The Amazing Abruzzo is an all inclusive Italian resort – a chance to experience authentic Italy. It was started by an Ottawa couple who made a career change about a decade ago. They purchased an old villa in Abruzzo Italy, in part because of family connections in the area. The idea was to open a B&B, but first the property needed extensive renovations. It turned into a bit of an adventure, which they documented with regular articles in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. When the renovations were finished, it opened as a typical B&B, with optional tours around the local area. The regular updates in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper had generated interest before it even opened, and it quickly became so popular that it transitioned to an all inclusive villa offering week-long stays.

As the popularity continued to grow, they purchased another property in the area – the Baron’s Estate – and embarked on another major renovation project. About this time, one of our friends suggested that it might be fun to coordinate a group booking for the entire estate for a week. And that is how 11 of us from Ottawa, plus two couples we met on our Danube river cruise in 2023, booked The Baron’s Estate for next week. This was arranged in the spring of 2024, while the estate was still under renovation.

We all made independent travel arrangements, so for the past three weeks we’ve been following different paths – Lisbon, Porto, Algarve, Northern Italy, Rome – but tomorrow all paths will converge on Abruzzo.

I’m hoping to continue providing regular updates for the next week, so stay tuned.