After our morning breakfast we head to the Umbrian city of Assisi, the hometown of St. Francis. Still surrounded by its ancient walls, is sits on the slopes of Mount Subasio with beautiful rose stone buildings, winding narrow streets, noble palaces and balconies full of flowers. Here we will visit the Basilica of St. Francis together, then split up to give you time for shopping and sightseeing on your own, or with us if you prefer. For those that want to stay with us, we will have a light lunch in Assisi.

In the afternoon, we will depart for the city of Deruta, which is known for its world-famous ‘majolica’ ceramics. Deruta is home to a centuries old ceramics tradition that is unparalleled anywhere in the world. We will have a tour of a local factory here and take some to to shop before we head out for dinner.

Dinner tonight is at an extremely unique Pizzeria that serves seemingly endless varieties of pizza ‘by the meter’. We will laugh and drink wine and beer while we sample pizza selections like you have never dreamed of. Tonight's pizza will be one you will dream of long after you have returned home!

his morning we will all meet in a local coffee bar and pastry shop in Soriano’s main Piazza. Here we will have our traditional Italian breakfast of freshly baked pastries and cappuccino.

After breakfast, we’ll take a short drive around Soriano during which we’ll get a little history of this medieval village, stop for a few picture opportunities, and see some of the more prominent local monuments.

The drive will end at our 18th century villa in the countryside below Soriano where our classes will take place. While we do the shopping for most classes together, all of the shops are closed on Sunday, so we will have done all of the shopping for today’s class the day before.

In our first class we will learn the secrets of making homemade Fettuccini from scratch, and prepare two wonderful sauces for it. The first is our special family recipe for Ragu, passed down through the generations. Following the ragu, we will learn to make a delicious sausage, onion and vodka cream sauce. In addition to Fettuccini, you will also learn to make a delicious appetizer made of pancetta-wrapped pineapple. To cap the meal off, for dessert we will learn to make our own very unique and special recipe of Tiramisu that is certain to be the best you have ever tasted.

After lunch, we will rest a bit over an espresso before we go on our first excursion to the nearby Umbrian city of Orvieto which is the home to one of Italy’s most magnificent cathedrals, as well as the world-renowned white Orvieto Classico wine and beautiful ceramics shops.. Here we will give you the afternoon and early evening free to explore this wonderful cliff-top town.

Next we will take a short drive to a small family-run winery and olive mill in the village of Castiglione in Teverina. Here, one of the owners will give us a private tour of their wine cellar and olive mill, followed by a tasting of their line of wines and their olive oil, as well as a light dinner based on local specialties.

This morning we will all meet in a local coffee bar and pastry shop that is in Soriano’s main Piazza. Here we will have our traditional Italian breakfast of freshly baked pastries and cappuccino.

After breakfast, we’ll take a short drive around Soriano during which we’ll get a little history of this medieval village, stop for a few picture opportunities, and see some of the more prominent local monuments.

Next we will take the short drive down to our 18th century villa in the countryside below Soriano where our classes will take place. While we do the shopping for most classes together, all of the shops are closed on Sunday, so we will have done all of the shopping for today’s class the day before.

In this class you will learn our family secrets of making homemade Gnocchi from scratch, and prepare two delectable sauces for it. The first is a delicate butter and sage sauce, followed by a traditional local Porcini mushroom based sauce, made with fresh Porcinis from our local forests. For our appetizer, we will make fresh Ricotta and grilled Pancetta atop fresh Ciabatta bread. For our second course we will learn to make Tuscan Roasted Chicken with Tuscan-roasted potatoes as a side dish. To cap the meal off, for dessert we will teach you to make our own very unique and special recipe of Tiramisu that is certain to be the best you have ever tasted.

After lunch, we will rest a bit over an espresso before we go on our first excursion to the nearby town of Bagnaia where we will visit the magnificent Villa Lante. This estate was designed in the 16th century for Cardinal Riario, and later inhabited by Cardinal Gambara. The estate, which has been credited as one of the inspirations for Versailles in France, boasts stunning water gardens. After a few intense days, you will truly appreciate the peaceful atmosphere the villa provides.

Next we will drive up to the beautiful Tuscan town of Pitigliano, which is well-known for its white wine. We will have an opportunity to do some tastings if we disire before taking the scenic drive around Lake Bolsena, and through Montefiascone (Known for its Est! Est! Est! white wine), and back into Soriano. for dinner in a local traoria.

After our morning breakfast we will head out for a day full of wine and cheese in beautiful Southern Tuscany.

We’ll start be heading up to Montepulicano, then driving the Orcia Valley Wine route through this picturesque wine region which evokes the classic image of Tuscan rolling hills. Our first stop will be at the small family run Casanova di Neri winery in Montalcino, which is widely considered the best of the Brunello wines... So much so that their 2001 Brunello was rated as the #1 wine of the year by Wine Spectator Magazine in 2006. Here we will have a private tasting with the owners of the winery.

Next we will proceed a few miles to the stunning St. Antimo Abbey, a beautiful Romanesque church that dates back to the 9th century. It sits in a valley just outside of Montalcino, surrounded by fields and olive groves. Here we will witness the monks in the Gregorian Chant during the brief service.

After the service, we will visitg the Croce di Mezzo winery in Montalcino, where we will have a winery tour and a tasting of their fantastic Brunello wines, followed by lunch at the winery.

After lunch, we’ll take the short drive to beautiful Pienza, known for its incredible Pecorino cheese. You will have a some time to walk around this charming village, do some Pecorino cheese tastings and some shopping before we leave for the town of Montepulciano, where we will do our final tasting and tour of the day.

Montepulciano is known for its Vino Nobile wine, a competitor for the Brunellos. Here we will tour the town’s ancient 14th century cellar that was built underneath the Palace of Cardinal Ricci and is widely considered to be the most beautiful wine cellar in the world. After the cellar tour, we will participate in a complete tasting of Montepulciano’s fantastic wines.

Being our final day, we will keep it light and expose you to a few places that are a bit more off the beaten path. We’ll have a later start time today after the long day in Rome as we go to the nearby village of Bomarzo, home of ‘The Sacred Grove’ (also known as The Monster Park). This amazing estate is believed by some to have been designed by Michelangelo. Commissioned by a local Prince in the 14th century after his wife’s death, the grounds are full of massive and bizarre statues that were carved out of the local volcanic rock. It is believed that this ‘park’, which is the only thing of its kind in the world, was developed to convey the grief the prince felt after having lost his beloved wife. It is a truly amazing place that words and pictures cannot fully describe.
After visiting the park, we will venture up to the Faggeta Forest, full of towering beech trees with a canopy that gives this place a truly mystic feel. Weather permitting, we will have a picnic lunch under the canopy.

After lunch we will head down to town where you will have a couple hours of free time to relax or pack before tonight’s pizza class.

In the late afternoon we’ll drive back to the villa to begin our final class: Country Wood-Fired Pizza.

In Italy, making Pizza is a social event, similar to the way many of us think of having a Barbeque. It is a time of fun and laughter where bonds are forged. It is a truly special experience while the group shares the homemade pizza one tray at a time as it is pulled from the wood-fired brick oven and carried piping hot to the garden table under the vines and stars.

We will prepare several kinds of dough, and prepare the fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and many other ingredients for this wonderful evening together. Each person will help while they learn every stage of this event. You will make the dough, drink some wine, prepare the ingredients, drink some wine, help fire up the oven, drink some wine, and even handle the peel as the pizza cooks.... and then we will drink some wine! It will be true Italian country pizza, like nothing you have ever experienced.

Unfortunately our week comes to a close this morning. For those that are leaving, we will have breakfast in Piazza before an early morning trip to the airport and/or cruise terminal, exchange hugs and say ‘see you soon’ to our new friends. For those departing to other parts of Italy, we will bring you to the train station as needed. If you have later flights out, we will be happy to arrange for a private car (additional fee) to take you to Rome, the airport, ceuise terminal, or trains. For those choosing to continue with week #2, you will have the entire day to relax in Soriano, or to venture out on your own. We will be more than happy to help you with the logistics of this ‘on your own’ day while we take care of seeing people off and welcoming new guests.