I thought I was a pretty good Italian cook, having learned from my Nonna who came from Abruzzo. But this experience definitely upped my game. Marino is a terrific cook and a terrific teacher. I learned more about making homemade pasta than I ever knew. As if that isn't recommendation enough, Marino also helped me discovered genealogical information about my grandparents that I was able to use to obtain their birth certificates--I might be able to get an Italian passport!

This was our second trip using Experience BellaVita and working with Marino Cardelli. The purpose of this trip was to visit and explore the villages of our ancestorial roots and experience firsthand the culture, foods, geography, geology, climate, and history of the Liguria region of Italy. Working with Marino to plan this custom tour was a wonderful experience. His understanding of the importance of providing a memorable experience, attention to detail, and customer focus were outstanding. To assist with the planning Marino networked with a local tour guide and colleague Tiziana Delbono, who is from the Liguria region. From the start I felt that Tiziana was clearly the perfect person to assist us with this trip. Her friendly personality, years of experience working in the tourist industry, and vast knowledge of Northern Italy truly increased my confidence level in making this trip a reality. Tiziana picked us up in Nice France and we drove to her hometown of Millesimo where we stayed. Millesimo is a wonderful small town and was a great base location for our trip. The next eight days of touring this region with Tiziana were just outstanding with each day filled with new experiences and surprises. She made sure we were tasting the best traditional foods and wines as we explored the small mountain villages of our ancestors. The most memorable for me was visiting Giusvalla and being able to see firsthand the birth records for my grandparents. Then to my surprise Tiziana introduced me to a cousin for the first time. Prior to our trip Tiziana made the contacts and did the research to make this unforgettable experience happen. This is not an easy task to accomplish by any means and she did it. For the entire trip, Tiziana went well beyond our expectations to make this trip an experience of a lifetime that we will remember forever. And best of all we made many new friends in Italy and our bond with Tiziana is a very special relationship to us.

Our time in Abruzzo was the highlight of our 2-week trip! Marino found some amazing family connections for us, giving us an understanding and appreciation for the people, places and experiences that had a profound impact on our family during WWII. I never imagined that one day would have such an impact on me, but weeks later, I still get chills when I tell friends about my experience. Thank you, Marino!

We were extremely happy with the services provided by Experience Bella Vita. I think an important way Experience Bella Vita stands out is, unlike other operators we contacted, they were absolutely focused on setting up services to meet the needs we had, rather than selling us a prepackaged service or tour. In addition, they communicated with us during our trip to make sure everything was going okay so we always felt like we were taken care of, or that if anything went wrong (It didn't.) they would step in to fix things. First, they arranged for a transfer for us from the Rome airport (FCO) to our hotel in Roseto degli Abruzzi. It was perfectly arranged and they kept track of our flight, made sure we made the connection with our driver, and even checked to make sure we made it to our hotel safely. The driver was genial and the vehicle was clean and comfortable. The transfer Experience Bella Vita arranged for us really made our arrival in Italy much easier and relaxing. Next, they arranged for a driver for us for two days of self-selected site-seeing. The driver assigned to us, Riccardo, was not only an excellent driver, but also friendly, accommodating, and full of lots of historical and geological information as we drove and visited hill towns (Penne, Navelli, Santo Stefano di Sessanio) and sites (Rocca Calascio, Peltuinum). I am sure we never would have reached as many or all of those sites on our own. Riccardo also helped us get ready to rent a car later in our trip by teaching us about road signs, parking, tolls, etc. We had a great time visiting Abruzzo and want to go back. The services provided by Experience Bella Vita were key in making our trip to Abruzzo a success.

We returned to the Abruzzo area and Marino created a custom tour for us since the timing of the trip coincided with Olive harvest season. We experienced the hard work involved with harvesting olives from the trees, It was fascinating to learn about the variety of olives and see firsthand the differences. Marino with Experience Bella Vita is the go to guy for a customized experience! We feel very lucky to have found him and his wealth of knowledge in this area of Italy.

Second time having Marino help with arranging a wonderful activity! He is so knowledgeable about the Abruzzo region. The wine tasting and winery visit was memorable and Abruzzi wines are great. If you planning a visit to this region of Italy, Marino is the best person to assist. We enjoyed the truffle hunt and cheese making from our first trip in 2022 so it was a no brainer to use him again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

We contacted Marino to set up a legacy tour of the towns of my grandparents: Introdacqua and Castel di Sangro. We didn't just chat, he set up a Zoom meeting so that he could know us. He put together a magical trip for 11 people. He was the translator, but he had locals tell us about the towns. He handled transportation from our arrival in Rome to final departure. We didn't just see Introdacqua, we met the museum curator and traded stories about my family and things that they had in the museum. (My Aunt Rose was on the cover of one of the books.) We went into a small music museum and heard students practicing "God Bless America". (I think that it was a coincidence, but who knows?) We went to the mother church which was opened just for us. We met the parish priest!! We walked through the cemetery and went up to the medieval tower. (We ate cherries from the trees around the tower.) We didn't just see Castel di Sangro, we stopped at the house where my grandmother was born in 1898. We walked to the upper part of the city. We were invited inside the mother church as locals described the significance of the various alters. The church was dated "1706" but it was the third church built on that site. The first two were destroyed by earthquakes. We went to a local museum and discussed the history of the city from the Samnites to World War II. In total we visited 9 cities in the Abruzzo plus an optional trip to Rome. On our last day we finished with a meal at Marino's house with his parents and their dog "Asso". The meal started with eggs and flour in the middle of the table and ended with Maccheroni alla Chitarra. We celebrated Crognale Festa and "adopted" Marino by giving his a "Famiglia Crognale" shirt.

With a group of 56(!) friends we travelled to Teramo. Thanks to Marino and his friends/family we had an unforgettable experience. We had been planning this trip for over a year, and Marino helped us with everything. He was really flexible and listened carefully to our wishes to make the trip a joyful experience for everyone. Everything was perfectly organised and everything, even with such a big group, went very smoothly. In addition to this, the enthousiasm of Marino is infectious. He is able to tell all about Abruzzo with so much passion, which really adds a lot to the experience. He brought us to places and people that we would not have been able to find ourselves, and I have enjoyed every second of it. He made all of us feel as part of his family, and I think you need to be a special kind of person to make people feel this way. If you ever want to go to this beautiful region, with incredible nature, amazing food and wines, and even more amazing people, I would really recommend asking Marino to be your guide. Thanks again Marino for the amazing time!

We've had an unforgettable trip thanks to Marino's fantastic leadership. He took us, together with his friends and family, to the most beautiful places in Abruzzo and we could contact him for all questions and wishes. If you come to Abruzzo or Teramo, having Marino as your guide during your stay is a must!

It was an amazing experience! Maurino was an excellent tour guide, showing us several Italian traditions. We tasted the fantastic Italian food and wine, made pasta the authentic way, and hiked in the beautiful mountains of Gran Sasso. It was perfect, even with our large-sized group of 56 women he was able to tell and teach us all about the wonderful Abbruzzo! Thank you very much! An experience we will never forget.

The Experience Bella Vita Custom Tours of Italy is an outstanding tour program. Marino Cardelli is more than a tour guide, he is a researcher, a diligent worker and an ingenious seeker of new ways to enhance his tours. For Marino, Experience Bella Vita Custom Tours is not a job but a passion. His very strong desire to share the history, culture and people of Abruzzo allows him to share this passion with experiences not with generic tours. Our group of six are very pleased with everything that Marino provided for us. We contacted him 3 months prior to traveling to Italy. We were searching for an Ancestral Heritage Tour of Abruzzo. We all had grandparents who were born in the Abruzzo region and then came to America to build a better life for themselves and their families. Marino visited our hometowns and met with many people in each town. He was able to have the mayor of Salle spend the day with us and share his knowledge about Salle and Salle Vecchia. The information he shared gave us more incite into the lives of our ancestors. We not only walked about the town but toasted our ancestors with wine and snacks (provided by Marino). We visited the town hall and were given access to the documents showing the birth, marriage and death of our ancestors. Seeing the birth record in a large book written in the beautiful Italian script is a memory that I will cherish. We spent 7 days in Abruzzo staying at a Bed and Breakfast in Sulmona. Everyday we traveled by van to our ancestors hometowns; Salle, Penne and Pianella. We went to the beautiful National Parks of Majella and Gran Sasso. We hiked to the Castle at Rocca Colascio, we tasted wine and ate a home cooked meal at Cantina Wilma, we truffle hunted with his family and ate an amazing seafood meal on a Trabocco near Pescara. Everyday was a new experience. Marino out did himself. His care, his friendly personality and his willingness to meet all our needs made our time in Abruzzo a stunning exploration of the history and culture of the region. I have shared with family and friends Marino’s website and I will continue to share the fabulous programs that his company provides. Grazie Mille, Joan McConnell

Our tour consisted of visiting the Abruzzo region in Italy. I would highly recommend our tour guide, Marino Cardelli, with reservation. We had a full itinerary visiting various towns and sites in the region. Marino was very personable and made us feel comfortable. He far exceeded my expectations and would endorse any trip he has planned.

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.

Cannot say enough about Marino and BellaVita. For 6 days we were totally immersed in the history and culture of Abruzzo. Best of all we met and ate with local families in a more intimate way then normal tours. Everything was as advertised, and well worth the cost. Highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.

I had the absolute PLEASURE of spending a week with Marino Cardelli as our tour guide with Experience BellaVita and five of my friends/travel partners. There were four of us with grandparents from the Abruzzo Region of Italy and decided to "find out roots" in Abruzzo. Marino provided a tour of many towns in Abruzzo, we experienced the food, wine, history, people, culture and Marino's love and passion of his homeland! We were fascinated with his knowledge, friendliness, articulate use of the English language( we are U.S. citizens. Marino arranged and carefully planned our tour, took us to our grandparents place of birth, saw their birth records, our ancestral roots! Marino became our friend, we were picked up each morning at our B&B in Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy. We walked the Gran Sasso Mountain Range in Majella National Park, ate lunch in a castle, truffle hunting, five course meal in a restaurant on the Adriatic Coast. Every day was a new and exciting adventure created and orchestrated by Marino! Anyone seeking an unbelievable tour of Abruzzo, please contact, Marino, owner of Experience BellaVita, you'll be thrilled and excited with your forever love of Abruzzo Region of Italy! Marino has the knowledge, love, passion, personality and charm to ensure it's your vacation of a lifetime!