Italy Unexplored Tours
Italy Unexplored Tours
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Multi-day ToursCultural ToursFood ToursWine Tours & Tastings
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Dreaming about heading to Italy but dreading crowds and tourist food? Why not embark upon an intimate 100% authentic experience where you eat, drink and explore alongside the locals while seeing sights even wilder than your imagination? Join our Italy Unexplored Tours and immerse yourself in a unique Italian experience.
Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles30 reviews
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Reigz
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Family
Executive Summary:
This Tour was epic. Do it.
Bring your eating pants.

Suzanne and Vincenzo are really lovely people and Antonio, our tour guide, was outstanding.
The tour is full on - be prepared to sleep on the bus - but is definitely an experience that will leave memories, and it was fantastic that they were able to tweak it to visit a local traditional pottery once they discovered that Wifey has a background in ceramics.

The Details:
So, 1 year on and we're finally getting around to writing this review.
Apologies, Suzanne and Vincenzo.

We were lucky to get the last 2 spaces on the July 2022 tour at somewhat short notice.
As it turned out we managed 2 firsts on the tour:
1) The first non-USA and non-Australian guests (we're Irish, please excuse the accent).
2) The first vegetarian (her, not me! )
In general being a vegetarian in Italy sucks, and we have to say thank you to everyone for the effort that went into supporting this baffling life choice - Mrs. Veg was extremely happy (and as full as a banana) going home.

This is not just a Food Tour of the Abruzzo region, that's only part of it.
Oh, there's food, OK. Lots of food. Really, really, nice food. And wine. I'd swear we drank more wine in that week than the whole of the year before. Probably the 2 years before!
This is also a showcase of the history and culture of the region - A Cultural Tasting Menu if you will.
Sure you could book a trip to Abruzzo by yourself, but even if you did, you would never get to see all amazing places included on the tour, simply because you would never know they even existed! And one of the best parts: for some reason nobody goes to Abruzzo, so there's no tourists: It's all authentic residential Italians, with a smattering of Italians on holidays.

Day 0: Get yourself to Rome, stay at the nominated collection point hotel.
From here on in everything is taken care of for you.

Day 1: Collection from Hotel and bus transfer to Abruzzo. Check in at the base of operation for the next few days. Dinner at Nonna's. This is actually Vincenzo's grandmother, so a real proper Italian Nonna, in her own kitchen. Yes, it was as good as you're imagining.

Day whatever it was, I forget: Food, Wine, UNESCO Heritage sites, Food, Wine, Local towns and markets, Food, Wine, More Food, More Wine. Ogle at the breath-taking scenery. A visit to the Zaccagnini winery with dinner after occurred somewhere in there. A bit more wine, possibly with more food. A dash of wine, just for good measure.
One of the days was a cruise out to the Tremiti Islands. The boat is a 15m yacht. Anchor down, diving platform out, Pool Noodles and Wine O'Clock in the crystal clear, 26°C Adriatic waters while the crew prepare lunch.

The last few nights of the tour were spent hotel hopping, staying in the magnificent Sextantio located in the fortified medieval mountain top village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio before heading back to a normal hotel for the final night, where we were treated to a pool-side operatic recital by local musicians. (Insider Tip: Vincenzo can sing).
Did I mention the food and the wine?

Day 8: Dinner with Vincenzo's family before drop-off back to Rome where you're back on your own merry way.

Credit to Vincenzo's Dad who cooks a mean Arrosticini and Porchetta.

Top Tip: You may want to hide the bathroom scale for a week or too afterwards!

Would we do it again? Yes - Provided a formal accord can be reached with the bathroom scales. It's lying. Don't let it tell you otherwise.

Would we recommend this: Hell Yes!
In the era of cheap Ryanair city breaks this may look expensive, but believe me, it's not. Ignoring the cost of accommodation, transport, food, etc. - which is on-par with what you could do yourself - this tour brings you to places unheard of with a group of people that excel in sharing their local culture, knowledge and experience. And Food and Wine.
Written 9 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Holly H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
From the moment we pulled up to the hotel in Pescara to meet Vincenzo and his family, we felt like family! The week was full of delicious food and wine experiences, touring the beautiful countrysides of Abruzzo, learning about the history of the area with the help of historian Antonio who accompanied us throughout the trip , and enjoying the new friends we met on the tour. Vincenzo and Suzanne are such lovely people and just as authentic as we expected from all the time we have spent following him on his YouTube and Facebook sites. Even when the boat trip to the islands was cancelled due to high winds, Vincenzo found new experiences I would not have traded! We visited a caring family business Macelleria Agricola F.lli Pompa that makes the best arrosticini in the region and we made authentic chitarra pasta in the quaint picturesque home and B&B of Marisa. Highlight from other days included a visit to Anversa degli Abruzzi which is a fully sustainable farm community where we learned to make pecarino cheese, beach time with our new friends complete with more food and drinks, visiting the famous pasta maker at alla Chitarra Antica who generously gave us a taste of his pecorino-filled pastries and pasta, touring castles and towns with the help of Antonio and lovely tour guide Giulia, eating Vincenzo’s father Paulo’s amazing seafood meal after touring a picturesque winery, enjoying Nonna’s and Vincenzo’s mom’s and Paulo’s cooking at a beautiful home complete with relaxing pool time, touring and eating an incredible truffle lunch in a beautiful medieval town, enjoying the views while eating lunch at B&B il marchese del grillo whose owner is delightful! We enjoyed a sparkling wine while listening to Abruzzo composer Tosti’s keyboard music before a fun experience dining on the Trabocco. On market day, we enjoyed eating the first of two porchetta dishes! Paulo made an equally delicious porchetta for our final meal! After the first day, I realized there was no need to eat ho-hum hotel food because the days were packed with a feast for the eyes and stomachs! While the days were full of food, wine, and sightseeing, the most special memories were those created with our new friends and family! We laughed, sang to guitar music played by our dear musician friend on the trip, and really got to know and enjoy new friends…. relationships, most of which I anticipate will last for years to come. We are already speaking of a reunion thanks to the warm family atmosphere that Vincenzo and his family and the people of Abruzzo have created! I could not recommend this tour more highly for those who wish to experience an authentic look inside a beautiful area of Italy not often toured! The people of this region are kind, generous, and want nothing more than for you to experience the land they love and call home.
Written 2 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeannecampbell
Austin, TX2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Magical. Vincenzo’s tour of Abruzzo Italy is magical. My wife and I were asked if we wanted to go with our good friends on the tour as they were fans of Vincenzo’s recipes and his social media, and we said sure, chuckling “its Italy, how bad can it be”? Yet, we knew almost instantly upon arrival we had made the right choice, as even the ride from Rome to Pescara was fun meeting everyone. First, it is an intimate tour with ten guests, and it is only done a few times a year. Secondly, Vincenzo, his wife Suzanne, and the tour guides are having fun and making you feel like family. They took care of every detail and were able to pivot seamlessly when the weather dictated a change in plans. This is much more than sightseeing, it is immersing into the Abruzzo culture and forging new friendships. Among the countless beautiful experiences, we had dinner with Nonna (Vincenzo’s grandmother) and immediately fell in love with her and her handmade pasta. We swam in the Adriatic Sea and explored medieval villages. We learned to make cheese and pasta on a mountain top, and watched a summer shower roll up the valley. We enjoyed a delicious truffle infused lunch in a medieval inn with a huge castle above our head, we were served an amazing seafood bonanza perched on a renaissance era fishing camp turned restaurant (Trabucco). A celebrated pianist and opera singer sang just for us, and we ate delicious porchetta handmade by Paolo, Vincenzo’s father.
Abruzzo is stunningly beautiful and Vincenzo and his crew created an unforgettable curated adventure for us. We will always remember the friends we made and the fun we had together. And, that is magical.
Written 31 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

walter b
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
We've just returned from an amazing trip to Italy and I would like to give a big shout-out to Vincenzos plate!! We had an amazing time, ate amazing food, drank amazing wine, and saw amazing historical places. It was a small group that we traveled with and It felt like we had been friends along. Every destination was special—from lunch in a 12th century village to grandma's home. I would (will) do it again without hesitation. AND I only put on 3 pounds! Bravo Vincenzo & Suzanne!
Written 1 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Leslie R
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
This was an EXPERIENCE of a lifetime! Not just a trip, a tour, or a vacation, but rather an EXPERIENCE of all the best that Italy is - friends, family, great food, excellent wine, breathtaking scenery and fascinating history. Vincenzo, Suzanne, Little Sebastian and their family made this an experience that will stay in my heart for always. Perfectly planned and masterfully executed, this week was precious! Thank you.
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jhutchison5
Tucson, AZ2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
We had the unique opportunity to go with Vincenzo on this most wonderful tour! We were part of the first group to go again post Covid. Words can't express how fantastic the trip was. Vincenzo and Suzanne his wife were outstanding hosts and we feel like we are part of their extended family. Most tours are kind of impersonal but we got to have family dinner with his family three times on the trip and boy do they know how to cook and entertain and welcome you into their hearts! The Abruzzo region is lovely and not touristy. We saw practicallly no American tourists there. Wine tasting, visit to a sheep farm/cheese making place with wonderful Manuela who had us make cheese, visiting the Pope's summer palace, eating, eating, eating! Can't express how awesome this is. If you can get the chance, do this tour with Vincenzo!
Written 22 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrea Saad
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
What a trip!! Add this to your bucket list.
Everyday brought a new exciting excursion and we loved each one of them. Organization was spot on and food was fabulous.
Vincenzo and Suzanne are amazing hosts.
We highly recommend this trip
Written 11 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

401jill
New South Wales, Australia2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
Our trip to Abruzzo promised the world and delivered it all. It was travel with a difference through a wonderful part of Italy with Vincenzo and Suzanne guiding, inspiring and delighting each day and every day. Each day learned more about the region - it's history, music, arts, and food. We also met Vincenzo's family which made it very special. Thank you for this wonderful experience
Written 10 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Veronica W
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Couples
My husband and I booked this tour a year ago, and so for a year we have been looking forward to the tour. As the time got closer, we wondered more and more what kind of a trip it would be. Well, the realization by far exceeded the expectation. We have taken many trips over the years to different places around the world but this tour is one we will remember forever. We've been home for a few weeks, and it's still all we talk about. Vincenzo and Suzanne are absolutely the best. Every aspect of the trip was planned in advance to give all of us on the tour an unforgettable Journey. Between Vincenzo and Suzanne, Vincenzo's family, and all the other folks on the trip, we have made friends that we hope to keep for a lifetime. The real Italy is not standing around in a museum or art gallery, it is touring with Vincenzo and company in the Abbruzzo countryside.
Written 22 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike W
Hickory, NC7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Couples
We went into this trip thinking it would be a nice pre-planned week while we were in Italy for a month. It rapidly turned into the highlight of our month and probably the best vacation we have ever taken. Vincenzo and Suzanne have crafted what is undoubtedly the must take trip for anyone looking to see the true Italy. The food was to die for (bring your stretchy pants, really) and the sights and sounds of the Abbruzzo countryside were unbelievable. I feel as though we now have an extended family that we will cherish for all of our lives. Salutiamo la nostra nuova famiglia in Italia.  

Written 19 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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ITALY UNEXPLORED TOURS (Pescara) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go