over the water 😃

11/06/2022

Did you know we have polar bears in Abruzzo, Italy?
😉 joking. The are the Abruzzese sheep dogs called Pastore Abruzzese. But doesn’t the one on the left look like a polar bear? 😄
We do actually have bears in Abruzzo too but they are a type of brown bear 🐻 not an aggressive type, called the Marsican Bear.