May 5-13, 2027

September 22-30, 2027

Welcome to the Pasta Grammar Tour! Come join Harper and Eva of Pasta Grammar on a culinary tour of southern Italy. From Campania to Calabria, we will explore the sights and flavors of this enchanting land.

This tour is for adventurous eaters! While there will be no shortage of pizza and pasta, be prepared to see a side of Italian cuisine you won't find on mainstream tours. If you prefer exploring busy Neapolitan street markets over sipping an overpriced cappuccino in Piazza San Marco, this is the trip for you!

With a small group of guests, it is our goal to create an intimate trip where we can all make new friends and enjoy some of the most delicious food in the world together.

Who is this experience for?

This tour is for adventurous travelers who want to try new food and see a side of southern Italy

off the beaten path. We created this trip to share our favorite Italian experiences that most

tourists will never have the opportunity to find on their own, especially not on another guided

tour. It’s also for people who would never normally join a group tour. This is different! We

intentionally keep the group small, making it an intimate and unique experience that never feels

like a “normal” tour.

Who is this experience NOT for?

This tour is not for someone who is looking for a postcard experience. Southern Italy isn’t a

resort in Venice! There is nothing wrong with wanting the latter, but this tour is more like a safari

for adventurers who wish to see Italy through the eyes of locals. It is also DEFINITELY not for

those with small appetites, or anyone who is scared of carbs, fat, or fried food.

I've never heard of Pasta Grammar, can I still enjoy the trip?

Often a guest will bring a friend or spouse who maybe isn't a fan or viewer of our YouTube channel, Pasta Grammar. While all are more than welcome, we do urge you to make sure that everyone in the party is familiar with what kind of trip this will be. As fans will know, we are interested in sharing very traditional Italian food and life, not postcard experiences. As long as everyone knows what we're all about, we'll have a great time!

What activity level should I be prepared for?

While we try to make the tour as easy as possible for all guests, we can't help the fact that life in southern Italy is spent on your feet. Be prepared for plenty of walking on cobblestone streets and a fair amount of stairs and hills. Some of our activities include walking tours where you can expect to get some steps in. If you have mobility or fitness issues, we recommend reaching out to us at tours@pastagrammar.com to discuss and see if the Pasta Grammar Tour is right for you.

What should I be ready to eat?

A lot of carbs, a lot of fat, and a lot of food in general. If eating pasta, bread, pizza, pastries, etc. every day makes your stomach groan (in a bad way), this is definitely not the trip for you. Southern Italians are big eaters, even more so when they have guests (like you!) to host. Life here is based on food, so come prepared to eat.

How can I get to Naples?

There are a lot of options for traveling to/from Naples, depending on your situation. A lot of people who book their own arrangements miss out on cheaper or more convenient options, which is why we highly recommend contacting us (tours@pastagrammar.com), to help arrange everything. Traveling through southern Italy is easy but not always intuitive, so having an expert to lend a hand will make everything smoother.

How can I return from Tropea?

A private transfer from Tropea to Lamezia Terme airport/train station (or another nearby travel hub, if it's more convenient for you) will be provided. From there you can easily fly or take a train or plane to connect to your next destination.

When should I arrive?

If you do plan on making your own travel arrangements, we urge you to try and arrive in Italy at least one day before the trip starts. Nothing is worse than being jet lagged during our first meal together! On the first evening we meet up shortly before dinner, so we recommend making travel plans that see you arriving in Naples by the late afternoon so that you have time to check in and get settled before meeting the group.

I would like to stay in Italy longer! Can you help?

Yes! We are happy to help you to extend your trip in Italy. Let us know what kind of plans you would like to make and we can advise further. Feel free to email us at tours@pastagrammar.com

I have an allergy or food intolerance, can I still join?

Let us know what your needs are and we will be happy to do everything we can to accommodate you! We have hosted guests with a wide range of dietary requirements without

any trouble.

Will my cell phone work in Italy?

Most of our guests choose to use international roaming plans provided by their domestic carriers, but it’s also very easy to acquire a temporary, local SIM card for your trip. They are widely available for purchase upon arrival in Italy. If you only require data, apps like Ubigi are helpful for purchasing affordable, flexible eSIM data plans.

What is your COVID policy?

We follow the recommendations and requirements of the Italian government at all times. As of this writing (always subject to change) there are currently no restrictions on travelers who have contracted COVID-19. In the event that a guest gets sick, we do not cancel the trip unless regulations change. It is up to individual guests to assess the hazards of travel and make their own decisions about whether to risk joining a group tour. As with any sickness, we urge guests who are feeling under the weather to rest, relax, recuperate, and rejoin the group once they have recovered.

Does the trip include travel insurance?

Yes! You will be covered by travel insurance for the duration of the trip, covering certain medical emergencies, lost baggage, cancellations, etc. as defined by the insurance policy. View the full terms and coverage here.

Payment Policy

A 50% non-refundable deposit will be collected at the time of booking. The remaining payment will be due 120 days before the trip commences. Payments are non-refundable. If booking within 120 days of the trip, the full fee will be due at checkout.

Please note that the itinerary is subject to minor change, in the event that extreme weather or unforeseen circumstances.

Benvenuti a Napoli!

Private transfer from Naples airport or trains station to a 4-star hotel in the city center. After checking in to the accommodations, a travel briefing will be conducted before heading to our first meal together. Time to meet and greet!

For dinner, we will visit one of our favorite restaurants in Naples. This traditional trattoria serves old-school Neapolitan classics, such as Parmigiana di Melanzane, Ragù alla Genovese, and more. Naples is the epicenter of many classic Italian dishes and is the gateway to southern cuisine—in other words, there's a lot to try!

Return to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

We’ll spend the morning walking around the historic center of Naples to visit some of our favorite street food vendors. As we traverse the “Spaccanapoli,” the colorful main street of the city, we’ll taste the famous sfogliatelle pastries: a classic Neapolitan breakfast treat.

Expect to go where few tourists ever venture! Together we’ll visit the Mercato della  Pignasecca, a street market that serves as the grocery store for locals. Here can be found some of the best food in the city for those in the know. For lunch, we’ll sample some classic market street food. Plus, adventurous eaters can choose to try a local delicacy that might seem strange, but is a Neapolitan favorite.

To finish our walking tour, we’ll take the funicolare cable railway up to the heights above Naples for some incredible views.

After a free afternoon for exploring and shopping, we will end the day with a pizza masterclass taught by a Neapolitan chef who has graciously agreed to reveal his secrets. Dinner will, of course, be pizza!

Return to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure from Naples by private bus.

As we make our way south, we will stop in Paestum to visit a local buffalo mozzarella cheesemaker. This caseificio is a special destination (not only because they make some of the best mozzarella in the world) because the ruins of magnificent ancient Greek temples are literally in the backyard. Here we will enjoy a lunch made with the on-site products, then departure for Calabria.

After arriving in the mountainous, rural area of Basilicata, we will check into a hilltop castle in Viggianello which has been converted into a beautiful hotel. Together we will share a dinner of traditional Basilicatan food.

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, we will visit a local farm for a demonstration of how traditional cheese and ricotta is made in rural, southern Italy. If you’ve never had hot, fresh ricotta served on crunchy bread, you’re in for a delicious treat.

In the afternoon, we will head to Civita, a stunningly beautiful mountain town and one of the unique Albanian-Italian communities in Calabria. Upon arrival we'll take a Jeep ride deep into the nearby canyon to visit the “Devil’s Bridge" which spans the dramatic gorge. 

For over 600 years, the Arbresche people who inhabit this beautiful town have been perfecting their unique cuisine. To sample it, we'll head to a traditional Arbresche restaurant. Here we will learn how to make "dromsa," one of the most unusual and magical types of pasta in Italy, before enjoying a dinner together.

Return to the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel.

As we make our way south, we will stop at a unique olive mill in Altomonte. Here a family not only grows some of the best olives in southern Italy, but they still press them using a traditional stone mill. It's rare to find olive oil producers who haven't switched to high-tech maceration, but when you taste this olive oil you'll understand why a few holdouts exist!

After a light lunch highlighting the farm's organic extra-virgin olive oil, we will continue on by bus to the coastal town of Tropea.

Tropea is a true Calabrian gem, with white sandy beaches, towering cliffs and crystal blue waters. In recent years it was named the most beautiful village in Italy by the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia Association, and for good reason.

After arriving and checking in to a 4-star hotel, we will have dinner at one of our favorite local seafood restaurants.

Return to the hotel.

The morning will be free so that everyone will have to explore Tropea, spend time on the beautiful beaches, and shop. It's the perfect place to kick back and relax!

In the late afternoon we will reconvene to visit a local Monte Poro winery. Here we will, of course, taste the delicious local wine made from some of the oldest native grapes in all of Italy, which were brought by the ancient Greeks. The winery is run by an all-female staff who are culinary masters, which is why their food is one of the things we look forward to most on the trip.

Before we eat, though, we need to do some cooking of our own! Here, Eva will teach you how to make the traditional, Calabrian pasta known as "fileja," or "maccarruna." The expert cooks at the winery will cook our pasta up into a delicious meal, along with a selection of local dishes to sample.

Return to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning we will head to the nearby town of Spilinga, home to one of the most iconic Calabrian delicacies: 'nduja. 'Nduja (pronounced en-doo-yah) is a soft, spreadable and spicy salami with a unique taste that can't be found anywhere else.

Here we will meet a local family who have been making 'nduja for generations so they can show us how this spicy treat is made. For lunch, a local chef will prepare us a meal highlighting the local delicacy.

Return to Tropea with a free evening.

Breakfast at the hotel.

To truly experience Italy, one must leave the beaten trail. On our final full day of the trip, we will drive to Dasà, Eva’s hometown. You won’t find it in any guide books, but here we will experience the unforgettable southern Italian family feast. Bring a big appetite!

Eva’s family and friends will cook and prepare a family-style meal for us. Time to celebrate our journey with music, dance and lots of food.

Return to Tropea. 

Breakfast in the hotel, and departure for Lamezia Terme airport or train station. A presto!