After we have had our traditional breakfast, we will begin our day with a drive to nearby Tarquinia, arguably the most important of the Etruscan 'League of Twelve Cities'. In fact, for anyone studying Etruscan civilization, Tarquinia is without a question the single most important destination. It features the largest and best preserved Etruscan Necropolis discovered to date. Tarqinia's necropolis features about 6000 tombs that were dug into the soft volcanic tuff, some with beautifully painted frescoes that date from 600 to 200 BC.

After the necropolis, we will stop at a local vineyard and olive mill for Lunch and relax for a while before visiting Tarquinia's Archeological Museum. Widely considered to be Italy's best collection of Etruscan artifacts, we will see amazing jewelry, a beautiful group of terra-cotta winged horses that date back to 300 BC, Etruscan sarcophagi, pottery, statues, and much more.

On our way home we'll stop at the Bulicame Hot Springs on the outskirts of Viterbo. First discovered by the Etruscans, these volcanic sulfur springs are full of history. The ancient Romans built palaces and baths there as early as 310 BC, believing it to be a place where one could cleanse their sins.

Bullicame is even quoted in Dante's Inferno in Canto XIV, 79-81, where Dante passes a pool of boiling red water that reminds him of the thermal spas “whose waters are shared with prostitutes”. Pope Gregory IX bathed here in 1350, Pope Nicholas V in 1450, and even Michelangelo visited here, having sketched the ruins of the ancient baths.

Today the locals still insist that the water here has fantastic healing powers. Complain to any resident within 20 miles about just about any ailment, and they will tell you to go bathe in (or drink) the waters of Bullicame.

While the water spouts out of the source at 131° F (55° C), it flows into natural pools as it cools. For those that are up to it, if you bring a bathing suit, we'll make time to jump in and unwind. Who knows, maybe it will cure you of something, or at least convince the gods to forgive your sins.

Dinner tonight will be back in Soriano.

This morning we will let you rest for a somewhat later morning start. After our breakfast, we will take a short drive to a wooded area outside of Soriano, where we will have a light hike to the ruins of the ancient Etruscan village of Corviano.This is a completely abandoned Etruscan/Roman settlement with cave dwellings, an ancient temple, and a necropolis dug out of volcanic rock The structures here date from prehistoric times to medieval times.

As we walk the trails through this amazing site, we will pass through the ruins of a medieval fortress, then alongside cliffs where we will walk down carved steps into caves that were inhabited thousands of years ago by the mysterious Etruscans, then through the ruins of an ancient church.

Finally we will stumble upon an ancient necropolis that is simply unmistakable. We'll see the forms of the bodies carved out of the volcanic rock as we feel life as it was in another time.

We will then drive up to the summit of Mount Cimino to visit the majestic and enchanting Faggeta Forest. Here we will have a traditional Italian picnic under the towering canopy. We'll enjoy several varieties of fresh cheese & grapes, a selection of different kinds of prosciutto, salame, mortadella and more... all with freshly baked bread, focaccia, wine, mineral water and soda.

After we have relaxed and had our obligatory after-lunch espresso, we will take it easy until later afternoon for our next class... a night of 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 pizza, 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, prepare the ingredients, help fire up the oven, and even handle the peel as the pizza cooks.

It will be true Italian country pizza, like nothing you have ever experienced. We’ll learn to make Focaccia, Pizza Margherita, Sweet Onion pizza, Potato pizza, and for dessert we will have Sugar Pizza and finally Nutella Pizza.

This morning we will have breakfast before taking a drive to Cerveteri, the site of the "Necropolis of the Banditaccia" and the second of Etruria's "League of 12 Cities" we will visit. Unlike Tarquina, this necropolis features tombs (about 1,000 of them) housed in very characteristic mounds. In terms of size, this is the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean. While this is considered an Etruscan site, some of the tombs here pre-date even that civilization, featuring tombs from the Villanovan culture (900 BC). After visiting the necropolis, we will visit the Etruscan museum of Cerveteri, then have lunch in a local trattoria.

After we have rested, we'll take a beautiful drive around Lake Bracciano as we take in the beautiful vistas of its stunning castle and lake towns. We'll stop in historic Sutri, one of the Roman keys to Erturia. Here we will walk along the the cliffs and visit the rock-cut church of the Madonna del Parto, which was created out of one of the many Etruscan tombs of the area. Next we will visit the Roman amphitheater, which was completely carved out of rock, and is considered one of the most striking monuments of ancient Lazio.

Finally we will end our day with dinner in the the village of Vetralla for dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in Neapolitan food.

Today we will take it easy in the morning while we enjoy the village life in Soriano. We'll have lunch at the Villa, which is to be followed by our 3rd class: Limoncello and Biscotti.

We will teach you how to make Italy's famous after dinner lemon liqueur, and delicious and authentic Biscotti. Limoncello, which is served chilled from the freezer, is a liqueur that takes weeks to make, but is completely worth the effort. It is a multi-stage process, so you will start a new batch, then pick up at the second stage where our last class left off, finally bottling the results of the limoncello started 2 classes back. During the process we will bake and eat fresh Biscotti together while we drink chilled Limoncello made in past classes.

You will make two types of Limoncello:

• The traditional Limoncello
• Our special Crema di Limoncello (Limoncello Cream Liqueur)

Additionally, you will make three types of Biscotti:

• Ciambelle Spizzicate - Cookies with a White wine and Anise base.
• Biscotti di Nocciola - Traditional Hazelnut Biscotti
• Fave dei Morte - All Saints Almond cookies

When the class is finished, you will take home a 1/2 liter bottle of each type of Limoncello, as well as the fresh biscotti, and recipes for everything we made during the day.

In the evening we will go to the nearby provincial capital of Viterbo. We will take a stroll in the 'Corso' shopping district of the ancient city before we have dinner in a local restaurant. After dinner, we will visit the 'Palazzo Papale' and the 'San Pellegrino' district. This is Viterbo's medieval quarter, which is considered to be among the best preserved in all of Europe. The Palazzo Papale was the Vatican during a period when it was considered too dangerous for the Pope to be in Rome.

This morning we will have breakfast, then head off to nearby Norchia. This is a fantastic Etruscan cliff necropolis set among wild natural surroundings, far away from even a hint of other tourists. In fact, to get here, we will park in the middle of a field, then walk about 600 feet to a gorge in the middle of nowhere. As we climb to the bottom, we will suddenly be struck with the tombs almost as though we are discovering them ourselves.

This site is extremely unique, in that it resembles nothing else in the area. The 'Dado-Style' (Dice-Style) tombs somehow feel almost Mayan in nature when you first see them. Built around 400 BC, Norchia was a prosperous town before Roman conquest (300 BC), Its rock-cut tombs are dated from 400 BC - 200 BC.

Next we'll take a drive to Vulci, yet another of the Etruscan "League of 12 Cities". We'll stop for lunch along the way.

Vulci, which was famous in ancient times for trade, handicrafts and agriculture. Active from as early as the 800 BC, the city expanded its control over the surrounding territory in the following two centuries, making it one of the more important Etruscan cities of the time.

On the site of the ancient city, we will see the remains of a villa dating from the 1st century BC, a long stretch of a Roman road, the foundations of an Etruscan temple and the remains of two doors in the city walls. Of course, we will visit the necropolis, as well as a beautiful medieval castle which houses a small Etruscan museum.

In the late afternoon we will begin our last class, which will be for tonight's farewell dinner. For this class, we will focus on our family recipe for homemade Lasagna. As always, everything is made from scratch and the freshest ingredients. Our appetizer is an amazing sausage and cheese bruschetta. For our second course, we will learn to make Involtini Eddarella (Veal rolls stuffed with mortadella and celery, sauteed in white wine). We’ll make a Rucola salad, topped with cherry tomatoes and shaved parmesan for a side dish, followed by Frappe alla cannella e zucchero ( Fried pastry with sugar and cinnamon ) for dessert.

Unfortunately our week comes to a close this morning. We will have breakfast, take you to Rome and exchange hugs this morning.