Guided Winery Visit and Wine Tasting Tour in Abruzzo

The Best way to get acquainted ith Abruzzo is to tour with Experience BellaVita. From the Gran Sasso to Vineyards to Regional Cuisine to Historic Location and everything in between. Contact Marino Cardelli and his Team to personalize your tour that will exceed your expectations. And add on dinner or lunch as part of the tour where you will experience the Food and Wine of the Region.

Marino Cardelli is an exceptionally knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide who loves his work and the Abruzzo region. We spent four very enjoyable and informative days with Marino as we met local wine, cheese and liquor makers and were able to hunt truffles among other activities. What is especially obvious is the high regard and love for Marino exhibited by all we met. I highly encourage anyone who wishes to become for familiar with the “greenest” region in Italy to contact Marino.

I can’t begin to express how amazing our experience with Marino and Experience BellaVita was! It started with a video call where Marino listened to the long list of things that my husband and I hoped to do while in Abruzzo. He took these ideas and put together an amazing itinerary, not just of what his company could offer, but also what we could do and see in our ‘off’ time, hotel recommendations, AND all of the gluten/dairy free restaurants in the area for me! Our first tour day was spent with Marino and his amazing family. We went on a truffle hunt, learned about truffle growing and the truffle industry, and then sat down (in his Uncle’s home!) to a seven course truffle meal, created by Marino’s cousin. Marino and two of his cousins joined us for the meal and there was a lot of laughter and great conversation. It really couldn’t get more authentic! We even got to try Marino’s home made wine! Over the next few days we toured beautiful old towns, walked through ancient ruins of towers and forts, and learned of the 3000 year history of the Transumanza and how sheep have shaped the area. We tried the world’s first sheep milk parmesan, were treated to delicious meals of local foods and wines, and even toured a few areas not usually seen by tourists since Marino grew up in the area and has connections. Marino and his crew went well above and beyond what was expected or even hoped for. I couldn’t recommend them more and will definitely book with them again in the future!

Having fallen in love with the Abruzzo region (online during lockdown!) my husband and I booked a holiday-home hunting trip for Spring 2022. We have both spent time in Italy in the past however had never visited the Abruzzo region before. Prior to visiting in person we wanted to research the food and culture of the region and, in the Winter of 2020, stumbled across Experience Bella Vita’s website; specifically the food box service. Marino was brilliant from the first order. His passion for Abruzzo was infectious (and the food/wine delicious!) which only cemented our desire to visit this undiscovered Italian gem and find a holiday home. He was a fantastic resource and when I enquired about putting together an itinerary for a couple of days exploring the region he came up with a number of options, any of which would have been wonderful. In the event (and as was travelling with my husband’s parents as a group of 4) we settled on the following: Day 1: Winery Tour (including lunch), tour of Loreto Aprutino (we were specifically interested in some properties here), Aperitivos/nibbles in a local bar Day 2: Campo Imperatore, Cooking Arrosticini in the open-air, Castle Calascio, mountain villages, Aperitivos/nibbles in a local bar Highlights of the tours: - the winery tour was BRILLIANT. Having been on a more ‘touristy’ tour in Tuscany this felt incredibly personal and we learned so much! We visited the Ciavolich vineyard and really enjoyed learning about the history and process of the wine making there. We also learned that the Ciavolich vineyard shares a valley with the well known Valentini winery. During the tasting (4 wines) we enjoyed a number of Abruzzese delicacies to accompany the wines. Delicious and fun! - Marino had arranged for a local ‘ambassador’ of Loreto Aprutino to show us around and we, again, really loved the personal touch. Our guide had curated a wonderful ‘history of football’ exhibition in an old palazzo. There was room after room of interesting artefacts, posters, shirts…very unexpected and interesting. There is also a ‘history of cinema’ museum which we visited which is run by an animator who runs workshops (we viewed a short film that had been made by local children). The olive oil museum was closed when we visited however I understand that is very good. - the day in the mountains was exceptional. Visiting in springtime is highly recommended as you will be blessed with meadows of wildflowers. A particular highlight was stopping off en route to the plateau to enjoy the perfume of the ‘broom’ flowers. Delightful! Also cooking arrosticini on the plateau should be on everyone’s ‘to do’ list. Especially if cooked by Marino - Delicious! - Marino’s commentary (and music choices!) in the car. He is so knowledgeable and really enriched the experience. - Aperitivos each evening were lovely. It genuinely felt like going for a drink with a friend…a friend who conjures up all the best things for you to try. You just need to sit back and enjoy them 🙂 There were endless other little things that Marino did to ensure we had the best time however you need to experience for yourself. Abruzzo is a beautiful region; if you have any interest in exploring the region please book a tour/experience with Experience Bella Vita. You will not regret it! Jasmin and Richard Visited: May 2022

We are to older couples how visiting Italy for many decades. We love eating and drinking. Marino arranged a culinary trip for us. The best wines and foods of the Abruzzo. And I can tell you it was an wonderful experience. We visited the special fish restaurants in the south (trabucco), get a taste of the cucina povery of the Abruzzo in local restaurants of very high quality, discovered the specialties like vino cotto, local meat and fish, and visiting the best wineries of the Abruzzo like Emidio Pepe. We met the family of Marino his father and mother en grandmother. It was warming. With Marino we not only had a perfect experience of la dolce vita of Abruzzo but we can call him now a good friend. If you want to experience the best of Abruzzo get in contact with Marino. There will be no better choice.
As a wine lover we now drink more wines from the relatively unknown wine region of Italy. We will come back to this wonderful place that have everything to offer. From the coast to the mountains.
For us that travelled tens of times to Italy this was one of the top three experience. High level of food and wine, in a relaxing not touristy area with excellent price performance. Hard the get in other regions of Italy.

Having fallen in love with the Abruzzo region (online during lockdown!) my husband and I booked a holiday-home hunting trip for Spring 2022.

We have both spent time in Italy in the past however had never visited the Abruzzo region before.

Prior to visiting in person we wanted to research the food and culture of the region and, in the Winter of 2020, stumbled across Experience Bella Vita’s website; specifically the food box service.

Marino was brilliant from the first order. His passion for Abruzzo was infectious (and the food/wine delicious!) which only cemented our desire to visit this undiscovered Italian gem and find a holiday home.

He was a fantastic resource and when I enquired about putting together an itinerary for a couple of days exploring the region he came up with a number of options, any of which would have been wonderful.

In the event (and as was travelling with my husband’s parents as a group of 4) we settled on the following:

Day 1: Winery Tour (including lunch), tour of Loreto Aprutino (we were specifically interested in some properties here), Aperitivos/nibbles in a local bar

Day 2: Campo Imperatore, Cooking Arrosticini in the open-air, Castle Calascio, mountain villages, Aperitivos/nibbles in a local bar

Highlights of the tours:
- the winery tour was BRILLIANT. Having been on a more ‘touristy’ tour in Tuscany this felt incredibly personal and we learned so much! We visited the Ciavolich vineyard and really enjoyed learning about the history and process of the wine making there. We also learned that the Ciavolich vineyard shares a valley with the well known Valentini winery. During the tasting (4 wines) we enjoyed a number of Abruzzese delicacies to accompany the wines. Delicious and fun!
- Marino had arranged for a local ‘ambassador’ of Loreto Aprutino to show us around and we, again, really loved the personal touch. Our guide had curated a wonderful ‘history of football’ exhibition in an old palazzo. There was room after room of interesting artefacts, posters, shirts…very unexpected and interesting. There is also a ‘history of cinema’ museum which we visited which is run by an animator who runs workshops (we viewed a short film that had been made by local children). The olive oil museum was closed when we visited however I understand that is very good.
- the day in the mountains was exceptional. Visiting in springtime is highly recommended as you will be blessed with meadows of wildflowers. A particular highlight was stopping off en route to the plateau to enjoy the perfume of the ‘broom’ flowers. Delightful! Also cooking arrosticini on the plateau should be on everyone’s ‘to do’ list. Especially if cooked by Marino - Delicious!
- Marino’s commentary (and music choices!) in the car. He is so knowledgeable and really enriched the experience.
- Aperitivos each evening were lovely. It genuinely felt like going for a drink with a friend…a friend who conjures up all the best things for you to try. You just need to sit back and enjoy them 🙂

There were endless other little things that Marino did to ensure we had the best time however you need to experience for yourself.

Abruzzo is a beautiful region; if you have any interest in exploring the region please book a tour/experience with Experience Bella Vita. You will not regret it!

Jasmin and Richard

Un moment magique passé aux cotés de Marino, la chasse aux truffes était très interessante et Enessio et ses chiens étaient super !Marino, nous à fait découvrir beaucoup de richesses des Abruzzes, notamment sur les produits typiques de la région mais aussi les bonnes adresses de restaurants/bars ! Notre experience dans les Abruzzes n'aurait clairement pas été la même sans lui, un grand MERCI ! Jimmy & Maureen

Marino met us at a newly-established bio-winery near Teramo. Nat, one of the proprietors, explained in considerable detail (and excellent English) his approach and philosophy. It was a real pleasure to talk with people who have such a passion for their work and to enjoy with them some of the fruits (pun intended) of their labour. All in all, a very enjoyable visit in a beautiful part of Italy.

 I've just got back from five days in Abruzzo (staying in Controguerra) with my wife. We arranged a day out with Experience BellaVita to visit a local market and vineyard. But the experience turned out to be so much more!

We started in Campli, where we tasted amazing local food like porchetta (pork roasted for nine hours with rosemary and garlic) along with cheeses and sausages from Lucia (market stall owner). Marino knew everybody and was super proud to show us his town. We'd already been to a couple of villages on our own, but having someone who knew the local culture made everything so much better.

In the afternoon we visited a vineyard close by run by Vincenzo and his dad. We had a brilliant afternoon learning the history of the family business and tasting the wines, including some very special older wines.

It was everything we could have wanted from an Abruzzo experience - great food, great wine, great company.

Marino was really knowledgeable, super friendly and went out of his way to make sure we had a nice time. We can't recommend him highly enough.