It all started in 2011 with Caputo Brothers Creamery, a family-owned cheese business located in the heart of the Central Pennsylvania dairy region. While on their honeymoon, the owners, Rynn and David Caputo, decided to quit their Fortune 500 jobs and attend culinary school in Calabria, Italy.

After traveling across all twenty regions of Italy, they knew they were destined to make their culinary passion their life’s work. They brought their passion for Italian cheese back to the States, along with all of their stories from Italy. They recognized a desire from their cheese customers to experience Italy and all of its culinary offerings and decided to plan a tour in 2012 - their first of many. Kyle Carter, who has been with the Caputo team from the start, is the Chief Curation Officer of Curata Travel. As the years went on, the number of tours continued to grow and we were getting incredible feedback from our travelers so we wanted to be able to offer even more! Thus was born...Curata Travel!

Since then, the team has expanded, including numerous members who live and work on-site in Italy. With the collaboration between our home base in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania and the help of our team abroad, we are able to curate unforgettable adventures that provide the most authentic experiences to travelers.

Together, we understand that travel is known to educate the mind and soul - we believe it should educate the palate as well!

Living like an Italian is what these culinary adventures are all about – years of travel through all 20 regions of Italy have allowed our team to design a culinary stroll that will take even the most inexperienced traveler comfortably “off the beaten path” to enjoy the Italy that tourists rarely get to experience. Each trip is designed for travelers to experience these rich cultural traditions through cuisine. Travel is known to educate the mind and soul – we believe it should educate the palate as well!  

Our small group tours (average group size: 18 people) are not just a memorable vacation, but are full of authentic experiences, friendship, and a reverence for the Italian artisans and food traditions of each region we visit.  Each excursion and meal is planned with care to show you the authentic Italy that we love so much.  Some of the places that we visit are quite difficult to reach if not for the help of our private motorcoach. We head away from the bustling cities and into the small towns where locals can teach us more about their culinary culture.

Our newsletter delivers lots of important updates on current and upcoming tours, new blog posts, recipes, and other fun news right to your inbox! It is also where we make some exciting announcements, such as new tours that we will be running! These newsletters are sent in moderation and will not clog up your inbox.

To book a tour, simply navigate to the tour's page. From there, you can download the brochure to learn more about the tour, or hit the "Book Now" button to claim your seat! They do fill up quickly, so there is always a chance to be put on a wait list. In order to register, a deposit will be needed and a form will be filled out with all of your information. You will then receive updates leading up to the time of your trip from one of our team members!

Please see our Terms & Conditions page for details.

We do not provide or sell any insurance to our travelers, but we do highly recommend purchasing it for your trip. InsureMyTrip is a great option to compare plans and find the right coverage for you. It is not an insurance provider, but is an aggregator where you put in the coverage you're looking for and your trip details and it will pull quotes and plans together for you. Allianz is also a great and trusted company (the one AAA partners with).

We accept credit card with an additional processing fee (Visa/Mastercard for 2.9% while AmEx is at 3.9%), and also ACH (direct bank draft) for a 0% fee! Checks will still be accepted.

Pricing includes all hotel accommodations covered in the itinerary, all planned excursions and classes, daily breakfasts, most lunches and dinners accompanied by local wines, experienced tour leaders and local guides, private motorcoach transportation throughout the tour, and airport transfers on the specified arrival and departure dates/times.

Travelers will also receive pre-trip support from our team including helpful handouts, blogs, and videos that explain international travel, booking flights, packing, and more. A pre-trip virtual meeting will be scheduled to allow you meet your fellow travelers as well as your tour leaders. In addition, travelers have the opportunity to sign up for 1-on-1 meetings with our team to ask any questions they may have about their trip.

Airfare and trip insurance are not included in the pricing. Also not included are activities, food, and beverage not outlined in the itinerary, as well as hotel incidentals such as hotel bar tabs, international calls, laundry service or room service. Any transportation required outside of the itinerary - taxi fare, airport transfers outside of the planned group transfers, etc. Gratuities for your tour leader(s) and driver is at your discretion.

Yes! You can add your name to the waitlist by directly clicking the "Join Wait List" button on a specific tour. Or use the Contact Us form and let us know which tour you are interested in!

A single supplement is an industry standard, included merely as a way to cover costs, and it is not included as a way to discourage solo travelers. It is to account for the additional cost of a room for one person vs. two.  For example, if a double room at a hotel costs us $200 and we have 2 people in that room, the cost is $100/person whereas when it’s just one person, the cost is $200/person (hotels do not typically apply a discount for single use or if so, it is minimal).  So when you look at this over the span of a 9-night trip, our supplement typically averages out to less than the total we would be paying the hotels to make up for this difference (each trip is different depending on the hotels & room costs). This is a standard industry feature and ours is usually much lower than many other similar tour operators!

We keep our tour groups fairly small, usually between 15-20 travelers per trip and sometimes much smaller. Check out a specific tour page for details.

All over Italy!! From the most northern areas (Bolzano) to the southernmost (Calabria), east coast (Puglia) to west (Amalfi) - even to the islands (Sicily, Sardinia), and everywhere in between! We've even started venturing to other countries too like Croatia, France, and Spain!

Our tours are led by any combination of our team members! We usually have 2-3 team members accompanying any given trip.

A typical day on a Curata Travel tour is relaxed, delicious, and full of moments that feel distinctly Italian. Mornings start at your own pace - espresso, pastries, and a slow wake-up before meeting the group (usually after 9 a.m.) for the day’s adventure.

From there, anything can unfold: a vineyard visit with generous tastings, a boat ride along a sparkling coastline, or free time to wander a new town and follow your curiosity. By lunchtime, we almost always gather around a shared table for a meal that becomes one of the day’s highlights.

Afternoons slow down again. You might return to the hotel for a rest, explore local shops, or sit in the sunshine with a gelato. This is your time to enjoy the rhythm of the place.

As evening settles in, we come together once more for dinner—sometimes steps from the hotel, sometimes at a special restaurant worth a short drive. Meals start a little later in Italy and linger into the evening, filled with conversation, great food, and the kind of camaraderie that makes our tours so special.

Our culinary tours to Italy are typically 10 days - sometimes a couple of days less, sometimes a couple of days more. Check each tours itinerary for exact dates!

On a Curata Travel tour, we dive deep into Italy’s culinary heart - so yes, food is at the center of everything we do. Expect memorable meals, bustling markets, intimate winery visits, cheese and olive oil tastings, hands-on cooking classes, and plenty of opportunities to meet the artisans behind the flavors.

But we don’t stop there. Between bites and sips, we explore the history, beauty, and culture that make each region unique - scenic towns, local traditions, and the stories that bring Italy to life. It’s a delicious blend of food, discovery, and unforgettable experiences.

This depends on where you're going and when you're going, but the most important thing to keep in mind is comfort! We will include packing tips in our pre-trip communications. And check out our Amazon Shop* for some of our favorite items!

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

We stay in a variety of hotels throughout the tour so you can experience the full range of Italian hospitality. Depending on the region, this might include charming family-run inns, cozy agriturismos, elegant 3- or 4-star boutique hotels, or properties right in the heart of a historic city center.

No matter the style, we choose places that are clean, comfortable, and reflect the character of the area. And of course, every traveler (or couple) enjoys their own private room with a private bathroom.

We recommend booking your flights between 3-6 months in advance of your trip. While international flights are released about 11 months in advance, we find booking 3-6 months before a trip to generally be the time to find optimal pricing and the most flight options. And you can always set up an alert on a site like Google Flights to monitor how prices are fluctuating. Please contact us before booking flights to ensure there have been no changes to the itinerary.

Your well-being, and the comfort of your fellow travelers, is our priority. If you begin to feel unwell during your tour, you are expected to take reasonable measures to minimize the risk of transmission to other participants.

Such measures may include limiting your participation in group activities, resting in your hotel room, visiting a local pharmacy for medication, wearing a face mask when in shared spaces, and practicing proper hygiene. Curata Travel reserves the right to request that an ill traveler refrain from certain activities if their participation could adversely affect the health or comfort of the group. Our team can assist with coordinating medical care or alternative arrangements as needed, and support you in any way we can so you can recover safely and comfortably. Additional costs associated with illness, medical services, or itinerary changes are the responsibility of the traveler (and where we strongly recommend trip insurance!). 

Italy has lifted nearly all COVID-19–related entry requirements. At this time, travelers do not need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the country, and masks are generally not required in public spaces. In certain settings, such as medical facilities or crowded public transportation, mask use may still be recommended.

While we aim to keep this information current, COVID-19 policies can evolve. For the latest official updates for your trip, please use Sherpa or your local government’s travel advisory resources.