Your Life Experience:
Day 1. Wednesday, September 3
Arrival and welcome dinner with chef Gregorio Spinzo and Flavia
• Arrival at the airport, Lamezia Terme (SUF), transfers and check-in to the RadaSiri hotel in Montepaone
• Relaxing afternoon in Montepaone. Rest, stroll and visit the town, or lay at the private beach near the hotel
• 7:45pm Pizza party at 20’s in Montepaone, with chef Gregorio and Flavia
Day 2. Thursday, September 4
Relaxed aka “piano piano” morning, a summer day like an Italian – Authentic Calabrian dinner
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 10:00am Boat tour on the ionian sea with “prosecco” toast and Italian snacks, and swimming
• 1:00pm Lunch at a local sea side restaurant “La Palapa”
• Free afternoon at the private beach “La Palapa”, swimming, sun and rest at the beach
• 5:30pm Return at the hotel and rest
• 7:45pm Traditional Calabrian dinner at trattoria “A Picocca” in Satriano
Day 3. Friday, September 5
Open-air Friday market – Cooking demo
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 8:30am Visit to “mercatino” of Soverato: a typical Italian open-air market offers culinarians an insight to the country’s most traditional aspects as well as an opportunity to browse foods, cheeses, wines and cured meats that are still produced by artisans. Participants compare and taste the differences between these products and those of the industrial sector
• Food shopping at the market
• 11:00pm Cooking lesson by Chef Gregorio and his team followed by lunch and relax
• 5:30pm Return at the hotel
• 8:00pm Seafood dinner at “Blanca Cruz” in Caminia
Day 4. Saturday, September 6
Tropea
Overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the center of the Costa degli Dei (Coast of Gods), it is situated on a steep cliff about 60 meters high overlooking the sea. A well-known tourist center, Tropea is part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy and has been awarded the blue flag for the quality of its waters
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 9:00am Morning departure for Tropea
• Swimming in the Tyrrhenian sea
• 1:00pm Lunch at a local seafood restaurant overlooking the sea “Lido Calypso”
• 3:00pm Afternoon in the historical center of the town
• 5:00pm Departure for Torre di Ruggero
• 8:00pm Mountain dinner at “Radici” in Torre di Ruggero
Day 5. Sunday, September 7
Chef Gregorio’s cooking demo and Sunday family lunch – Gelato tasting in Badolato
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 10:00am Cooking demo by chef Gregorio and his team, a traditional Calabrian Sunday lunch with chef Gregorio and his team
• Afternoon relax at the beach or in town
• 6:30 pm Departure for Badolato. This town has several Byzantine churches arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, and many small alleyways characteristic of medieval towns. It is an agricultural center for the area on the Ionian side of the Calabrian mountain range, located on the north-western slopes of Mount St. Nicholas. It occupies a spur between two valleys which open out to the coastal plain below
• “Gelateria”. Artisanal gelato tasting in Badolato.
• 8:15pm Dinner at a typical restaurant in Badolato at “Catojo dello Spinetto”
Day 6. Monday, September 8
Matera. Basilicata – Lecce. Apulia
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 8:00am Early morning departure to Matera. Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the “Sassi di Matera”. The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in what is now Italy. The Sassi are habitations dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia.
• 1:00pm Lunch in Matera at a local restaurant
• Afternoon in Matera
• 6:30pm Check-in to the hotel in Lecce
• 8:00pm Dinner at a typical Apulian restaurant in Lecce
• Overnight at the hotel in Lecce
Day 7. Tuesday, September 9
Lecce
Lecce is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce, with the second-highest population in the Apulia region. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is nicknamed “The Florence of the South”. “Lecce stone”, a particular kind of limestone, is one of the city’s main exports, because it is very soft and workable, and thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce is also an important agricultural center, chiefly for its olive oil and wine production, as well as an industrial center specializing in ceramics.
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 10:30am Lecce’s private tour and local street food tasting (burrata, taralli, pasticciotto, puccia, etc etc…)
• Lunch open (list of restaurants recommended by chef Gregorio)
• Free afternoon in Lecce. Shopping and visit the center of the town
• Dinner open. (list of restaurants recommended by chef Gregorio)
• Overnight at the hotel in Lecce
Day 8. Wednesday, September 9
Rocca Imperiale
Rocca Imperiale is a town in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region. It is located in the middle of the arc that surrounds the Gulf of Taranto and sits 4 km away from the sea on a hill at the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, which stretches out to the shore that was once the ancient Siritide plain. It is a member of the “I Borghi più belli d’ Italia (“The most beautiful villages of Italy”) association.
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 9:30am Morning departure to Calabria
• 11:30am Stop and visit Rocca Imperiale
• 1:00pm Lunch at a “trattoria” in Rocca Imperiale
• Return at the hotel in Montepaone
• 8:15pm Dinner at a local restaurant in Soverato
Day 9. Thursday, September 11
Extra virgin olive oil and wine tasting at “Cantina Statti” – Seafood dinner overlooking the Ionian Sea
The ancient name of Calabria, “Enotria Tellus” (Land of Wine), offers a straightforward introduction to this fascinating land, which has always been dedicated to producing wines.
For over two thousand years the agricultural history of Calabria has been entwined with the wine one and since 1700 the family of Barone Statti has been living in the same five hundred hectares. The great variety of the local vines represents a great heritage to be found and valued again.
Statti’s family has been played an important role for Calabrian economy and since now Alberto and Antonio Statti have been choosing to value the deep bond with the history and the tradition of their own land with a look always towards the future and the innovation
• Breakfast at the hotel
• 10:00am Morning departure to Cantina Statti
• Visit the olives grove and vineyard. Return to the cantina and wine and EVOO tasting
• 3:00pm Afternoon visit to the Scolacium Museum and Archeological Park – The Park tells the story of Skylletion, a city of Magna Grecia, which became a prosperous Roman colony, Scolacium. The site is immersed in a centuries-old olive grove which constitutes the green lung of the province of Catanzaro
• Return at the hotel and relax
• 7:30pm Dinner at “Shabby” in Soverato
Day 10. Friday, September 12
Departure. Arrivederci!
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Departures from the hotel with transfers to the airport SUF (Lamezia Terme) or trani station. Arrivederci!!!
Single Occupancy
Double Occupancy
PAYMENT OPTIONS & INFORMATION:
To sign up for the trip, a 50% deposit is due at registration. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure date.**
Bank transfers are accepted for deposit and final payment.
*Price does not include airfare or expenses during “free time.”
**Payments are refundable minus a $300 administration fee until 60 days prior to start date.
PRICE INCLUDES:
9 nights accommodations at 3-4 Star hotels in Calabria and Puglia; Transfers from and to the airport or train station; International breakfast every morning; Aperitivo all’Italiana; 8 Lunches (includes wine pairings with meal); 8 Dinners (includes wine pairings with meal); Welcome dinner at a local restaurant; Dinner at a special location; Dinner at Agriturismo; Mediterranean Dinner Feast; Dinner at local Apulian trattoria; Pasta and Pizza party; Dinner “alfresco” at the Organic Farm; Wine tasting; All ground transfers listed in the itinerary, including airport transfers; All tours and dining listed in the itinerary; Transfer to Puglia; English/Italian speaking guides throughout the trip; All cooking lessons; Tax and VAT included; All gratuities are included.
