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• Amazing Abruzzo- Experience Bella Vita

  Tinetti,Oct 17, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Our family of four spent 6 days with Marino Cardelli of "Experience Bella Vita". It was our first visit to Italy and we went to Sulmona, the town where my husband's grandparents had lived. We choose Marino because he offered personalized tours as well as genealogy research. It was an amazing trip that included seeing the house where my husband's grandmother was born, viewing their birth registrations from 1890, and meeting distant relatives. Marino did the genealogy research and then by sharing his knowledge and love of Abruzzo, he helped our understanding of the history and culture of this region. We went truffle hunting, did olive oil tasting, and visited nearby medieval towns, as well as visiting the Gran Sasso national park and the trabocchi coast. We were able to do and see things that would not have been possible for us without Marino's deep knowledge of the area. Marino is an excellent communicator. He did several video calls with us to gather and share information prior to the trip, and he had wonderful recommendations for where to stay and eat in Sulmona. The meals we had in Abruzzo were some of the best I've ever had (including the truffle meal with his uncle's family). It was a long-held dream of my husband to see where his grandparents had lived and we are so grateful for Marino's help in making this dream come true.

• Marino is the best!

  Josh P,Jul 8, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I recently spent 9 days on a trip to Abruzzo with my family. Marino took us truffle hunting, we made pasta, we went to Gran Sasso and had arrosticini. We did so many wonderful things, it was a Trip of a lifetime with Marino. He took great care of our big group of 22, and everyday was packed with truly authentic experiences. If you want to experience Abruzzo, Marino is your guy!

• Marino you rock

  Robert B,Aug 29, 2024

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Marino, provide me with great information to help with my family research and guided me to an Italian website in which I was able to find my grandfather's and grandmother's birth certificates. When I go to Italy in March 2025 for 3 months, I'll be able to request official copies of both certificates to further my dual citizenship. Thank you, Marino, for your time and generosity.

• The beauty, culture and people of the Abruzzo region of Italy

  joanmX3656BJ,Oct 31, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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

• Experience Bellavita is truly a bella vita experience.

  Voyager08092845853,Sep 10, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Our family vacation in Abruzzi is one we will never forget. It was great to have Marino Cardelli, a friendly, knowledgeable and genuine native of Abruzzi, guide us throughout our stay. He gave personal attention to planning, advising and customizing our trip to make it a relaxed and meaningful event. The purpose of our trip was to introduce family members to their Abruzzi heritage Marino and our driver Riccardo took great care to provide us with a truly authentic Abruzzi experience in a way we never expected. With Marino we explored the history of the Abruzzo region, visited welcoming towns, family run farms, olive groves, local wineries and the seaside. As a culinary enthusiast and sommelier, he introduced us to the best wine tasting and 5-star dining experiences. Our cooking lesson with Marino and his mom was exceptional. As Italians we never expected to learn as much as we did. Spending time with his family added a heartwarming touch to our family-oriented vacation. We visited the hometown of our grandparents and with Marino’s help found 2 cousins, which was an emotional and exciting encounter. Driving services were reliable, responsive and entertaining. Our driver Riccardo took us on scenic drives with majestic views of the mountains and the Adriatic Sea. He was most accommodating, flexible and fun to be with. He made our rides so enjoyable. Our 5 weeks in Abruzzi went by much too quickly. We have adopted Marino and Riccardo into our newly found Italian family and have our return visit planned. I highly recommend ExperienceBellaVita without hesitation to those seeking a personalized approach to vacationing in Italy and/or experiencing the Abruzzi culture.

• Trip of a Lifetime

  Diane A,Jun 6, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  This was a trip of a lifetime. From the initial virtual meeting, Marino confidently shared an interest in meeting our travel goals, which was to explore family heritage and experience local lifestyle. All we knew about visiting the area and Italy is that we wanted to explore heritage and did not want everyone else’s trip to Italy. We love off the beaten path, local gems, lifestyle excursions and personalized service. Experience BellaVita provided that . For family heritage, we sent Marino very few documents which we had acquired through family and online resources, and he expanded upon those records to provide possible familial relationships through his personal research. He asked leading questions which gave him information he needed to further research. For our first welcome dinner, he changed to a restaurant where there are likely family connections, based on his research. The dinner at Hotel Ristorante Pizzeria ll Salice allowed us to experience regional dishes of the finest quality. Admittedly, I stepped out of my comfort zone, but enjoyed every bite of my food adventure while possibly meeting a third cousin. Marino was extremely responsive to questions regarding the Abruzzo area and beyond, giving us a resource we felt confident with both in the Abruzzo and other areas of Italy we explored. He was terrific with restaurant recommendations and suggesting food and wine pairings , The itinerary he designed for us was flawless! All of the transfers were seamless and professional. Our driver, Ricardo, provided historical information during our transfers, as well as allowing to enjoy some quiet time to rest! He was the best! Communication was never lacking. Marino casually learned of a food preference, and made immediate changes for our lunch the following day to accommodate that. We had asked to visit among local people, and to understand the cultural better. He provided us an opportunity to make cheese and eat lunch made and served on the farm where we made the cheese. The family was warm, caring and provided us with only homemade food. We speak no Italian, and the hosts, Guisseppe and Adele, who only speak Italian made us comfortable and welcome. Language was not an issue. Warm smiles, nods and hugs said it all! We enjoyed a visit to Scuppoz Liquori and saw a passionate business owner who was very welcoming. We sampled many fine craft liquors, and learned of the process and dedication required to produce these quality beverages and the impact his craft has on the region. We had the opportunity to tour the vineyards and ground at Maurizi, where we learned about growing techniques and also tasted Olive Oil. One of the best experiences of this tours was the local men, who just “popped in” to share time with us and get to know us while we paired wine, meat and cheese in a warm, cozy setting. The wines are natural and delicious. As we traveled the mountains the abandoned towns and villages of the area, Marino provided information of historical changes over time. As part of this trip was a heritage trip, we appreciated hearing how our ancestors may have lived and where they might have traveled. We visited site of the town hall, where my grandfather’s birth would have been recorded. It’s been newly renovated, but the location is historic . Abruzzo area is amazingly beautiful! The lifestyle is genuine and comprises of hardworking people caring for one another. It’s beauty and hospitality deserves to be experienced. We are grateful to have been a guest and now family of Experience BellaVita. From Abruzzo, we moved on to Pompeii, Naples, and Capri where Marino had arranged for a local colleague to be our contact. Antonella provided a similar experience in being available, responsive, and informative, assuring our drivers were communicative and accessible and timely.

• Best Trip Ever!!!

  AriannaLarson,May 9, 2023

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Marino and the Experience BellaVita team made our trip to Abruzzo one of the most amazing trips of my lifetime. We brought my grandmother from Connecticut to her hometown of Pratola for a festival, and Marino made an itinerary that exceeded our expectations in every way. From the very start- the driver, Giuseppe, who picked us up from the Rome airport, greeted/met us exactly where we expected- and drove us safely and comfortably to our B&B in Sulmona. Getting set up in the B&B that Marino acquired for us was simple, and the apartment was lovely- and ideally located! Marino picked us up for a wine tasting of the Abruzzi region- and during that wine tour, we found out the owner was related to us! This surprise was a special treat for my grandmother and an excellent way to kick off the weekend. My highlight was eating at the Campo Imperatore Plateau for Arrosticini and spending the day with Marino. He became a member of our family as well! If I gave a play-by-play of every place that Marino took us and all of the beautiful expertise that he shared- this review would be a novel. On our last day, Ricardo was available to us for transport from Sulmona and Pratola for the festival- then he brought us to Rome as we had a flight early the next day. Ricardo was so sweet and accommodating! All in all, this was the trip of a lifetime, all thanks to the Experience BellaVita team. I can not thank Marino, Ricardo, Giuseppe, and Francesca at Cantina Margiotta for their incredible hospitality, kindness, expertise, recommendations, and memories. I hope to travel back to have this trip again and again, and I highly recommend that anyone traveling to the Abruzzo region use BellaVita tours to enhance their experience!

• Trip of a lifetime

  josephgX3725VG,Nov 28, 2022

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Marino was an absolute pleasure to work with. I took a trip to Italy and wanted to visit the hometown of my Grandmother. Marino went above and beyond in scheduling an amazing day trip to Penne. We went to a small vineyard to sample some great local wine, and had a terrific lunch, and then he drove us to Penne. He was able to line up a local to show us around. This local provided us with such a great perspective on the history as well as current happenings in Penne. It was a trip I'll never forgot.

• A Wonderful Experience

  drr530,Sep 16, 2022

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Marino did a great job for me and my fellow travelers. He found one of my cousins before I arrived in Rivisondoli, Abruzzo. He arranged transport for five of us from the Rome airport to our hotel in Rivisondoli. Our driver, Riccardo was prompt, courteous and shared lots of information about the area as we were driving. Marino arrived later in the day and took us to meet my cousin Renato and his wife Oksana and later we all had dinner at a wonderful restaurant, La Portella. The next day he accompanied us to the town hall to find my grandparents' records. We were able to get a certified copy and even have our picture taken with the mayor! He then went above and beyond and took us on a short trip to see the beautiful town of Pescocostanzo where he disappeared for a while saying that he had to take care of his parking. He was gone quite a while but when he returned he walked us to a fabulous restaurant, La Corniola, for a delicious lunch. We soon learned to where he had disappeared. He made photo magnets for all of us from the photos that he took in the previous days! We were overwhelmed. Marino was a pleasure to deal with before and during our trip. I highly recommend Experience Bella Vita for an unforgettable travel experience to Abruzzo - a jewel in Italy.

• Ancestry Research

  lauriemG2854QK,Aug 29, 2022

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  My husband and I traveled to Italy for our 25th anniversary. As a second generation Italian immigrant, my husband was interested in finding out more about his Italian roots. Marino Cardelli was referred to us by a family friend as someone who had experience in ancestry research. Marino did an absolutely amazing job for us. he found the village that my husbands family was fun, helped us obtain transportation to the village, which was high up in the mountains 3 hours away from any City and, since we do not speak Italian, even met us at the village to translate for us. Marino was able to find birth records and marriage certificates which he used to create a family tree for us. He even interviewed people at the Village for us and from these interviews we learned a lot more about our family than we knew. He also found a living cousin of ours in the Village and from the information he learned from this cousin he was able to track the rest of our family who it turns out had emigrated to Canada. Thanks to Marino, we found a whole Canadian wing of the family we never knew existed. Throughout the process Marino was professional, fun to work with, was as interested in our family as we were and most importantly is simply superb at researching family history. It is evident that he has a passion for ancestry research. We are so immensely grateful to him for his outstanding work. I highly recommend Marino to anyone looking to find out more about their ancestors. We were so impressed with his work that we plan on working with Marino to discover my Sicilian roots next. It does not get any better than Marino!

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