"My wife and I had the pleasure of traveling with Antico Italian Travel to Naples, Italy and the Amalfi Coast. This was our first tour with this company and though we were excited, we were a little apprehensive traveling with a small group. Well needless to say, the trip exceeded our expectations so much that we have since traveled with them to Tuscany in November 2018 and have trips scheduled to Sicily in August 2019 and Abruzzo in June 2020.
The trips are guided by Joe and Angela Cicala, renowned chefs in Philadelphia, who created personalized food and wine tours to different regions in Italy based on their personal experiences while living and working in Italy. The tours consist of 5-7 travelers plus the Cicalas. From Day 1 of the tour til the last day of the tour, our guides took care of everything. The accommodations were 5 star and full of Italian character and culture. The breakfasts were the best I’ve ever had and the staffs were courteous and helpful. After breakfast, our daily adventures would begin, whether it was sightseeing, wine tasting, shopping, cooking, or more eating, we had plenty of time to perform and enjoy these activities and they were unique and personalized. We were always asked if there was anything specific in addition to our itinerary we wanted to do or see and Joe and Angela were accommodating.
Our meals consisted of breakfast at the hotels as stated above, however, we also had several courses of lunch and dinner with wine daily. The food was out of this world and as a food tour, it was spot on!
I would definitely recommend Antico Italian Travel to anyone who is looking for a personal, authentic, Italian vacation which immerses you into the Italian food and culture!"
Mario and Corinne Magasic
"As a single traveler looking to find just the right food and cooking trip to Italy, I had the good fortune to meet Angela and Joe Cicala! I made an instant connection with both of them, and they were able to soothe all of my pre-trip anxiety (no easy task).
They guided me through travel arrangements and took me on one of the most amazing adventures of a lifetime! I was in awe of their knowledge of the food, wine, history and all of the regions that we visited! They took care of every detail on our trip.
We stayed in a variety of beautiful places, had a variety of dining experiences ranging from street food in Naples, dining in beautiful restaurants in the Puglia region, on the Amalfi Coast, and doing a day long cooking class in Lecce.
The beauty, the food, the entire experience felt almost surreal to me! I can’t wait for my next trip with Angela and Joe to Sicily in August! Angela and Joe will provide you with warmth, humor, and a trip that surpasses anything that you can imagine!"
Ellen
"Our trip to Tuscany was the trip of a lifetime! From the first moment in Rome at our food crawl, to the final fantastic dinner in Cortona prepared by our hosts - this vacation exceeded our every expectation! Joe and Angela guided us expertly through the charming towns, wineries and truffle farm to experience a taste extravaganza from farms to award winning restaurants. Their knowledge of Italian culture, history and culinary treats kept us entertained and well fed! We can’t stop talking about this amazing trip and we can’t wait to go back with AnticoTravel again and again!
Grazie Mille for a fantastic time!"
Marlene and Jim Johnson
"My wife and I were lucky enough journey to Italy last May with Antico Italian Culinary Travel for the first time and it was an incredible trip. The best of all worlds, it provided the convenience of a guided tour (a curated agenda, wonderful accommodations, dining and transportation) as well as the benefits of a custom experience designed by experts. This was a trip that we could never replicate either by ourselves or with another one-size-fits-all travel company.
Our trip covered Naples/Campania (including an awesome Amalfi Coast lunch at a vineyard overlooking the Mediterranean) and Apulia. While my wife and I have traveled to Italy before, the deep south of Italy is not a trip we were prepared to manage on our own. The itinerary was unique and intensely food-centric –amazing meals at stunning ristorante, trattorias (and homes), cooking classes and more--and very culturally rich. It really was like walking and eating our way through an Italian cookbook!
The host/owners are Joe and Angela Cicala, two world-class chefs who have lived, studied and worked in Italy. They speak fluent Italian, know the terrain, are intrepid adventurers and are enthusiastic champions of Italy and Italian culture. That enthusiasm translates directly into the unique day trips, culinary excursions and cooking classes we enjoyed.
I could fill a small book with the things we saw and did, but one small example was our visit to the town of Altamura in Apulia. Seeing, hearing and tasting how and why this remote village in southern Italy has baked (for many centuries) what is arguably the best bread you’ll ever taste is something we could not have experienced otherwise. And there were many more discoveries like this trip with great stories, people, history and food at every turn.
We’ve already booked our next trip with Antico Italian Culinary Travel and can’t wait to discover Sicily with them this year!"
Brian & Jessina
Italy 2018 tour review:
There is not a review long enough I could give to justify the amazing time my family had on our girls trip to Italy! Angela and Joe were accommodating to all the things we wanted to do, and even more they gave us dozens of other choices of activities and sights we would have never came across on our own. This was truly the most authentic trip I have ever been on! We learned a lot, we drank a lot, we laughed a lot, but most importantly we ate a lot! Thanks for an amazing time, looking forward to booking again in the future!
Emmie Goodman
CONTACT US
Email: angela@cicalarestaurant.com
+1 443.440.0473
CICALA
699 N. BROAD ST
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19123
2021 &2022 DESTINATIONS
TUSCANY & UMBRIA
PUGLIA
SICILY
ABRUZZO
NAPLES & THE AMALFI COAST
LIGURIA
EMILIA-ROMAGNA
STAY CONNECTED