Curated food and wine experiences…
★★★★★
“This was our third trip with Natalina and will not be our last. We toured a rather undiscovered region of Italy and found it to be a wonderful experience filled with new activities every day.”
– Wayne Harloff
Natalina’s Food & Wine Experiences
Tico Licence: #50018105, #50021759
Since 2015, Natalina has hosted small groups in southern Italy to experience the small-town charm, history, culture, and incredible food and wine.
At Natalina’s, we like both our food and travel ‘slow’. Slow food means we choose experiences and restaurants that promote local food and traditional cooking. Slow travel means our itineraries limit hotel changes, select only the best experiences so that they can be enjoyed deeply and allowing sufficient time to wander as you wish. Our small group tours are capped at 18 people, but we usually land at 15.
We also embrace the shoulder seasons. Spring and fall are the best times to visit Italy – great weather, great food, less crowds.
Choose from our longest running experience, Taste of Puglia (the heel!), join Natalina in her ancestral home of Calabria (the toe!), try Sicily & Malta (island hopping!) or our newest destination, Abruzzo (perfect to add Rome (pre or post tour) as it is only 2 hours away). Not sure which tour is right for you? Contact Natalina for advice!
Please note coaches are used to take us from town to town but we are a “walking tour”. You could be on your feet up to 4 hours in a day, walking at a leisurely pace, visiting interesting locations or participating in a cooking experience. We offer many breaks and years of experience have confirmed the level of activity is very doable and appreciated with all the food and wine!
We minimize hotel changes, but when we do change, you will need to move your luggage from the coach to the hotel. This could be a 5-minute walk or 10-15, as our hotels are situated in the historic city centres, which often have travel restrictions in place and the BEST locations!
Do you want to take advantage of already being in Italy by adding some pre or post travel to your itinerary? If that travel includes where we run tours, we offer a FREE service to registered clients to help with your planning. Natalina offers advice based on her firsthand experiences in the area.
Contact us to book and we will introduce you to our TICO licensed travel partners at Maxima Tours.
If you want to be the first to know about departures, scroll down to subscribe to our tour newsletter. Registrations are on a first come, first serve basis with a $2000 CAD deposit. We cannot hold places without a deposit and registration form.
NEW for 2025
*Booking incentive- first ten guests for each departure, receive Natalina’s Classic Italian Online Cooking Program. Value $99 CAD / $80 USD
Plus, ecookbook incl with all bookings, value $10 CAD/ $8 USD
★★★★★
“Best. Vacation. Ever. Trip to Puglia region of Italy with Natalina and small group…. I can’t say enough good things about it. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys wonderful travel made easy :)”
Janice Reiner
★★★★★
“Taking the “Taste of Calabria” tour with host Natalina and guide Silvia proved to be one of my best travel decisions. With 13 other guests, we explored this part of southern Italy together, and by the end of the trip I felt I had gained 13 new friends”
Valerie Anderson
★★★★★
“I had an amazing time in Sicily and Malta! First time overseas, well organized, full days filled with interesting sites, amazing food and experiences. I will definitely travel with Natalina again”
Susan Keleher
Upcoming Culinary Experiences
Taste of Puglia
We start our adventure in the beautiful seaside town of Giovinazzo with walking tours, cheese making experience (the famous Burrata) and cooking in a local farmhouse. We travel south and inland to experience the wonderful hill towns and talented local artisans (olive oil, wine, bread, textiles) of the Itria Valley. We step briefly outside Puglia to include a must stop at the Unesco world heritage site of Matera. Next, on to the Instagram worthy seaside towns of Polignano a Mare and Monopoli. And south once more to the ‘Florence of the South’, Lecce. Of course, every stop and location are accompanied by memorable meals, local wines, leisure time and our guides bringing everything to life.
May 20- 30,2025, NOW REGISTERING (8 places left!)
*Booking incentive- first ten guests, plus Ecookbook incl with all bookings
2025 Cost Double: $6350 pp CAD Single: $6920 CAD
Length: 10 nights
Scroll down for inclusions & payment details
Taste of Calabria,
“The NEW Puglia!”(the next hot spot!)
Calabria combines rugged mountains, historic villages, and dramatic coastline. We start with the seaside vistas of Tropea. Inland to San Giorgio Morgeto, we savor award winning salumi and olive oils and stroll through olive groves. A walking tour of Reggio Calabria is combined with a visit to the National Archaeological Museum. Pentidattilo, a ‘ghost’ town, is a unique experience. We visit Scilla where cliffs and seaside come together. The Musaba museum is a rare combination of art, science, and architecture. The wine region of Ciro hosts a vineyard tour and tasting. Camigliatello Silano is the mountain setting for a cooking class. One of the best-preserved historical centers in Calabria is found in Cosenza. Cooking experiences and meals from the proud and generous Calabrese will be memorable.
Dates: Sept 12-22,2024, SOLD OUT!
*Sept 13-23, 2025: NOW REGISTERING
*Booking incentive- first ten guests, plus Eookbook incl with all bookings
2025 Cost Double: $6000 pp CAD Single: $6875 CAD
Length:10 nights
Scroll down for inclusions and payments details.
Taste of Sicily, with Malta
A walking tour of the picturesque hill town of Taormina offers dramatic views to the sea and Arab, Norman and Gothic influenced architecture. The day ends with our first cooking experience. We visit an active volcano, Mt. Etna, followed by a demonstration and tasting of the traditional Sicilian Mustarda dolci. Down the coast to Catania to enjoy the chaotic and delicious market and street food scene. The Siracusa and Ortigia walking tours reveal diverse architectural gems. Home to one of Sicily’s most beautiful historical centres is our next step, Noto, and surrounding valley for a wine tasting and lunch. Our introduction to the island of Malta starts with a food and culture tour of the fortified city of Valletta. By ferry to Gozo for a cooking experience with a local chef. We learn about local ingredients and pass a few landmarks along the way! We return to the main island for the medieval city of Mdina and a farm lunch with a local family.
Dates: Sept 27 – Oct 7, 2024, SOLD OUT
Sept 26- Oct 6, 2025: 5 places left!
*Booking incentive- first ten guests, plus Ecookbook incl with all bookings
2025 Cost Double: $6675pp CAD Single: $7860 CAD
*Single supplement is higher due to limited rooms on the islands.
Scroll down for inclusions & payment details
Taste of Abruzzo
We begin with L’Aquila and the medieval hill town of Castel del Monte in
Abruzzo’s rugged interior. Among the Apennine mountains, we enjoy a local lunch of arrosticini and visit the hill
town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. We include a visit to the Stiffe Caves and Abruzzo’s “Sisteen chapel”. Foraging the seasonal produce surrounding San Demetrio Ne’ Vestini will preclude our first cooking experience. We then visit the beautiful hillside town of Navelli, famous for saffron production. Now we head south-east to the dramatic Adriatic coastline in Fossacesia. A seaside visit to a Trabucco for a dining experience is an absolute must!
Back to the interior to explore a working olive tree farm and vineyard and a walking tour of Sulmona, famous for their ‘confetti’. Scanno hosts our next farm to fork experience and finally Pacentro, nominated as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. We finish with a second hands on cooking experience in a working farmhouse and then transfer the group to a Rome Airport Hotel for an easy airport transfer or into Rome for an extended stay.
June 3-13, 2025, Registering, 12 left
*Booking incentive- first ten guests, plus Ecookbook incl with all bookings
2025 Cost: Double: $6178pp CAD
Single: $6937 CAD
Length: 10 nights
contact us to book
This departure includes a group airport transfer from Rome Fiumicino Airport plus 1 night Rome airport hotel & transfer at the end making it perfect for a Rome add-on! We can help you plan it!
Scroll down for inclusions/exclusions
Taste of Abruzzo
BOOK NOW plus Pre and Post Travel Assistance
We want you to have the best time on your vacation, both the time we spend together on our tour and any travel you wish to do before or after.
As a free service and additional value of travelling with us, we can provide recommendations and helpful planning to further enjoy what Puglia, Calabria, Abruzzo, Sicily and Malta can offer.
Tour Details
Tico Licence: #50018105, #50021759
Details & Inclusions/Exclusions
- Each tour is priced based on a 10-person minimum, maximum of 15-18 guests.
- We meet guests at the first hotel for each tour, does not include flight
- Includes group airport transfers to first hotel on day 1 & departure on last day (excluding Abruzzo on last day, Rome Hotel)
- Includes all on the ground transportation and entry fees to experiences
- Includes, local, English speaking, licensed guides
- Includes all tips for guides, drivers, and group meals, this adds up!
- FREE pre and post travel advice, personalized by Natalina, based on her experience in the area.
Payment & Refund Dates
- Reserve your place now with a $2000 CAD deposit. Deposit is refundable, less a $250 CAD* administrative fee, if cancelled 91 days or greater, prior to your departure (* for bookings after 08/01/23)
- Balance is required 90 days prior to departure
- Non-refundable if cancelled 90 days or less prior to departure
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance is recommended
- Use your points and/or book your own flight, not included. Choose your travel dates and take advantage of pre or post travel advice to extent your trip.
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