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The Best of Tuscany and Umbria... and a taste of Rome
with 3 cooking classes

ImageThis 8 day / 7 night package is a magical experience for those that love wine and all things Italian! It includes a fine balance between some of Central Italy's more popular destinations (like Assisi, Orvieto, and an evening in Rome) and some of the more hidden and less known treasures of the area. We spend a full day touring some of Tuscany's best wineries, then follow it up with some of Umbria's most breathtaking nature. In fact, this is the tour that combines the places that our guests have told us were their favorite places during our past tours.

In between our excursions, we will have three fantastic cooking classes in a completely restored 18th century country villa. There, we will learn to make true Italian Pizza, Limoncello, Biscotti, and a wondrful homemade Gnocchi feast.

In between our cooking classes and excursions, you will get a real taste of true Italian culture. You will meet villagers, get to know local shopkeepers and grocers, sample local homemade wines, cheeses, liquers, salame, proscuitto, and much more. For a week, you are not a tourist... you are a family guest.

This is without question an experience that will rank as one of the greatest of your life... we promise.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday) - Welcome to Soriano!

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If you are arriving in Italy today, you will be greeted at the Rome airport and taken to your lodging in the beautiful town of Vetralla, where you will get settled in.  If you are already in Italy, we can either meet at the Rome airport, the Orte train station (36 min from Rome’s Central Station), or in Vetralla if you have a car.  If you are arriving by ship, we will pick you up at the Civitavecchia Cruise terminal.  We will have a light lunch, and give you a few hours to get settled in.  For those that are up to it, we will take a ride into Soriano and have some Gelato while as we soak in at this beautiful medieval village and get to know one another.  Tonight we will dine in an ancient monastery that has been converted into a wonderful restaurant.

Places Vetralla, Soriano nel Cimino
Classes None
Meals Light lunch, Gelato, Dinner at Taverna dei Frati
Day 2 (Sunday) - Orvieto & Civita di Bagnoregio (Umbria) (+ Pizza Class)

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We'll start our trip visting nearby Orvieto, home of what is without question Umbria's best known wine: 'Orvieto Classico'. Here, we will spend our touring ancient wine cellars, catacombs, one of Italy's most stunning cathedrals, and shopping in Orvieto's fantastic shopping district, where you will find everything from original Italian designs & ceramics to food and wine shops that will leave you drooling.

If time permits (depending on how much time you want to shop), we will stop at the nearby village of Civita di Bagnoregio on the way back. Civita is one of Italy's oldest villages, dating back to early Etruscan times (3,500+ years) It is an extrememly unique 'dyning town', which has been crumbling away through erosion for thousands of years, and is beautiful to the point that no picture can do it justice.

From there we will return to Soriano and go down to Villa Eddarella, the site of our cooking classes. Today we will start with our first 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, 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.

 

Places Soriano nel Cimino, Orvieto, possible vitit to Civita di Bagnoregio
Classes

Country Wood-Fired Pizza Night (Class #1)

Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
Orvieto Trattoria
Dinner
Pizza made in our class
Day 3 (Monday) - A Day of Tuscany Wineries - Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano (Tuscany)

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After we have had our traditional breakfast, we will begin our day with a drive through the rolling hills of Tuscany as we make our way to the Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano, famous for its Vino Nobile wine. Here we will tour the ancient 'Cantina del Redi' cellars, after which we will participate in a tasting of these fantastic wines with local salame and cheeses. We will spend some time in town visiting local shops and tasting more wine before we proceed to the hill town of Montalcino, home of the world famous 'Brunello' wine.

We will have lunch in a local trattoria before we visit the vineyards and cellars of the world-famous 'Fattoria Dei Barbi' in Montalcino.

On our return we will stop in a cheese factory to sample some local Pecorino cheese in the town of Pienza.

We will have a light dinner en-route to Vetralla as we close out this long day.

Places Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza
Classes None
Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
Trattoria in Montalcino
Dinner
Light dinner on return from Pienza
Day 4 (Tuesday) Bella Umbria + Limoncello and Biscotti Class

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Today we will visit some of the most beautiful sights of the region of Umbria. While Tuscany gets all of the notoriety, Umbria is arguably the most beautiful region of Italy... and it is right in our back yard. In fact, Italians refer to Umbria as the 'Green Heart of Italy'. We will visit the breathtaking 'Cascate delle Marmore' (The Marmore Falls), which are the tallest falls in Europe. We'll then visit the stunning town of Labro, where we will have a private tour ot its 11th century castle, overlooking the breathtaking Lake Piediluco.

We'll have lunch today in a traditional Umbrian trattoria as we sample the local cold cuts this area is so famous for.

After lunch, we will proceed back to Villa Eddarella for our next class: Liminocello 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 months 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.

Places Terni, Labro, Piediluco
Classes

Limoncello & Biscotti

Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
Along Lake Trasimeno
Dinner
Viterbo
Day 5 (Wednesday) -Bomarzo & Rome at Night (Lazio)

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This morning we will visit a rare wonder known as 'The Sacred Wood'. It is a 14th century park that is believed to have been designed by Michelangelo himself. Here we will stroll through the grounds as we marvel at gigantic sculptures that made this the 14th century concept of a theme park.

In the early afternoon a light lunch and some afternoon, we will have a traditional Italian picnic of cheese, salame and wine in Soriano's majestic Fagetta Forest.

In the early evening, we are off to Rome, where we will have dinner ina local Roman Pizzeria before we stroll the ancient streets of Rome for the evening, taking in the Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain and The Pantheon.

Places Bomarzo, Soriano, Rome
Classes None
Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
Picnic in the forest
Dinner
Pizzeria in Rome
Day 6 (Thursday) -Assisi (Umbria)

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Today, after a late night we will have a somewhat late start, but once we do, we will be spending our day in Assisi where we will visit the magnificent cathedral, the tomb of St. Francis, and much more

In the evening, we'll stop in the beautiful town of Spoleto or Todi for dinner before going home.

Places Assisi, + Todi or Spoleto
Classes

None

Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
In Assisi
Dinner
In Spoleto or Todi
Day 7 (Friday) -Tarquinia & Pitigliano, Montefiascone, Lake Bolsena (Tuscany and Lazio) (+ Gnocchi Class for dinner)

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Today we will will go to Tarquinia and visit their Etruscan necropolis, which is the best preserved Etruscan site in the world, dating back to the 6th century BC. We will see the incredibly well-preserved frescos that have been essential in helping historians understand this mysterious race of people that pre-dated the ancient Romans. Next we will stop in a local olive mill for olive oil tasting and a fantastic lunch.

After lunch, 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.

Once in Soriano, we will rest up a bit before starting the grand finale of our classes: Homemade Gnocchi & Tiramisu!

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 goat cheese and grilled Pancetta atop fresh Ciabatta bread. For our second course we will learn to make Pollo ai Pepperoni, 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.

Places Tarquinia, Pitigliano, Montefiascone, Lake Bolsena
Classes

Dinner Class #3

Meals
Breakfast
Cappuccino & Pastries
Lunch
Valle del Marte in Tarquinia
Dinner
Class #2 (Appetizer, first course, second course, side dish, dessert)
Appetizer

Tartine Rustiche (Goat cheese and grilled Pancetta atop fresh Ciabatta bread)

First

• Gnocchi al burro e salvia (butter and sage sauce)
• Gnocchi ai funghi porcini (Porcini mushroom sauce)

Second

Pollo ai Pepperoni (Tuscan Pepper Chicken)

Side

Patate Arrosto (Tuscan-roasted potatoes)

Dessert

Tiramisu

Day 8 (Saturday) - Goodbye

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

2009 Pricing:

US$ 2,895 per person, based on double occupancy.

Space for this tour is limited to 20 people per week. To hold a spot, we take a 20% deposit. The remainder is due 90 days before the start date of the tour.

What's Included:

Our pricing is all-inclusive, much in the same way that a cruise is. We take care of all transportation, all entry fees, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, tour guides, drivers, and lodging from the moment we pick you up in Rome until the moment we drop you off in Rome.

What's Not Included:

Our prices do not include your airfare to Rome, and they do not include personal expenses (shopping, gifs, etc.) during your stay. Additionally, they do not include any gratuities (see below).

Lodging

Most guests will stay in a stunning new 'Agriturismo' (A luxurious organic estate). All rooms are double-occupancy with air conditioning, satellite, private bedrooms and bathrooms, and kitchenettes. They are absolutely beautiful and first-class. Guests may also request to stay in our village homes if the desire.

Gratuities

Tips are always a personal choice. During your tour, there will be several people that you may wish to leave gratuities for: The instructor of the cooking classes and her helper, the driver, and the tour manager. None of these people expect tips, but it is customary and but they won't decline them.

Menu Variations
The menus listed on the itineraries are subject to change depending on season.  This is a summer menu. We use only fresh ingredients wherever possible, so if we are unable to prepare a certain dish, it will be substituted. In case of expected rain, Pizza night will be replaced with Lasagna class. Between November and April, Pizza night will be replaced with an evening of Italian Grill at the fireplace.

Excursion Substitutions
In case of rain, some excursions may be altered or replaced. Additionally, we often modify excursions on the fly in order to take advantage of local festivals that may occur during your tour.

 

 

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