Ciao!

I’m Marino Cardelli, the founder of Experience BellaVita, a small independent tour operator I started, which serves curious visitors who wish to experience authentic local culture and food. With this venture, I aimed not only to promote local, sustainable tourism and provide opportunities to travellers visiting the region of Abruzzo but also involve local producers of some of the country’s best foods.

I was born and raised in a small village next to Teramo, in the Abruzzo region and I’m passionate about our gastronomy, history and culture and sharing my knowledge with visitors to this spectacular area. In my spare time, I’m either cooking or travelling and I enjoy meeting new people. I speak Italian, English, Spanish and Abruzzese (our local dialect).

While Outside Italy and living in the…

Read more about Marino

While outside Italy and living in the UK for 5 years, I worked and graduated from university in Edinburgh. Despite my success…

Despite my success,  I found I wanted to move away from these corporate environments.

During my stay in the UK and before deciding to return to Italy, I pondered as to why tourists primarily visit Italian tourist hubs such as Florence, Venice and Rome, and didn’t venture further.

“Was there a way I could share my passions for my home-culture and gastronomy while contributing to the local economy/sustainability and enrich the experience of travellers visiting my region? Could I actually get travellers interested in Abruzzo and off-the-beaten-track travel?”

Ultimately I decided to return home back to start my dream called, Experience BellaVita, presenting authentic Abruzzo culture via food tours, cooking demos and exploration of this lesser-known destination with its pristine nature, majestic mountains, national parks, and the long stretch of beautiful seaside coast.

Within one year I’ve hosted more than 190 happy tourists from 25 different countries. I’ve also become a certified tour manager in Italy and recently advised the local government on initiatives to promote sustainable tourism in Abruzzo.

Food Ambassador of Abruzzo

I’m profoundly honoured to have been selected as an official smart ambassador of the Abruzzo region. This will mean, that from now on, my work will be officially recognised and I’ll be able to contribute personally to the development of the tourism strategies of my region, Abruzzo. To know read about the duties and more of the Abruzzo Ambassador, follow the link on my blog

Social Mission

What drives us at Experience BellaVita is enthusiasm and passion for food, traditions, art, travels and people. Through these unique experiences, we want to:

  • Let our friends (visitors) have unforgettable moments
  • Give back to what “Madre Natura” has been giving us and respecting it
  • Support the local economy of this small fascinating hamlets that are threatened to disappear forever
  • Reduce the emigration of young passionate folks like us, and bring them back
  • Helping small home-producers

For our experiences we personally inspects and select our collaborators. All of them are small entrepreneurs, artisans and producers that are passionate and keep Italy’s old traditions alive.

While doing so, we will also devote 10% of our profit annually, to the development of the local economy with events and projects aimed to do so.

Some of the social projects we partnered with:

  • inTERazioni – promote cultural activities and tourism in the hinterland of Teramo, in Abruzzo.
  • Campovalano Viva – Promoting tourism through one of the best sagra (Food festival) of Abruzzo. Helping running the iconic ‘Sagra del Tartufo’ Truffle Festival, hosting each year, for an entire week more than 30 thousands visitors from all over the region and beyond.
pasta making class abruzzo
picture of civitella del tronto teramo italy

Travellers Reviews

“

Marino also has so much knowledge of and passion for Abruzzo. His love for this area, as well as the culture and the food, is evident and it is his wish to share it with those who have yet to discover the beauty and charm of Abruzzo. Enjoy your experience with Marino!

Ricky FerraraUSA, Mitchigan
“

The BellaVita Experience was probably one of my best choices so far. I've been to Italy before, but mostly to the well-known touristic places. But this trip to Abruzzo, with Marino as tour-guide has presented a whole new Italy to me.

Shaked ZychlinskiISRAEL, Tel Aviv
“

Marino was waiting for our group of six when we arrived to FCO Rome. Because of him, we felt sincerely welcomed to Italy! Marino was hired as our driver to Teramo, Abruzzo, but he went the “extra mile”, so to speak.
We were definitely blessed to have met this charismatic, kind, and knowledgeable young man, and will absolutely use his services again!

Emily W.USA, Ohio
“

Truly our favorite experience on our most recent trip to Italy!!! Marino and his family are exquisite and genuinely passionate about sharing their home, their traditions and their time to experience making an authentic Abruzzo-style cuisine. We had many laughs, learned recipes we cannot wait to replicate and savored every single bite of our delicious preparations.

Karey RegalaUSA, California

7 reasons why you should travel with us

Discover Them Now

Our Family Members

CEO, Founder & Culinary Enthusiastic

Marino Cardelli

2nd level Sommelier,
Food & Wine enthusiast,
Official Tour Leader of Abruzzo,
Official Abruzzo Ambassador,
Travelling through Abruzzo, on the hunt for a thrilling dining experience

The Queen of the Kitchen

Nonna Amina

83 years young. Not feeling them and cooking as if there was no tomorrow. She also has to care about our 90y Nonno on the back of the picture.

Come and meet Nonna Amina.
CBO, Chief Biscuits Officer

Mamma Anna

Mamma Anna is responsible to make sure no one is leaving home without a coffee and some freshly baked biscuits.

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth.
Bella Vita's food hospitality

Papa' Bruno

With 6 dishes on his hands, making sure everyone is getting a warm plate of 'pasta alla chitarra'.

cheesemaker abruzzo
Farmer & Cheesemaker

Giuseppe

Now part of the 4th family generation of cheesemakers. He has been making cheese for 50 years but still waiting for the whey to become Ricotta as if it was his first time

truffle hunter campli
Our Truffle Hunter & dogs

Ginesio, Piccola & Luna

Is one of the first truffle hunters to start in Abruzzo. Luna his dog, getting rewarded with a business window-seat for an efficient truffle hunt. Piccola the sister, sitting in the back.

truffle dogs abruzzo
The Best Truffle Dogs

Luna & Piccola

They aren't dogs, they are Ginesio's children!
They don't even give you time to get out of the door of your car and they already have a truffle in their mouth.