Reviews

I just want to leave a comment on the Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures. It is a testament to the hard work and diligence of the group's owner and facilitator, Francesca Montillo, that I will soon be going on my third Italian culinary adventure! Francesca excels at planning the itinerary for her groups, with no details left undone. Little surprises, like tote bags and custom aprons for our classes just make things more fun. I was excited for my first LIC adventure last year in Puglia - the ancestral home of my grandmother being Bari. To say the trip met my expectations is a massive understatement. The sites, the food, the cooking; each day had something new to see and experience. My next adventure was in June of this year, when my nephew and I met Francesca and a terrific group of folks in Amalfi. The Amalfi tour was a bucket list item for me, having had to cancel previous plans at the last minute. This trip was everything I had hoped for, and more. As usual, the hotel was wonderful - on the water, but just far enough removed from the tourist traffic to be private. Within a five to ten minute walk (I'm old and slow) were many shops, the Amalfi museum, and the Piazza Duomo. The day trips, and of course the cooking classes, were all a lot of fun, with ample time to explore and shop along the way. We visited all the famous communes along the Amalfi coast, plus a boat trip to Capri. It was one of the best weeks ever! I can barely wait until next month, when I will meet Francesca and another LICA group in Sicily!

Words cannot describe what a fabulous tour we had with Francesca and the rest of our tour group! Every day was an adventure, from our first night at dinner, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, while meeting new friends and enjoying a delicious meal. We did so much more than what I had expected to do and see on this trip. The first day we visited a Lemon farm and made fresh ‘scialatielli’ pasta, eggplant parm, and a lemon tort dessert. And we got to eat it too! The next few days we visited one beautiful city after another - Positano, the Tramonti winery, and Ravello. We sampled delicious wines, had good food, and listened to our guide Rossella as she talked about the culture and history of Villa Ruffolo in Ravello. On our 5th day we traveled to Furore where we met Chief Vito Piccolo, who taught us to make fresh pasta, cheese raviolis, gnocchi and a few more dishes which we all enjoyed! As a special treat we received a gift bag with his recipes, a chef’s apron, a bottle of limoncello and a gnocchi board! The next day we spent at Capri! Another amazing day with good food, wine and friends! We can’t thank Francesca enough for planning every detail and ensuring that we all had a great time. We are a family that enjoys traveling together, and Francesca made this trip a very memorable one, and we are looking into future tours. We highly recommend Francesca’s Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures!

In September 2023, my good friend, two cousins and I joined Francesca‘s tour to Puglia Italy. Each day started out with breakfast in a breathtaking rooftop restaurant overlooking our beautiful whitewashed home base town of Lecce. But what truly made it more than just an amazing trip was Francesca. She made Italy our home. Her knowledge of its land, its people and language made everything magical. Every day was a marvelous adventure of sights, sounds and tastes. We ate, cooked and drank wine with our close knit group while traveling through beautiful seaport towns, towns carved into cliffs, ancient architecture and so many other beautiful sites. Francesca made every day special and I am so excited to embark on another trip with her in September 2025.

Want a wonderful way to experience Italy? I recommend the Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures with Francesca Montillo. Our tour was of the Amalfi Coast, and it was a truly amazing time. She introduced us to many of the finer things Italy has to offer. Several people have asked me “What was your favorite part of the tour? And what was the worst part?” The worst part was easy to answer: The tour ended way too soon. The best part is much harder to pinpoint. The four-star accommodations with the perfect location, the hands-on cooking classes, the day trips to Capri, Positano, and Ravello, the coastal sea cruises, the delicious lunch and dinners, and of course, becoming friends with all of our companions. I think my favorite part of the tour was Francesca herself. Having been born in Italy, she provided an insight to many things that most of us would have missed. I highly recommend talking any of the tours offered by the Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures.

"Our trip to the Amalifi coast in June was spectacular! A bucket list dream come true. Under Francesca's expertise, we enjoyed truy immersive and authentic experiences -- hands-on cooking classes, lemon grove and winery visits, a privately chartered boat trip to Capri, tour of stunning Ravello, a genuine Italian Farmer's Market, plentiful and delectable daily lunches and 2 memorable dinners, all including lots of wine! Francesca was mindful of the group's need for ample down-time, so we could savor morning coffee/breakfasts and late-day cocktails on our lovely hotel terrace, as well as swimming in the Tyrrhenian Sea and strolling the Piazza Duomo in the evening for delectable pizza, pastries, gelato, and shopping for Amalfi souvenirs." We shared our week with a wonderful group of people and left Italy feeling as if we had been with family! Francesca herself is a true delight! She took care of ALL the details, something we would not have been able to orchestrate on our own. The extra touches she provided were so appreciated -- tote bags, Sunday morning pastries, goodie bags with Italian treats and mementoes, etc. She also resolved a room issue for us, for which we were very grateful. Francesca is not a "typical" tour guide. She is a master at providing exceptional experiences for travelers! Passionate, Attentive, Responsive, Available 24/7. It is a testament to her that we booked another trip for 2025 with Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures, just a few weeks after returning home to the US. We are already looking forward to next year and joining Francesca for our second journey!

"We have traveled to parts of Italy before, but this was our first trip with Francesca. It was without a doubt a spectacular trip, far beyond our expectations! Francesca is a beautiful person, a true professional, so well organized, leaving no stone unturned, yet she treats you as though you are part of her family. The itinerary is so well planned, taking in all the highlights, but leaving us plenty of time to explore, shop, swim, and get our evening gelato on our own!! From the time we arrived, we didn’t have to think of anything, it was totally relaxing and stress free! We visited so many beautiful places, had two extraordinary cooking experiences, and ate such delicious food! The small group of 18, created a very warm and intimate setting. It was by far the trip of a lifetime. We enjoyed it so much, that we have already signed up for The Italian Riviera trip next May. Thank you Francesca for all your efforts!"