Majella Tours of Italy

16/01/2025

In addition to Majella Tours of Italy, I’m the co-owner of a cooking school in Port Washington, NY called The Cooking Lab PW

We recently hosted Italian language students from a nearby high school for an immersive Italian cooking lesson in which we also chatted about my travels in Italy and my experiences as an entrepreneur 🇮🇹👩‍🍳

Manhasset High School students in Pre-AP, AP and Level V Italian classes combined their love of food and language as they participated in an authentic Italian

03/01/2025

Buon anno amici! Happy New Year! 🥂🎆

Wishing you a year filled with good health, happiness and travel adventures!

I’m excited for a year filled with travel to Italy in 2025 - of course, to my beloved Abruzzo, but also with small groups to Puglia, Matera & the Italian Riviera, new tour destinations for me. I also have a research trip planned to Emilia-Romagna to plan a foodie tour of Bologna, Parma & Modena in the fall of 2026.

2025 TOURS - Most of my 2025 tours are sold out, but I’m accepting bookings for my annual Springtime in Abruzzo tour from May 11 - 17, 2025 - REGISTER BY MARCH 1st!

I also still have two spots available in my July 2025 Women’s Tour of Puglia + Matera - REGISTER BY JAN 31st!

2026 TOUR DATES - I’ll annouce 2026 Tour Dates later this month! Email me at [email protected] and I’ll make sure you’re the first to know!

25/10/2024

There’s nothing better than Italy 🇮🇹 with your best girls! 👯‍♀️

Share or tag your favorite travel buddy! 💃🏻🧳💃🏻

22/10/2024

5 Things You May Not Know about Abruzzo 🇮🇹

1️⃣ Rocca Calascio, at 1470 m a.s.l., is one of the highest fortresses in all of Europe 🏰

2️⃣ La Costa dei Trabocchi, the most scenic part of Abruzzo’s Adriatic coastline, has a paved biking/footpath that extends for 42 km 🌊

3️⃣ Nearly 1/3 of Abruzzo is designated national park land 🌲

4️⃣ Saffron - known as “red gold” - was brought to the Navelli plain by a local monk who traveled to Spain during the inquisition ❤️💛

5️⃣ La Maiella, Abruzzo’s “mother mountain” was named after the goddess Maja who is said to have settled in the mountain so she could watch over the final resting place of her son who died in the neighboring mountain range 🏔️

Have you ever been to Abruzzo? Comment below! ⤵️

21/10/2024

Did you know that in addition to my tour company, I also own a cooking school in Port Washington, NY 👩‍🍳

If you are in the NY area, join me on Saturday at 6 pm to make orecchiette with broccoli rabe - it’s one of my favorite classes to teach!

Here’s Michelle (seated), one of The Cooking Lab’s co-owners, in Puglia this past summer practicing her orecchiette-making skills with a local expert in Bari 🇮🇹

Join Michelle on Saturday 10/26 at 6 pm for Dinner for 2 in Puglia and learn to make the ear-shaped pasta👂

🔗 https://www.thecookinglabpw.com/events/dinner-for-two-in-puglia-6-pm

08/10/2024

📣🌸Springtime in Abruzzo Tour registration is open! 🌸📣

🗓️ May 11 - 17, 2025

🔗 https://www.majellatours.com/springtour

Springtime is my absolute favorite season in Abruzzo - just a few minutes from our lovely B&B in the medieval village of Navelli, you’ll find fields of red poppies at every turn. The lively market in Sulmona teems with wild green asparagus and tender chicory. The Adriatic coast is warm and mild but still free from summer crowds. The mountains are still wearing their snowy caps, but are blanketed with colorful wildflowers.

DM for details 🇮🇹🇮🇹

08/10/2024

📣🌸Springtime in Abruzzo Tour registration is open! 🌸📣

🗓️ May 11 - 17, 2025

🔗 https://www.majellatours.com/springtour

Springtime is my absolute favorite season in Abruzzo - just a few minutes from our lovely B&B in the medieval village of Navelli, you'll find fields of red poppies at every turn. The lively market in Sulmona teems with wild green asparagus and tender chicory. The Adriatic coast is warm and mild but still free from summer crowds. The mountains are still wearing their snowy caps, but are blanketed with colorful wildflowers.

INTERESTED IN JOINING ME IN PUGLIA OR THE ITALIAN RIVIERA? 🇮🇹

SOLD OUT! ~ May 2025 Tour in Puglia + Matera

SOLD OUT! ~ September 2025 Tour of the Italian Riviera

TWO ROOMS AVAILABLE! ~ July 2025 Women's Tour of Puglia + Matera

2026 TOUR DATES will be available in January! Join the waitlist and be the first to know!

23/09/2024

This essay by Giulia Scarpaleggia really struck a chord with me.

One of the things I love about bringing people on tours in Abruzzo is that Abruzzo is 💯💯💯 REAL. There is no attempt to smooth its rough edges or to add a glossy veneer. It is not for the luxury-seeking globetrotter in search of an Instagram-worthy, “dolce vita” moment, but rather for travelers who wish to go deeper and truly experience a part of Italy where beauty exists alongside reality.

I’ve grown weary of this flawless Club-Med Italy that always looks the same, always so perfect.

23/09/2024

This essay by Juls' Kitchen really struck a chord with me.

One of the things I love about bringing people on tours in Abruzzo is that Abruzzo is 💯💯💯 REAL. There is no attempt to smooth its rough edges or to add a glossy veneer. It is not for the luxury-seeking globetrotter in search of an Instagram-worthy, “dolce vita” moment, but rather for travelers who wish to go deeper and truly experience a part of Italy where beauty exists alongside reality.

I’ve grown weary of this flawless Club-Med Italy that always looks the same, always so perfect.

23/09/2024

I love the warm fall palette 🍁of the Oratorio di San Pellegrino, Abruzzo’s very own Sistine Chapel, hidden among the trees and in the shadow of the medieval watchtower above

17/09/2024

I’m extremely proud to share “Visions for Abruzzo’s Rural Towns,” a short documentary film written and produced by my son, a second-year journalism student, profiling three small rural towns in Abruzzo - Fontecchio, Navelli & Salle - that have experienced depopulation over the past century, and the steps that locals with unique visions to keep the small town way of life alive and relevant 🇮🇹

🔗 https://youtu.be/nxqdRzItsMk

17/09/2024

I'm extremely proud to share with you “Visions for Abruzzo’s Rural Towns,” a short documentary film written and produced by my son Mikey Capobianco.

In connection with a research grant from his university, Mikey, a second-year journalism student at Northwestern, profiles three small rural towns in Abruzzo - Fontecchio, Navelli & Salle - that have experienced depopulation over the past century, and interviews locals with unique visions to keep the small town way of life alive and relevant.

The documentary is approximately 27 minutes long and is filled with colorful footage of local life and culture in Abruzzo. I hope you’ll bookmark the Youtube link and watch it with a glass of Montepulciano 🍷one evening.

As a parent, I’m grateful that the summers Mikey spent in Abruzzo inspired not only deep love for his family’s place of origin, but also intellectual curiosity for this special land. As a daughter of Abruzzo, I'm thankful for the generous spirit of the Abruzzesi who gave Mikey unfettered access to their lives. And as a small business owner who has spent the past decade working to promote the region, I remain steadfast in my belief that experiencing Abruzzo's rural mountain villages is unique and transformative.

I hope you’ll watch and share! 🇮🇹

*If your device supports 4K, it is strongly recommend watching it in that setting for maximum quality*In the Central Italian region of Abruzzo, small village...

10/08/2024

Is there anything better than a plate of pasta with local seafood by the sea?

1. Ristorante da Alfredo in Santa Margherita Ligure (Liguria) ➡️
2. .sml in Santa Margherita Ligure (Liguria) ➡️
3. dei mercanti in Monopoli (Puglia) ➡️
4. Lido Itaca in Pineto (Abruzzo)

26/07/2024

Burrata & datterini in a pizza “cestino ” (nest) 🙌🙌

22/07/2024

Visiting my very special friend in her magical place ✨

21/07/2024

One last trabocco day…🌊💙

17/07/2024

It’s about time!! Stanley Tucci is finally coming to Abruzzo to highlight some of our unique regional specialties 🐑🧀

Protagonista indiscusso della serie la star di Hollywood Stanley Tucci che da sempre si diletta, con rigore, anche in cucina

16/07/2024

When it’s 99 degrees in the mountains, you need to get creative