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7 Day Pottery, Art and Food Experience in Abruzzo
Agriturismo Il Bivacco del Parco, C.da Faiano, 16 64041, Castelli, Italy
Art and Culinary Tour in Italy
Join Italia Sweet Italia on seven-day Italian pottery, cultural and culinary vacation in Abruzzo, one of the most stunning and culturally rich regions in Italy. For anyone eager to experience an immersive adventure in the Italian culture and traditions, where you really get to know the food, region, and people, your host and local guide Fabrizio, together with his family and friends, have put together amazing experiences that combine passion, beautiful places and locals to show you the best of the region’s off-the-beaten-track secrets.
Meet the instructors
Fabrizio
Read more
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Highlights
- Prepare homemade pasta with locals
- Four 3-hour pottery classes with acclaimed local ceramicists
- An intimate, friendly atmosphere and individual attention in your pottery classes
- Discover the fascinating trabocchi fishing huts and paint on a trabocco
- Visit Abruzzo’s acclaimed extra virgin olive oil and winemakers
- Enjoy amazing landscapes from the sea to the mountains
- 6 nights accommodation
Styles
5 days with instruction
Group size: Maximum of 8 participants
Airport transfer included:
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Accommodation
You will stay for one night in Castelli at Agriturismo Il Bivacco del Parco (or similar accommodation) and five nights in Vasto at Hotel dei 7 (or similar accommodation) in the historic center.
Accommodation in a twin / double room with ensuite bathroom. A private room is available at an extra cost.
Program
This is a fully escorted tour (for small groups of up to 8 people) that will give you insight into daily life, food, wine, culture, and production in Abruzzo.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced ceramist, this tour is your opportunity to enjoy pottery and an authentic Italian lifestyle. Follow in the footsteps of Italy’s great ceramicists. The Italia Sweet Italia team has crafted an itinerary for you that perfectly balances unique Italian experiences, relaxation, adventure, and learning.
Who is this tour suitable for?
Like-minded travelers - Pottery lovers - Everybody that traveled enough to know that touristy vacations are just not them - Travelers that appreciate la dolce vita and want to learn something new - Solo travelers - Couples - Group of friends - Families.
Itinerary
Day 1, Sunday
- Rome Fiumicino airport pick up at 2:30 p.m. and transfer to the charming, medieval village of Castelli after crossing beautiful Abruzzo mountains with its amazing landscapes, hilltop villages, and castles
- Check in at Agriturismo Il Bivacco del Parco in the countryside of Castelli and relax
- Get to know your local guide Fabrizio and learn more about this 7-day Italian cultural vacation
- Welcome dinner
Included meals: Dinner
Day 2, Monday
Enjoy a leisurely traditional breakfast of freshly baked bread, whole fruit, country-style preserves, cake, pastries, coffee, tea, and freshly squeezed juice.
Morning
- You’ll visit the oldest pottery studio in the town and we’ll meet the ceramists Antonio and Vincenzo di Simone
- After teaching us about the ancient pottery making story of Castelli, Antonio and Vincenzo will show you their own pieces and their personal collection of ceramics and ancient tools
- Next, you’ll have your first pottery class with them. The exact nature of the class will be determined based on the skill level of the participants. Once you book this tour, you’ll receive a questionnaire to better understand your skill level
Anyway, basically, these are some possible activities:
- Use the ancient wheel to produce a vase or a dish or another beautiful piece using ancient molds
- Glaze and decorate another piece of your choice
Besides, you’ll learn about slip, drying, timing, and method of baking.
Please consider that their studio is an ancient and small one, so the team should coordinate the different activities, considering a maximum number of eight people, i.e. is not possible to have eight people that make a piece using the lathe, this depends also on your ability and expertise.
Afternoon and evening
- Traditional lunch in a Castelli trattoria
- Next, after a few more time to finalize your pottery class, you’ll visit the International Ceramics collection and pottery school and UNESCO candidate Nativity and San Donato Chapel known as the Sistine Chapel of Majolica
- Transfer to Vasto, check-in at Hotel dei 7 in the historical downtown
- Walk to a traditional restaurant to enjoy a welcome group dinner in the heart of Vasto
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3, Tuesday
Morning
- After breakfast, you’ll explore Vasto historic center: Loggia Amblingh, a promenade overlooking the fascinating crescent-shaped coastline, the old town with its medieval Castle, charming lanes, a tower, the Cathedral, and Piazza Rossetti, dedicated to Gabriele Rossetti, a poet from the town and father of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
- You’ll move to Vasto Marina, by the beach, for a lunch and some free time to relax, have a walk or swim in the blue Adriatic Sea (possible only in summertime)
Afternoon
- After a short break at the hotel, you’ll drive to the little hilltop village of Lentella at Ettore’s “Fattoria d’Arte”- Art farm
- Surrounded by an amazing landscape with a stunning view of the sea, mountains, hills, and small towns, you can enjoy your second pottery class
- You’ll have a traditional dinner with Ettore and his wife Barbara
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4, Wednesday
Morning
- After breakfast, you’ll explore the famous Trabocchi coast with a visit to a trabocco (the symbol of the area), mostly built with acacia wood and railway iron sleepers
- You’ll have an exclusive watercolor class with Antonio, a local painter, with the possibility to paint unique landscapes from this unique point of view on the Adriatic Sea
- Weather permitting, Rinaldo, your host, will demonstrate how to fish from the trabocco and the secrets and history behind Abruzzo’s unique fishing platforms that have been featured in the BBC TV show: Escape to the Continent
- Rinaldo’s wife Maria will prepare fish from the Adriatic Sea for an exclusive lunch on the ocean
Afternoon and evening
In order to fully feel the Italian culture, you need time to explore on your own. Therefore, you will have some free time scheduled for the tour
- Some suggestions for you during your free time: enjoy one of Vasto’s many beaches or museums, wander through town and explore the shops and art galleries, or just have a walk in the “piazza” to enjoy the relaxing Vasto atmosphere
- In the evening you’ll have dinner on your own in one of the many restaurants in Vasto. Obviously, Fabrizio will give you suggestions on his favorite places
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 5, Thursday
Morning
- You’ll walk and visit Vasto’s colorful market to get seasonal products. Here the Italia Sweet Italia team will help you practice a little bit of Italian even if you don’t speak a word of it
- Next, you’ll drive to the beautiful countryside of Vasto where you’ll meet Fabrizio’s family to have an exclusive cooking class with them. You’ll learn how easy it is to make fresh pasta and you’ll be introduced to Abruzzo sauces
- An example menu based on Fabrizio’s family recipes includes bread with meat sauce, Pasta alla chitarra with meat sauce and polpette (meatballs), and Tiramisù
Afternoon and evening
- After a short break at the hotel, you’ll drive to the little hilltop village of Lentella at Ettore’s “Fattoria d’Arte”- Art farm
- You can enjoy your third pottery class with the possibility to choose among different activities
- You’ll have a traditional dinner with Ettore and his wife Barbara
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, cooking class
Day 6, Friday
Morning
- After breakfast, you'll visit an olive grove that has been farmed by Giovanni’s family for three generations to produce DOP olive oils. He will unfurl the secrets of what Homer described as “liquid gold” and you will finish with an olive oil tasting
- Next, you’ll visit an award-winning winery that sits between a marine park and the mountains. You’ll enjoy a wine tasting and lunch with pairings of local cheeses and salami and a tour of the vineyard and cellars organized by the winemakers Emanuele and Nicola
Afternoon and evening
- After lunch and some free time to relax and pack or do some last-minute shopping, you’ll drive to the little hilltop village of Lentella at Ettore’s “Fattoria d’Arte”- Art farm
- You can enjoy your fourth pottery class with Ettore
- In the evening you’ll have a farewell party and the last dinner with Ettore and Barbara as an Italian family immersed in Abruzzo’s countryside
Included meals: Breakfast, tasting, lunch, dinner
Day 7, Saturday
After breakfast, you will leave (usually at 09:00 a.m.) for Rome Fiumicino airport or your next destination. Rome Fiumicino is about 3,5 hours driving from Vasto so make sure to get an afternoon flight.
Included meals: Breakfast
Note
Your Itinerary is a guide to your activities during the week. However, sometimes Italia Sweet Italia modifies the final itinerary to take advantage of the season and the weather. The goal is to ensure that everyone has a fabulous time and that sometimes means tweaking the schedule even after your arrival. Your guide will provide suggestions during the week, and the group will decide if any modifications are desired. Be assured that only enhanced experiences are ever considered.
Instructors
Fabrizio Lucci
Italia Sweet Italia founder and travel guide. Interested in tourism since he worked as a teenager in the summer months as a barman and waiter in Vasto, Fabrizio decided to study Tourism Economics at university. He spent part of his studies as an ERASMUS student in the UK, after graduation going on to work as a consultant, researcher and teacher in tourism in Bologna, Milan and Barcelona.
Location
This cooking and culinary tour takes place in Abruzzo region, Italy.
Food
Included in the price are daily breakfast and 10 meals (food, water, house wine) in selected restaurants, farmhouses, or wineries based on traditional regional dishes. Some evenings are free for you to explore the town by yourself.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
What's included
- 1 night in Castelli at Agriturismo Il Bivacco del Parco (or similar accommodation) and 5 nights in Vasto at Hotel dei 7 (or similar accommodation) in the historic center
- Breakfast buffet daily
- 4 pottery classes (around 3 hours each) and pottery materials
- 1 painting class (watercolor, around 3 hours) and painting materials on a trabocco fishing house
- 10 meals (food, water, house wine) in selected restaurants, farmhouses, or wineries based on traditional regional dishes
- 1 hands-on cooking class and associated food costs
- Personalized cooking booklet and apron
- Daily trips and excursions
- Pick up and drop off at Rome Fiumicino airport in an air-conditioned minibus or car
- All transport for daily trips and excursions in an air-conditioned minibus or car
- All entry fees for excursions, tours and wine, olive oil, and cheese tastings
- English-speaking tour manager throughout the duration
- All taxes
What's not included
- Eventual shipping costs for your pottery pieces (have a look here to have an idea of the possible costs: i.e.: to the USA, shipping by 10-25 days, up to 5 kg, 45 EUR)
- Airfare
- Spending money
- Snacks / drinks between meals, or any meals not listed on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like phone calls, visa costs, laundry, or tips
- Travel insurance (not obligatory, but recommended)
- Drinks not listed in the itinerary (an extra bottle of wine, for example)
- The cost of additional excursions or activities
How to get there
Recommended Airports
FCO
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
143 km
Transfer included
Airport: Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
Airport transfer included: Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookCulinaryVacations.com. All major credit cards supported.
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