Italia Sweet Italia

My head is still in the clouds after experiencing the adventure of a lifetime. The Cultural, Culinary, and Walking Tour of Abruzzo was hands-down the best vacation I’ve ever had. Fabrizio clearly loves and is proud of his hometown, Vasto. Who wouldn’t be? Every day of the tour was filled with new delights, from tasting Abruzzo’s excellent cuisine (arrosticini!) and wine (cerisuolo!) to enjoying the breathtaking scenery. Not only was Fabrizio a superb and knowledgeable host, but he also welcomed us into his family. On our last night in Vasto, Fabrizio invited us to share in the celebration of his father’s 80th birthday. It was a touching moment I’ll never forget. Grazie mille, Fabrizio!

This was our first time to Abruzzo after many years of coming to Italy. It won’t be our last trip here, thanks to Fabrizio of Italia Sweet Italia! I hired Fabrizio to plan our 4 day trip here and he did not disappoint in the least. We learned so much about the region, the food and how lovely the people are. We had wine/oil/cheese tastings, a cooking class, a boat trip to the Tremiti islands and an excursion to Sulmona. Fabrizio handled all details for us and was VERY responsive and flexible, focusing on what we wanted to do and making changes for the weather and for our energy levels. Was truly one of the best experiences we have had in many years. And we will be back!!! UPDATE: We did come back to Abruzzo and took another tour with Fabrizio to Roccascalegna castle, to a wonderful trabocco (look those up..amazing) and to Fonte Fico for another wine tasting. It was a wonderful couple of days and his love of Vasto and Abruzzo has caused us to decide we want to buy property around Vasto. He's that good.

Fabrizio and his merry band of guides and entrepreneurs are fantastic at taking very good care of their patrons. We found all the villages and villagers to be warm, friendly and welcoming. The food was wonderful, fresh, plentiful and delicious. I would thoroughly enjoy taking this trip again. As Katia was fond of saying: "Andiamo!!"

The culinary tour I took with Italia Sweet Italia was the highlight of my trip to Italy last summer. Fabrizio works tirelessly to insure that his guests experience Abruzzo in a way that most tourists don’t. His family welcomed us as guests to their home. I would so recommend the culinary or any other tour Fabrizio offers.

It is hard to fully explain what a wonderful holiday I had visiting Abruzzo and Puglia with this company. Fabrizio is a thoughtful ,friendly but highly professional guide. Everyone we met on our visits were warm and welcoming. We learned a lot about the area, it's history and wonderful authentic food and wine. The tour is full of interest but also relaxed and fun, including the cooking and wonderful tasting experiences. I look forward to traveling with Italia Sweet Italia again.

As we could have predicted after a visit to Abruzzo and a tour with Fabrizio in May, we came back to Abruzzo. My wife and I came to love the area so much thanks to Italia Sweet Italia. We returned in September 2019 and have just finished another tour with Fabrizio, seeing Roccascalegna castle, the Abby of St Giovanni in Venere and had the most fabulous lunch and experience on a trabacco. I can’t recommend Fabrizio highly enough. As someone born and raised in Vasto, Abruzzo, he can show you the treasures of Abruzzo like no one else! I have a strong belief that this won't be our last visit to Vasto and Abruzzo.

Fabrizio is a wonderful guide and his passion for his home is contagious. I loved meeting his family and friends and sharing part of their lives with us. It's a great "off the beaten path" tour and we fell in love with Abruzzo! I highly recommend his tours.

Spending 6 days in the Abruzzo region of Italy with Fabrizio as my trusted guide was one of the best decisions I've ever made. In December, I decided I needed to get away from my everyday routine and go to Italy. My travel consultant sent me an itinerary which included 6 activity-packed days based out of Vasto, exploring Abruzzo, which included: an afternoon in the gorgeous snow-capped mountains as we traversed Italy from Rome to Abruzzo and enjoyed lunch in Scanno; cooking with and getting to know Fabrizio's family on two occasions; touring a vineyard and sampling their wine with a beautifully paired multi-course lunch while chatting with the vineyard owners; snacks and sparkling local wine on a private trabbochi after a walk along the beach in a nature preserve; a tour of an olive orchard and the olive-processing area; multiple delicious meals prepared in the slow-food fashion using local ingredients in picturesque restaurants with wine pairings; touring an agriturismo - which included making ricotta and pizza scima, and enjoying cured meats, cheeses, pasta and lamb from the farm; exploring Vasto and learning about its rich cultural history while meeting local artists, restauranteurs and shop owners; climbing to the top of a majestic medieval castle; and more! Fabrizio is a gem. He is humble, personable, knowledgeable, funny, patient, empathetic, organized, and absolutely in love with his heritage and maintaining the authenticity of the Abruzzo region and its people. If you are considering spending time in Italy, take a detour from the tourist tract and spend time with Fabrizio. My time in Abruzzo was the most special part of my trip to Italy. As I toured more of Italy and locals asked me where I had been, they always responded with "Abruzzo? Do you have family there? How did you end up in Abruzzo?! That's not a typical tourist area." And I always answered with, "I didn't have family there, but I feel like I do now." I can't wait to return and spend more time with Fabrizio, his beautiful family, the welcoming residents of Vasto and surrounding towns in Abruzzo, and explore more of this region.