Off the beaten path. Into the extraordinary.

Meaningful Curated Travel Experiences for Curious & Cultured Explorers.

Handcrafted and Hosted by Paolo & Kelly Picarazzi of Antica Travel Co. | Antica Australis

ANTICA EXPERIENCE COMPANY

Santo Stefano View.jpg

Follow us to the Wild Heart of Italy™

To the ‘hidden’ regions of Ciociaria & Molise in central Italy - once the heartland of the Bronze Age civilisation of the Samnites [Sanniti].

They called themselves the Safineis. Their ancient cultural heart is still beating strongly in these lands.

Upcoming Antica Cultural Travel Experiences

  • 3-10 May & 10-17 May 2026

    VALLE DI COMINO, CIOCIARIA & MOLISE

    Staying in an 18th century Palazzo in a hilltop village in the Apennine mountains. Highlights include making cheese with a shepherdess, visits to a biodynamic vineyard and a biodynamic olive farm; learning to make crespelle with the village of Santa Francesca; a private dining experience in a 16th century Palazzo; a fine-dining cooking class & organic wine degustation; a Ciociarian dinner in an enigmatic 19th century farm cottage; PLUS a day trip to the neighbouring remote region of Molise to meet the last coppersmith of Agnone and explore an ancient and forgotten Sanniti archeological site with one of Italy’s leading experts.

    2026 Package Cost from AUD$6,597

    MICRO-GROUP SIZE: MAXIMUM 8

    ALL DATES FULLY BOOKED 2026

    ENQUIRIES NOW OPEN FOR 2027

  • 14-21 June 2026

    MAGICAL MOLISE

    A journey through the ancient and wild heart of Italy, and the original heartland of the Sanniti civilisation. Staying in a village reimagined as boutique accommodation, our focus is on visiting ancient Sanniti archeological sites with one of Italy’s foremost experts. Also woods and waterfalls walks; cheese-making; archeological and culture museums spanning prehistoric, Sanniti and medieval eras as well as traditional costumes and instruments; olive orchards & vineyards; Michelin-star and fine dining, as well as Molisean cultural dining experiences; a bespoke perfume making experience; and a visit to the bell-makers and the last coppersmith of Agnone.

    2026 Package Cost from AUD$6,897

    MICRO-GROUP SIZE: MAXIMUM 8

    JOIN OUR INTEREST LIST

  • 13-20 & 20-27 September 2026

    VALLE DI COMINO & VEROLI, CIOCIARIA

    Staying in an 18th century Palazzo in a hilltop village in the Apennine mountains. Highlights include visits to a biodynamic vineyard using pre-Roman viticulture techniques and a biodynamic olive farm with ancient roots; a guided forest hike & picnic in the Ernici mountains with a monastery visit; a sensory experience in an apothocary with herbs & liquers; a Briganti-themed cooking experience with foraging and festivities; learning to make crespelle with the village of Santa Francesca; PLUS a forest truffle hunting experience; and a mountain walk following in the footsteps of Sanniti shepherds and Ciociarian Briganti with a forest BBQ.

    2026 Package Cost from AUD$6,597

    SMALL-GROUP SIZE: MAXIMUM 8-10

    PLACES AVAILABLE. RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW!

Make a Reservation Enquiry or Booking Request through the link below.

We can also tailor itineraries and dates for Private Experience Groups

RESERVATION AND BOOKING ENQUIRIES

Antica Travel Manifesto

Antica Travel Co. is a values-based boutique travel company focused on supporting slow and conscious travel. We share a commitment between our business, our travellers, and our local collaborators to build journeys that enrich us all while we are experiencing them, and which contribute to the sustainability of the local communities we visit. Our guiding principles for every Antica Travel Co. journey are:

  • Our itineraries start with questions, not assumptions - inviting our guests to learn with locals, rather than just observe, and to become fully immersed in our local experiences.

  • This approach fosters deeper connections for you with our locals and with each other as we travel together, and we leave a lighter environmental footprint on the places we visit.

  • We embrace slower travel, slow food and seasonal rhythms, purposefully selecting low season dates for our travel experiences outside of high-season mass tourism periods.

  • Our journeys together through the remote regions of Ciociaria & Molise in central Italy include incredible opportunities for you to hear direct from our local knowledge‑keepers: academics, artisans and producers. It’s an opportunity for them too, to share their stories with you in their own way, and in their own dialects. We’ll translate for you.

  • We are consciously focused on contributing to our local collaborators remaining sustainable and viable in business, and in making a genuine contribution to the local communities we live and work in.

  • We have dedicated more than twelve years of dedicated research to learn how to piece together travel experiences worthy of the many thousands of centuries of stories of the ancient regions of Ciociaria & Molise, and we continue to invest our personal time and passion in exploration and research of these regions.

Wooden boardwalk surrounded by tall reeds with mountains in the background and four people walking at the front, viewing them from behind at Lago di Posta Fibreno in the Valle di Comino of Ciociaria. Wild Heart of Italy. Photo credit Antica Travel Co

  • “If you are looking for a food and cultural experience off the normal beaten tourist routes, this adventure is for you. Kelly & Paolo will introduce you to their like-minded local friends who bring the Ciociarian history and culture to life. We totally recommend this experience.”

    Peter & Jenny P. Ciociaria Cultural Travel Experience, September 2025

  • "What an amazing experience to escape into the authentic/real Italy. As a solo traveller, the opportunity to experience life in a totally different way that was creative, inclusive, and educational as part of a friendly small group was a real highlight. It was also exciting being part of local experiences presented by a creative team completely immersed in the small hilltop villages of the region. It’s these villages that truly are the heartbeat of Italy."

    Sandy D. Ciociaria Cultural Travel Experience, September 2025

  • “Such an amazing tour and experience. Thank you so much! Ciociaria is a beautiful hidden gem of Italy. Highly recommend for an authentic encounter of Italy’s regions.”

    Lisa B. Ciociaria Gourmet Bespoke Cycling Tour, September 2025

  • “I've been on a cycle holiday in Italy five or six times before with various local providers. This Ciociaria experience was head and shoulders above the rest.”

    Louise B. Ciociaria Gourmet Bespoke Cycle Tour, September 2024

  • "Our Ciociarian adventure had everything - visits to beautiful & interesting places, good company, delicious food! And wine!"

    Sabina F. Ciociaria Cultural Travel Experience, September 2024

  • "Exploring the beautiful Comino Valley in the Apennine Mountains region, we felt privileged to be welcomed into local, long-established and innovative family businesses and hear from energetic entrepreneurs and academics pursuing a shared goal of sustainable regional tourism."

    Lisa G. Wild Heart of Italy tour, September 2019

  • "Kelly and Paolo are a great team. They provided a wonderful insight into regional Italy. The enthusiasm of the locals we met- whether they were local guides or vignerons was infectious. We felt like guests not tourists. Paolo’s insights as a local were wonderful. Every day was a treat and full of unexpected discovery."

    David B. Wild Heart of Italy tour, September 2019

  • "Just perfect for the adventurous, the curious, those who are tired of crowds and tourist restaurants, and for those who dislike moving from hotel to hotel to make the most of their vacation."

    Janette D. Wild Heart of Italy tour, September 2018

  • "A great fit for those who want to learn more and appreciate more, and who want to extract the very essence of life from every day, and who are flexible enough to confidently do so.”

    Janette D. Wild Heart of Italy tour, December 2018

  • "We gave Kelly a tall order: create a private tour to Italy which can satisfy 13 people aged from 10 to 80 years old for a 'small' family reunion, with guests flying into Italy from four different countries. She & Paolo delivered. We are all still talking (and dreaming!) about this trip years later."

    Aghia G. Tailored Wild Heart of Italy private tour, December 2018

“Italy today is far more Etruscan [& Sanniti] in its pulse than Roman; and will always be so. The Etruscan [& Sanniti] element is like the grass of the field and the sprouting of corn, in Italy: it will always be so.”  

— DH Lawrence, ‘Etruscan Places: Travels Through Forgotten Italy’ [with help from Kelly Picarazzi]. The Etruscan and Sanniti civilisations of the Bronze Age in central Italy flourished in parallel.