This eight-day package is based entirely in Villamagna, a small village in Chieti province, with day excursions out to the coast and inland hills; there are no hotel changes across the week. English and Italian are both spoken throughout, with other languages available on request. Some day excursions are not suitable for travelers with limited mobility, though alternatives can be arranged.
The week follows the route of the 1566 Saracen raids, and Villamagna sits at its center: local tradition holds that the appearance of Santa Margherita here stopped the assault, and the village opens and closes the journey. Day 2 traces that story on foot, through the church and the parts of the village that still hold the memory, followed by a dinner cooked at home by a villager. Day 3 moves to Chieti, the region's oldest city, for its Archaeological Museum and Marrucino Theatre. Day 4 covers two invasions in one place: Ortona, raided in 1566 and the site of a major WWII battle in 1943, followed by Tollo, where the 1566 battle is still re-enacted annually, with dinner at Feudo Antico, a restaurant built around Roman ruins. Day 5 is the longest and most varied: the Trabocchi Coast's wooden fishing platforms, Roccascalegna's castle built into a rock face, the Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere, sacked in 1566 and still bearing the marks, and dinner at a trabocco over the water at sunset. Day 6 shifts inland to Guardiagrele, for its silver and ironwork tradition, and Pretoro, on the edge of Maiella National Park. The week closes on Day 7 with a visit to Ceramiche Liberati, a working majolica studio, followed by a hands-on cooking and tasting session and a final group dinner in Villamagna.





