Luxury and relaxation, for those with a passion for food, wine and cooking in unspoilt rural Italy.
Taking you to authentic Italy for a fully inclusive week away, the Italian Culinary Adventure combines relaxation with a unique culinary and cultural experience.
Discover how to make fresh ravioli in an Italian farmhouse, make pizzas in a traditional wood fired oven, visit some of the new wineries and taste some of the exceptional local wines, visit an award winning pecorino cheese producer, enjoy a barbeque at the top of the Gran Sasso, 10,000 feet above the villa, cooking meats from the herds that roam these high plains.
You and your friends can shape your itinerary to balance your interests and appetite for being active or simply enjoy being by our private pool.
Phil Haughton
"This was an unforgettable journey into the heart of Italian food culture. What we were treated to by Stephen blew us away. The learning to make ravioli pasta, firing up the wood fired oven to cook chicken from the back yard was just a small part of a conviviality and generosity of culture we will never forget. We came back with such warm hearts and I now really do use my pasta maker whereas before it used to sit in the cupboard getting dusty.".
Our aim is for you to customise your holiday for what most interests you, using the itinerary below as a guide.
Unless you want to change the itinerary, your week is inclusive of all food & wine, air travel and transport to and from Rome airport at a cost of £1200 per person (sharing a double room). You will stay in Casa del Colle, a luxury 5 bedroom villa with private grounds and pool.
I'm interested, what's the next step?
Please get in touch with Stephen to discuss possible dates and any amendments to the suggested itinerary. He will put this into a draft proposal for you and your friends to review and amend. No commitment is expected from you until you are happy with the overall package and the price.
We have a passion for food and the culture and heritage of this part of Italy and are equally passionate about sharing this with you.
The next day it was up bright and early for possibly the best day of the entire trip so far - learning to cook pasta with Filomena, an actual Italian Nonna (granny) - organised by Steve. We were lucky enough to be invited to their farmhouse and we learned to cook a number of dishes that we then devoured with an extended group of Brits and Italians.
The lunch was one of those epic affairs that we thought were apocryphal - 20 people seated round a table outside under a pergola, surrounded by an olive grove. Washed down with local red wine, of course. And then the local digestive. And then espresso.
This experience is the tip of the iceberg of what has been a true gastronomic experience over the last month.
Ed & Katie Cross
Reading, England
The menu
Day One - Arrive
Arrival and collection from Rome airport
Meet Stephen and the other guests on the terrace with stunning views of Penne town...and antipasti, obviously.
Day two - Penne & Pasta
Breakfast
Learn how to make pasta the Italian way (with two of my favourite grandmothers!)
Lunch - Villa
Visit a commercial pasta maker in Penne and enjoy a tour of Penne town
ending with apperitivo at Bar Centrale
Dinner – Complete your ravioli, cook and eat
Day three - Mountains & Meat
Breakfast
Travel to Calascio and Santo Stefano
Lunch - Ristoro Mucciante (a unique mountain experience)
Short walk to Penne lake or lounge by the pool
Dinner - An education on local produce of the region at Massimo's Agriturismo (a man with a complete passion for what is local)
Day four - Markets & Pizza
Breakfast
Learn how to make proper pizza dough
Lunch villa
Visit an authentic Italian market to buy ingredients for your pizza
Dinner - Shovel you pizzas into the wood fired oven
Day five - Cheese, Wine & Olives
Breakfast
Visit a local cheese maker and sample some pecorino of various ages
Visit to local vineyard with a tasting of course
Lunch - under an olive tree at San Giorgio
Visit to a traditional frantoio (the olive press)
Dinner
Day six - Ice Cream & Fracchiata
Breakfast
Visit to one of the local hill top towns - Citta san Angelo, Chieti or Atri
Lunch - in town
Visit to Regina to make ice-cream (and take your own home for dinner)
Dinner - polenta/fracchiata served on the table
Day seven - Relax & Explore
Breakfast
On your own for the day to relax at the villa or explore
Lunch - restaurant suggestions from Steve or a packed lunch
Dinner
Day eight - Depart
Breakfast
Drop off at Pescara or Rome
Further Contact
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To contact Stephen please use this link