I booked this as an anniversary present for my husband. He loves Italian cooking & we got married in Castellabate the previous year. From the first contact Nicola was brilliant. He asked me exactly what I wanted for the day & he didn't disappoint. He tailored this day to suit us & what a day!
Nicola collected us at our hotel at 9.30 & we met the photographer who Nicola had arranged to capture the whole day. Our first stop was the fruit & veg market to get fresh, local produce, then off to the butchers for the meat & bread.
We then went to Nicola's parents house & immediately were made so welcome. We were given aprons which we were able to keep as a souvenier of our special day.
Nicola's mother showed us how to prepare & season the meat, we even picked the herbs from her garden. Nicola was very intersting & eplained everything in detail & told us about the origins of the Italian food.
The most interesting & amazing part for us was watching Nicola,s mother making homemade pasta in a traditional way with a metal rod - see pics below.The best thing about this is that we didn't just watch - we were able to try to make everything ourselves!
After this came the pizza making & we're definately going to try this at home!
Whilst we were waiting on the food cooking, Nicola's mother showed us a few photo albums of the family which was lovely & showed us round their house.
Even though Nicola's parents didn't speak English & we don't speak Italian, they made us feel so welcome & we had great fun. Nicola's English thankfully is very good!
We really felt like part of the family, especially when I was asked to dress the table! Then came the all important part - eating the food!
It was a truly Italian experience - we had the pizza which was delicious,followed by the amazing pasta, then the meat & aubergine dishes. Throughout the meal, the wine & the conversation flowed! We were feeling quite full at this stage but bravely moved on to the fruit which we dipped in the red wine, then cake & biscuits.
Nicola had a lovely suprise for us. It was our first wedding anniverary that day & Nicola's mother brought out a cake & Prosecco. I could have cried - I was so touched!
We didn't want to leave - we hadn't expected to have such a warm welcome & to have so much fun.
Nicola met us the next evening & gave us a disc with over 700 photos on it - amazing. The phots are of brilliant quality & I have put a few up below.
I would thoroughly recommend this for anyone who wants to get to the heart of Italian food, to be part of an Italian family for one day. This was no ordianary cookery lesson where you just watch. Here we got to cook everything ourselves, to get stuck in. Honestly the smells & the flavours were second to none - we didn't eat anything as nice in any of the restaurants. My husband really got stuck in & enjoyed it so much & said it was the best present!
We have made a friend in Nicola for life & we will be back again . . some day!
We were in Santa Maria di Castellabate with a group of 13 in June 2012 and were lucky to come across
HONEYMOON WITH MASANIELLO TOURIST
As a honeymoon treat the reception staff helped us to arrange a boat trip with a local excursion company. The owner was called "Nicola" and his company was called "Masaniello tourist" www.masaniellotourist.com. It was absolutely fantastic!! It really made our honeymoon in Italy very special. The weather in the morning was nice but the sea was a bit rough so we could not visit the famous and beautiful coves which was a little disappointing, but as the day went on we didn't even miss it. Our host was very warm and friendly and instantly wanted us to have the day we wanted to have. He let us know there would be a few surprises in store for us ( which I promised never to reveal ) he served us a 5-6 course fresh fish lunch prepared in his own home by his very talented wife. We were told we could have the boat anytime and for however long we required. We got on at about 10.30 and retuned about 6.The food was some of the best I have ever tried. He kept our drinks topped us and was able to give us lots of information about the beautiful Cilento coast and old local stories about mermaids. It really was the relaxed romantic and authentically Italian experience we wanted. Thankyou Nicola. It was fab!
Owen and Gemma
Mr and Mrs Reynolds :)
Good morning my friend
Whilst staying in the wonderful Residence Domus Cilento in Santa Maria di Castellabate I was fortunate to come across a local expert of the area. His name is Nicola and he runs a selection of bespoke tours of Cilento's attractions. One such attraction is the marine park, which we visited on Nicola's boat, captained by a highly experienced seafarer. The trip was the highlight of my holiday with my fourteen year old son. The scenery was breathtaking as we embarked on our journey along the coast and we made three stops to snorkel in water, which was as clear as the Red Sea. The areas which Nicola took us too were a true taste of paradise and my son and I were in our element. The trip included a lunch and this was extraordinarily good, consisting of a series of courses prepared lovingly by Nicola's wife. It was a seafood extravaganza, and as much local wine as we could drink. This was followed by an exquisite homemade mandarin liqueur, fresh from Nicola's bountiful garden. It was the best meal we had on our three week stay. If you would like to capture the true essence of Cilento I sincerely recommend you contact Nicola as his level of professionalism and love of his area is truly delightful and will bring a smile to your face. My only regret was learning of this trip towards the end of my stay as I would have repeated it three or four times.
God bless
Stephen Caldwell - London
August 2011
We were at a Wedding in Castellabate and my parents came with us. My mother was in a wheelchair and Italy is not a very suitable country for a wheelchair. We met Nicola he was brilliant, he suggested places that we could go with mam and dad and he is so enthusiastic about his home, history, culture. We went one evening up to the medieval town of Castellabate for dinner but before that Nicola brought us on a tour of Castellabate area at no extra charge. We had his phone no and we just had to ring him when we were ready to head back. Another night he brought us to a fig factory and I have to say this was the highlight of our holiday . The managing director was at the door to greet us, his cousin translated for him. We were made very welcome shown all the products and then we were brought up stairs for tastings which were fab. If you are ever in this area I could not recommend this guy enough. Well done Nicola we had a fabulous time with you and hope to come back again. Thanks again
Mary - Irland - 2012
First Class Service
Our whole family really enjoyed the day on the boat - the food, the snorkeling and the company. Nicola is an excellent host and his wife a fantastic cook.
Nicola also provided our taxi services to and from Naples Airport to the resort of Santa Maria di Castellabate - efficient and comfortable service
We would like to thank him again and look forward to our next trip to Santa Maria.
Gerry - Ascot - UK
august 2011
Dear Nico
The Masaniello boat trip was definitely the high light of our family vacation to Castellabate, Italy. Boat owner, Nico showed up to our villa on time and we followed him to his boat about 20 km away-we boarded the boat with his captain Jon and a translator. Nico made sure to tell us this was "our trip" and we could do whatever we wanted. The boat was clean and big enough for everyone to have room to lounge about. We started off with fishing for the kids. The captain, a seasoned fisherman, showed the 6 kids (ages 4-12) how to bait the line and troll for small fish. The kids loved pulling their fish on board and watching them in the bucket, soon to be returned to the sea. We then stopped at beautiful inlets where everyone could jump in the water (from the top of the boat!) and swim and snorkel in the clear mediterranean sea. We stopped for lunch at a beautiful marina where Nico's wife had prepared fresh tomato bruscetta, calamari and different fishes all purchased local of Castellabate or fresh from his garden. We also had delicious wines from the region and to top off our lunch Nico brought out his homemade orangecello made from his own orange trees. After lunch there was more swimming, resting and the trip was not complete without a stop off at the ice cream/coffee boat! Overall Nico and his crew were fantastic and had a great rapport with everyone. My kids loved the crew and we will all remember our boat trip for years to come. I would highly recommend it, especially if you're looking for an authentic Italian experience.
august 2011 Jennifer - Frankfurt , Germany ( summerinitaly vacation )
Bravo Masaniello Tourist pour la qualité de la prestation proposée : La gentillesse et simplicité de Nicola, le patron, n'a d'équivalent que l'extrême beauté des sites vus ou explorés, l'exquise saveur du repas concocté par son épouse Sonia, la compétence du capitaine du bateau. Tout est fait pour nous permettre de vivre un moment de détente exceptionnelle et faire que cette journée de sortie en mer soit inoubliable ! Certainement unique et inimitable sous bien des plans, cette balade en mer et toutes ses activités attenantes ont fait l'unanimité de notre famille. A tel point que c'est avec un grand enthousiasme que nous avons fait une seconde sortie afin de revivre les mêmes sensations. En fait, ça devrait être un incontournable pour ceux qui adorent la mer, les paysages époustouflants et les activités aquatiques. PLAISIR GARANTI. Fabuleux moments de richesses humains partagés. Félicitations et un grand MERCI Nicola.
Famille SAINTILAN Philippe, Rennes, France. Aout 2011
The Sapere and Sapori tour was magnificent. We first drove off to the hills of the Cilento National Parks and we were impressed by the vegetation, the hillsides covered with olive and figs trees, the ancient villages with houses still standing after centuries. We were shocked when we entered one of these houses and found interiors that could be on the cover of a design magazine. Another house or “palazzo” looked abandoned, but, instead, we found out that it was the residence of a renowned Italian play writer that comes to this place when he needs a quiet setting to find inspiration. In fact several houses around the palazzo are rented every year to an elite of visitors from abroad seeking for privacy, a unique scenery and good food. Food was truly unique. Nowhere else but in the company of Nicola you can taste the white figs, a specialty of one of the villages we visited and exported all over the world for a sophisticated consumer. In the same trip we tasted wine, limoncello and other drinks produced with environment friendly procedures. It really took some self discipline not to indulge with the wine and other products that were offered to us. Back home we showed pictures to our friends and all of us still could not believe the places we saw and the food we tried. Thank you Nicola.
Kate & family Atlanta - USA
Dear Nicola
Back in Brittany, we want to thank you again for the 2 amazing days trips on your boat. We had such a great time, swimming, diving, discovering your wonderful coast and we just loved your wife Sonia's cooking and your mandarin liquor. We listen very often "oh sole mio" and we are back in S. Maria di Castellabate again.... We hope to see you again next summer.
Take care Isabelle, Rémy, Brieuc and Adrien Rennes (France)
August 2011
Dear Nicola.
july 2011
On a hot and beautiful day in July 2011, we went out for a daytrip with Masaniellotour. Two Dutch families with children from 9 to 19. We had a wonderful day. It was the highlight of our vacation. Almost everything was perfect: the boot, the swimming in the sea. And the food! Seafood prepared by Nicola's wife. Just delicious.
Thank you again for the great tour!!! We had a wonderful time!!! The food was fabulous! Please tell your wife again thank you for cooking such delicious food for us. Good luck to your business.
july 2010 - elias , karen and childrens ( florida u.s.a )
21 agosto 2009
JIM and JO HAYTER ( oxford )
agosto 2009
