A CULINARY AND CULTURAL JOURNEY IN UNDISCOVERED Sant’agata de’ goti and the SANNIO

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Explore the area with your hosts Dan and Maria as you journey in Maria’s native area

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Savor exceptional foods and enjoy award-winning wines including the famed falanghina

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experience the unhurried and genuine way of life that the Sannio offers

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A Window into the Everyday Life in the Sannio area of campania

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Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at village life in Sant’Agata de’ Goti and the undiscovered Sannio area of Italy. Maria’s deep roots and connections in the area combined with an intimate group size of just 8-10 guests result in a one-of-a-kind travel experience.

Stay at the Bed and Breakfast of the renowned Mustilli Winery, the birthplace of Falanghina wine, featured on Tucci in Italy. See the trailer on Instagram.

enchanting fall in the sannio

Sunny days and crisp nights make the perfect backdrop for baking bread, touring vineyards, gathering olives, and exploring charming villages. Savor exceptional seasonal cuisine featuring porcini mushrooms, mela annurca, freshly pressed olive oil, and taste award-winning wines.

2026 programs

FULL!

October 19-26, 2026

with Dan and Maria

Stay at the historic Palazzo Rainoni Mustilli in the heart of Sant’Agata dei Goti
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Harvest olives, eat lunch at the orchard, and tour an olive oil mill
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Tour a melaio where thousands of apples are ripened off the tree
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Cooking classes including pizza making, pasta making, and bread making
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Food, culture, and history tour of Sant’Agata dei Goti

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2027 programs

A Week of Wines, Vines, and Traditions

with Dan and Maria

September 6 – September 13, 2027

Stay at the historic Palazzo Rainoni Mustilli in the heart of Sant’Agata de’ Goti
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Tour the original Mustilli wine cellar, where falanghina was born, and sample their award-winning wines
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Harvest grapes, eat lunch at the vineyard, sample wines, and tour the wine making facility of a small, local winery
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Visit and sample wine at three more local wineries
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Attend the Solopaca Grape Festival which includes a parade of floats made from grapes
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Cooking classes and exceptional food
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Food, culture, and history tour of Sant’Agata de’ Goti

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The Art of Place: An Urban Sketching and Plein Air Retreat

with guest artists Susan Schapira and John Laverack

September 18 – September 25, 2027

Art Demos on Landscape Painting with Artist Susan Schapira Caplan (whose work has shown at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston)
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Urban sketching demonstrations with John Laverack
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Hunt truffles with a truffle hunting dog
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Tour the original Mustilli winery and sample their award-winning wines
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Harvest grapes, eat lunch at the vineyard, and tour the wine making facility of a small, local winery
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(Suitable for beginners to experienced artists)
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(Shorter 6-day tour also available for this program, contact us for details)

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Italy on Canvas; Paint the Experience

with Guest Artists Allison Luci and Irene Shimizu

September 27 – October 4, 2027

Stay in an historic palazzo in the heart of Sant’Agata de’ Goti
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Art classes with artists Allison Luci and Irene Shimizu (for artists of all levels, no experience necessary)
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Community mural project with young adults of all abilities
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Make your own pottery piece the same way as it has been made since the 1700’s with master potter Piero
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Harvest grapes at an award-winning vineyard, learn the wine making process and enjoy a lunch with the family
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Truffle hunt in the woods surrounding a medieval town
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Dine on exceptional food and experience first-hand why the cuisine has UNESCO cultural heritage status. Vegan-friendly too!

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From Olives to Oil; A Week of Tradition

with Maria and Dan

October 25 – November 1, 2027

Stay at the historic Palazzo Rainoni Mustilli in the heart of Sant’Agata de’ Goti
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Tour the original Mustilli wine cellar, where falanghina was born, and sample their award-winning wines
~
Harvest olives, eat lunch at the orchard, and tour an olive oil mill
~
Tour a melaio where thousands of apples are ripened off the tree
~
Cooking classes including pizza making, pasta making, and bread making
~
Food, culture, and history tour of Sant’Agata de’ Goti

> Learn More

TRIP EXTENSIONS AVAILABLE

~Pre-extension trip to Rome

~Post-extension trip to Naples/Pompeii/Amalfi Coast or Naples/Sorrento/Capri

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THE SANNIO/VITA VILLAGGI ON SCREEN

The Sannio is beginning to get recognized for its many treasures, including:

~ on the television series Tucci in Italy, where the Mustilli winery was featured; and

~ in the short film Amore nel Sannio (Love in the Sannio), coming soon to PBS.

Experience the area with us while it is still undiscovered!

More about the Sannio/Vita Villaggi on screen

What our guests have to say

I wanted to discover the real Italy – far from the crowds and tourist traps – and Vita Villaggi tour was everything I could hope for and more.

From the moment we arrived in the charming small town of Sant’ Agata dei Goti, tucked in a mountainside and untouched by mass tourism, we were welcomed like familia. The pace was perfect – slow enough to soak in every detail, yet everyday brought something new and exciting.

What truly made this trip unforgettable were the tour guides, Maria and Dan. Knowledgeable, passionate, and genuinely warm, they weren’t just guides – they were storytellers, historians, and cultural ambassadors all in one. Whether it was leading us through cobbled streets, introducing us to local artisans, or translating lively conversations with winemakers and nonnas, they brought the region to life in a way no guidebook ever could.

This was more than a tour. It was a cultural immersion. You leave not just with beautiful photos, but with a deeper connection to the place, its people, and its traditions.

– Jenni Lopez (Google review)

A week with Dan and Maria in the Sannio region of Campania in the province of Benevento is not simply a tour but a slow meander into the heart and soul of Italy. If you’re looking to experience a slice of real Italian life, then Dan and Maria are your perfect hosts!

Together, we spent our days as both observers and participants exploring wine cellars, vineyards, ancient churches, family run establishments that make prosciutto, mozzarella, bread and pizza, and lush fields of mela annurca apples that grow only in this part of the world. Spending the entire week in the Palazzo Rainone Mustilli located in the medieval town of Sant’Agata dei Goti where time is marked by church bells gave us the opportunity to experience each day freely.

But what truly makes Vita Villaggi so special is the care and warmth that are woven through each day. Dan and Maria have curated a microcosm of Italian life where the ancient embraces the modern all connected by a feeling of family, humor, and joy. And Maria, a native speaker of Italian, translated each experience for us with such vitality and enthusiasm, that even if you didn’t literally “get it,” you “got it”.

Whether you are a seasoned traveler or a first-time explorer, your week with Dan and Maria will be a vivid lifetime memory.

– Diane Della Croce (Google review, also appears on Tripadvisor)

Vita Villaggi’s 1 week all inclusive tour is a fantastic, once in a lifetime, experience -exploring a beautiful region of Italy, and providing a deep dive into the culture, architecture, history, food, farms, art and the people…who opened their doors to us as family!

Maria and Dan are the best of the best of tour leaders – warm, funny, kind, accommodating, informative, organized, and so attentive to everyone’s needs. They also have made such genuine connections with all the people we visited that it feels like a reunion of friends and family with each encounter. Maria, who was born and spent her childhood in the area of exploration, speaks fluent Italian and her seamless translation of any conversations make the experiences so authentic.

The hands on of cooking local food and more importantly of eating the most delicious local foods was a highlight that will be long treasured and remembered. The food was spectacular as was all our wine tastings of award winning wines.

Vita Villaggi is exactly as it says – curated, authentic, but also so much more!

– M L (Tripadvisor Review)

I recently partnered with Vita Villaggi to bring a retreat group to Italy, and the experience was absolutely exceptional from start to finish. Every detail was thoughtfully curated — from the stunning accommodations and authentic local experiences to the seamless logistics that made travel effortless for our group.

Maria and Dan, the Vita Villaggi team, went above and beyond to ensure everyone felt cared for and inspired. Their deep local knowledge and warm hospitality gave our retreat a richness and authenticity that’s hard to find. Whether it was sharing hidden gems off the beaten path, arranging incredible farm-to-table meals, or coordinating transportation flawlessly, everything ran beautifully.

Our participants were blown away by the balance of relaxation, culture, and connection. It was the perfect blend of adventure and serenity — and truly a transformational experience for all.

If you’re planning a group retreat or simply want to explore Italy with heart, intention, and ease, I cannot recommend Vita Villaggi highly enough. They bring the spirit of Italy to life in the most genuine and memorable way.

– Jessica Demers

Most amazing tour with VITA VILLAGGI, Maria & Dan! Fabulous food & hands on cooking experiences right in the homes /restaurants of the village people. Each family, treated us like family,It was so heart warming. Enjoyed making pizza, pasta, bread, taralli! Ate till our tummies were bursting pastas, bread, pizza, fish, prosciutto, salads, fresh fruit & plenty of wine! Maria has a wonderful way of combining farm to table meals, along with Gourmet restaurant, there is something for everyone. Had a RARE opportunity to enter the convent to meet the cloistered nuns. A reunion of laughing loving & photo taking. Frank showed us a stunning church in Cerreto & a rare visit of the underground cript. From there we met the BEST potter Pierro followed by the towns festival parade carrying St Anthony.

Russ & I are world travelers, this by far was the BEST tour we ever took!!! Thank you Maria & Dan!

– Sherry M

The best group tour and experience of the Real Italy! Both Dan and Maria with Vita Villaggi give you the genuine Italian experience in the Sannino region of Italy (just Northeast of Naples), and I am so grateful for their knowledge and experience.

The group of 11 of us went to a vineyard to pick Fallanghina grapes, learned how to make artisanal bread at a local homestead, practiced our skills in making pizza dough and creating our own pizzas, and those are just a sliver of the activities we did together over 7 days.

Maria and Dan are a wealth of knowledge for the area, and their passion for Italian culture shines through all aspects of their tours. They arranged all accommodations at a local B&B, planned and arranged all meals, and transportation within Italy.

Plus Maria is a native Italian speaker so she is a wonderful source of translation and local guidance.

I HIGHLY recommend Vita Villaggi and Dan&Maria for a genuine Italian vacation and experience. GRAZIE MILLE!

– Aly King (Google review)

Maria and Dan offer an inside view of real life in the heart of Italy, far away from tourism and commercial interests. With them, we lived in a 16th century palazzo, visited a labyrinth of a wine cellar and made pizza with an award winning pizziaolla!

We dined alfresco among grapevines and met local people who shared their lives with us with open arms.

Maria is from the region and 100% fluent in local Italian, so communication was a breeze.

We will return!

– Joel D (Google review)

Our trip with Vita Villaggi was amazing. The program was truly unique and showcased an area of Italy that could not experienced on one’s own. Maria & Dan curated a week of interesting activities ranging from making pizza with an award winning pizza maker, picking olives/watching the pressing/feasting in the grove with the producer’s family, learning about curing prosciutto, tasting wine with a noted wine maker, and sampling local specialties. It was such a treat to visit an area not frequented by tourists and to meet local craftsman, who could not have been more welcoming. We stayed in an historic palazzo in the beautiful town of St. A’Gata. Maria & Dan were generous and accommodating hosts. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for an authentic taste of Italy.

– Explorer162505 (Tripadvisor review)

I loved everything about this tour. Maria and Dan’s small personalized experience made this trip very relaxing. The tour included hands on pizza, taralli, bread, potato croquettes and cavatelli making to tasting of street food to gourmet dining. I found the small towns in the Sannio region, out of the busy hustle and bustle of busy cities, to be a welcome and refreshing way to experience Italy and its rich history.

– Donna F (Tripadvisor review)

Fantastic guides who have developed personal relationships with people in this region that allow you to get to understand and experience the culture and food. The Sannio has not been spoiled by over tourism. The food was local and wonderful. Olive oil the best I’ve ever had. Travelers need to be able to walk on cobblestones and do stairs. Thank you Maria and Dan!

– Pamela Horst (Google review)

We had a great time traveling in an undiscovered part of Italy with Maria and Dan. They are truly special travel guides. We were introduced to many wonderful local artisans. The food was excellent. Maria took wonderful care of all of us in our group. We recommend it without hesitation.

– Lynn D (Tripadvisor review)

Traveling with Maria and Dan was a pleasure. They are great guides and showed us a beautiful and as yet undiscovered part of Italy. We were introduced to many wonderful local artisans and the food was excellent. Maria took wonderful care of all of us. We had a great time and our traveling companions were lots of fun. We recommend it without reservation.

– Robert Dennison (Google review)

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