Day one Monday / October 17

Arrival at Leonardo da Vinci airport in Fiumicino.

Curb-side pick up at 11 AM. Private transfer by coach to the centre of Rome. Hotel check-in. Guest will have a late lunch in a typical Roman trattoria, and enjoy a free afternoon and evening on their own. Overnight stay in Rome.

 

Day two Tuesday / October 18

Continental breakfast in hotel followed by a guided historical tour of the Imperial city featuring the most imposing and important monuments with visit to the Roman Forum, the Colisseum, the Palestine hills and more. A rustic lunch will follow, with return to hotel for check-out. Travel to our home base of Colonnella in Abruzzo with approximate travel time of 3 hours.

Check in and relax in charming Villa Susanna degli Ulivi. Three course dinner around 8 pm with local specialties from the province of Teramo under the attentive supervision of chef owner Sergio D'Addezi.

Day three Wednesday / October 19

Breakfst. The morning will be dedicated to visiting Ascoli Piceno. Walking around the historical centre you realize that the city fits inside a huge meander of the River Tronto as it meets the Castellano River.   Take your bearings from the Roman Theatre situated at the gateway to this natural defence.
On the opposite side of the city is the Malatesta Fortress. A fittingly mighty building completed in 1540. Originally Roman it was destroyed in 1944, but rebuilt with the original stones to its full grandeur.  Between the two is the fabulous Piazza del Popolo or People's Square with its famous porticoes dating from 1509.

Here you cannot miss the austere Captain's Palace with its tower and battlements, underneath which was recently found 380 square meters of Roman paving. Return to Hotel. Lunch at Villa Susanna, followed by a walk to the quaint borgo of Colonnella. Return to hotel. Break. Evening cooking class demonstration until about 8 pm. Dinner with recipes presented at cooking demo.

Day four Thursday / October 20

Continental breakfast. Departure for a full day tour of Assisi. A fascinating itinerary between art and Catholic tradition. Assisi, known as town of sunlight, stands tall on a mountain overlooking the green plains of Umbria, near the ruins of a medieval fortress, reminding us that Franciscan Age flourished out in a period of war and blood. Saint Francis and Saint Chiara were born here at the end of the 12th century and since then Assisi has become one of the main destinations of Christian pilgrimages. 

Today it is an international little town of great cultural interest. With its dry and sunny climate and its extraordinary peaceful surroundings, it is the ideal place for a discovery yet relaxing tour to admire a beautiful countryside as well as important pictorial masterpieces made by well known artists such as Giotto and Cimabue. 

Lunch in the city, followed by a travel back to Marche with brief stop a "Il Conte Winery" in Monte Prandone. Meet wine-maker Emanuel. Presentation and tasting of their wines. Return to Villa Susanna. Relax. Three course dinner with wine and overnight.

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Day five Friday / October 21

Continental breakfast / departure to the city of San Benedetto in the near Adriatic sea. Visit to their renowned outdoor market.

Shopping, visit to Cafe' Florians for aperitivo. Lunch in San Benedetto. Afternoon visit to San Benedetto Alto an ancient Borgo overlooking the Adriatic sea. We may have time for a surprise this part of the day depending on our schedule.

Return to Villa Susanna degli Ulivi. Relax. Cooking demonstration with hands-on participation. Dinner will follow with menu' inspired by the cooking class recipes.

Day six Saturday / October 22

Breakfast and departure to the city of Teramo in the central region of Abruzzo and the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, 150 km from Rome is situated between the highest mountains of the Appennine's Gran Sasso d'Italia and the Adriatic coast.

The town is located by the confluence of the Vezzola and Tordino rivers. Passeggiata alongo the famed Corso, visit to some historical sites, followed by a relaxing-time consuming lunch. Teramo is known for exquisite local dishes such as the soup of screppelle, crepes timballo, the virtu' soup, la ventricina spread and much more.

Afternoon visit to a cheese-making or salumi -making factory. Return to Villa Susanna degli Ulivi by late afternoon. Relax.

Cooking demo on gnocchi making with partial guests participation. Three course dinner with class inspired menu' with wine. Overnight at hotel.

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Day seven Sunday / October 23

Continental late breakfast / Free time for shopping, Church, walking, packing.

Lunch at Villa Susanna followed by departure to the Fortress of Civitella del Tronto to admire the ruins of the historic site. The Fortress of Civitella is the largest in Italy, the second in Europe after the Hohensalzburg in Salzburg, Austria.

It is located on the top of a rocky cliff, being c. 500 m long and 45 m wide, for a total surface of 25,000 square meters.The fortress of Civitella was the location of the last stand of the Kingdom after the Garibaldine and Piedmontese invasion of 1860. King Francis surrendered in Gaeta. Naples and Sicily were annexed to the newly formed Kingdom of Italy. Civitella surrendered on 20 March 1861.

Late afternoon return to hotel with evening dinner at hilly charming town of Tortoreto Alto on exquisite pizza, wine and beer.

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