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  DESIGNED FOR MATURE TRAVELLERS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF THE 3RD AGE
  Unpack once and stay in Montefalco
  Visit Spoleto, Bevagna, Spello, Assisi, Orvieto, Perugia and a range of wine cellars in the Montefalco countryside as well as a concert performance in an evocative Umbrian venue
  Sunday 05 to Sunday 19 September 2010
  A similar itinerary will run starting on Sunday 04 September 2011
 
AUD 5585
 
Travel Concepts
1800 770 599
Brisbane QLD Australia		 U3A
+61 03 90158013 
Melbourne VIC Australia		 Mary Rossi Travel
1800 815 067
Sydney NSW Australia

Join a small group of like- minded company for a relaxed and leisurely exploration of an area famous for perfect medieval towns, hilltop hamlets, award wining wines and tranquil landscapes. Experience Umbrian life, history and culture with good food, good wine and the good company of passionate, knowledgeable local hosts. This itinerary is designed especially to cater for mature age and U3A members with plenty of leisure time to allow you to enjoy the landscape, the accommodation and your host town of Montefalco. You will be introduced to the prize winning Sagrantino wine and local food of Montefalco as well as traditional artisan products in the ancient Roman town of Bevagna, and the ceramics capital of Deruta. There are excursions, exploring the countryside and viewing Renaissance masterpieces, architectural and historical sites in Spoleto, Trevi, Perugia, Orvieto, Bevagna Assisi and Spello. Your accommodation just outside the walls of Montefalco is in a renovated 400 year old farmhouse (all bedrooms with en-suite) set amongst olive groves and vineyards.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You will be staying in one comfortable centrally located accommodation at the Fabrizi family estate located just outside the walls of the medieval hilltown of Montefalco. The accommodation is ideally situated for our visits to nearby towns and villages. A cluster of four of the farm buildings has been converted into high quality accommodation, with a swimming pool. There are twenty-two rooms, all with their own bathrooms and private entrances. Meals are held in a pleasant dining room or al fresco on the garden terrace with spectacular views across the valley. This is also a wonderful place to read or just take in the sun. The rooms are air-conditioned and the thick walls and shady trees keep the temperature pleasant even on hotter days.

The region also produces some of the finest natural produce in Italy. The estate is still a working farm producing its own wine and olive oil which are used to prepare the delicious simple meals which are such a feature of the tour. Dinner is usually at the accommodation unless otherwise described.

  • Accommodation in one place for 14 nights means you can relax with no packing and unpacking each day

  • Local hosts who have a detailed knowledge of the region

  • The small group size means so no long queues or wasting time getting on and off buses so more time to enjoy the surroundings

  • The relaxed daily pace means time to really see and take in everything not just a mad dash from one photo opportunity to the next

  • Like minded company means matched expectations and enhanced experiences

  • The food and wine experiences are of a higher standard with home style traditional recipes and local produce  - more pleasurable than eating in places that cater for huge numbers

  • Short day trips mean less time spent on buses

  • Ample leisure time to relax and explore the local countryside or the town of Montefalco a short walk from the accommodation

  • An opera or concert performance in one of Umbria's stunning venues

  • Lively and fascinating talks on the history & art of Umbria

 
This is a preliminary itinerary and will be altered to accommodate seasonal activities, local festivals or the availability of guides or lecturers. However the essential content of the itinerary will remain the same. B L D means that breakfast, lunch and/or dinner will be included that day.

Sun 05 Sept  2010    Transfer to Montefalco                   L D    O'night Montefalco
You will be met at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Rome at 10.30am. A private air-conditioned coach will transfer you to Montefalco in Umbria in time for a late lunch at your accommodation.   [We highly recommend - particularly if travelling with Emirates - arriving one day early and staying overnight at the Airport Hilton Hotel to refresh after the flight. Pick-up directly from the Hilton at 10am]
In the afternoon there will be time for you to settle in at your leisure. An early dinner at the accommodation.

Mon 06 Sept             Spoleto                                           B L D   O'night Montefalco
Late this morning we drive to Spoleto, a town rich in Roman and medieval history. We visit the church of San Pietro Fuori le Mura which boasts one of the most outstanding Romanesque facades in Umbria, before crossing the magnificent medieval aqueduct on our way into the city. Lunch in our favourite garden restaurant is followed by an exploration of the ancient centre of the town including the Roman house and visit the Duomo to see Filippo Lippi's final fresco cycle.  Dinner at the accommodation on our return.

Tue 07 Sept           Montefalco  Museum                          B L D  O'night Montefalco
 This morning Neil Moore will introduce you to Montefalco with a walk around the town while describing the local history and art. The Welcome Lunch will be held in a local restaurant where a feast of regional specialties will be served. Then we visit Montefalco's beautifully presented Museum which contains a fine fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli on the life of Saint Francis, work by Perugino and many other examples of late medieval and early Renaissance art. An early evening meal will be served at the accommodation.

Wed 08 Sept           Visit artist's home                             B L D   O'night Montefalco
Visit a private artist's studio to view their work. Afternoon at leisure or optional visits to small mountain villages which dot the Umbrian landscape.

Thu 09 Sept            Wine Tasting, Cellar visits                B L D   O'night Montefalco
Today we explore the cellars of one of the producers of Montefalco's award winning wines, where you will be introduced to the subtleties of a range of Umbria's excellent wines.  We enjoy lunch on the terrace of a small family wine maker.

Fri 10 Sept              Bevagna                                           B L D  O'night Montefalco
This morning we travel to Bevagna, a little known treasure house of Roman and medieval antiquity. It has one of the finest small piazzas in Umbria with two austerely beautiful Romanesque churches. We also visit the remains of the Roman baths with original mosaic floors and the vaults of the old Roman theatre on which are built medieval houses. Lunch at the accommodation and the afternoon at leisure. In the evening a talk with slides on the fresco cycles by Giotto and Simone Martini in the Basilica at Assisi in preparation for our visit. 

Sat 11 Sept             Assisi                                               B D     O'night Montefalco
We spend the day in Assisi, the home of St Francis, Italy's favourite saint, visiting the Basilica of San Francesco decorated with frescoes by Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini and the Roman remains under the still-standing temple of Minerva.   

Sun 12 Sept            Day at Leisure                                  B L D   O'night Montefalco
An optional visit to Bevagna may be arranged including a lunch time concert in Teatro Torti, the small theatre in the town

Mon 13 Sept            Montefalco Markets & Spello       B L D   O'night Montefalco
The town market is on this morning and you should also visit some of Montefalco's artisan outlets including traditional weaving using Renaissance designs.  In the afternoon we explore the delightful hilltown of Spello including a visit to the Baglioni Chapel decorated with superb frescoes by Pinturicchio. 

Tue 14 Sept             Perugia                                       B L      O'night Montefalco
The morning is at leisure with lunch at our accommodation. In the afternoon we drive to Perugia, an important city since Etruscan times and the capital of the Umbrian region. Our itinerary includes the extraordinary medieval ghost town under the Renaissance Rocca Paolina, the Collegio del Cambio with frescos by Perugino, the National Gallery of Umbria with works by the National Gallery of Umbria with works by Piero della Francesca, Pinturicchio and Fra Angelico and other great artists of the Umbrian and Tuscan Renaissance.   Free time for dinner in the town and then we return to the accommodation

Wed 15 Sept            Farm lunch & Deruta                        B L D   O'night Montefalco
This morning we visit Ettore and his family on their ancient estate below Poreta, where they have a biological grain, and pulse farm, including local produce such as lentils, chick peas, and the ancient grain called 'farro'. We enjoy a sampling of their products around the huge fireplace in their ancient kitchen. In the afternoon we travel to Deruta, a major ceramics centre since Roman times, and the home of Corso de' Fiori. Dinner at the accommodation.
                                                            
Thu 16 Sept                Orvieto                                          B D      O'night Montefalco
Today we drive to Orvieto where we visit the Etruscan necropolis before ascending to the upper town perched on its volcanic platform overlooking a valley covered in vineyards. The Duomo is one of Italy’s great cathedrals and contains a famous fresco cycle by Signorelli. You have free time for lunch when you might like to sample the famous white wine called 'Orvieto Classico'. We return to the accommodation for dinner.

Fri 17 Sept           Day at Leisure & Concert performance  B L D   O'night Montefalco
You have the whole day to relax and then in the evening a performance will be included as part of the local music festivals running at this time of year in Umbria.

Sat 18 Sept                Wine Tastings                                  B L D   O'night Montefalco
Late morning we visit the cellars of the producers of Montefalco's award winning wines, where you will be introduced to the subtleties of a range of Umbria's excellent wines. Afternoon at leisure and final dinner at the accommodation
   
Sun 19 Sept                Departure                                             B
At 8am we depart by coach for Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport at Fiumicino where you arrive at approximately 12 noon. The tour officially ends here.

 
The cost of the tour is  AUD 5585 per person in twin share accommodation. A deposit of AUD 500 per person is required to reserve a place on the tour. This deposit is non-refundable unless the tour is cancelled. A limited number of single supplements is available at an additional cost of AUD 500 in a single room, or  AUD 800 in a double room (DUS).  The full balance is due 60 days before departure. The tour is costed on a minimum of 12 people travelling and is limited to 24 places. Subject to final tour numbers and exchange rates the price may vary slightly. You will be notified immediately of any change.
 

A series of lively and informative background lectures on the history and culture of the region will be given during the tour. Topics to be covered include:

  • The Giotto fresco cycle in Assisi describing the life of Saint Francis
  • The dramatic frescoes of Luca Signorelli in Orvieto

Neil Moore (www.neilmoore.it) B.A. (Hons) is a painter and etcher of exceptional ability who has lived with his family for the last twenty years in the Umbrian countryside. Having graduated and then taught in the Department of Fine Arts at Sydney University, he made a second career as a newspaper illustrator for the National Times, the Sydney Morning Herald and other Australian publications. Now an established artist in his own right who exhibits in Europe and Australia, he divides his time between creative work and operating the Living Italy program together with his wife Carol Searle. Neil and Carol's extensive knowledge and love of the history, art, food, wine and society of Umbria will become evident as they lead you through this largely undiscovered part of the world.

In addition you will be accompanied throughout the tour by a team of locals committed to making your stay a true and fulfilling Italian experience. This includes the owners of the accommodation Piero and Giuseppe Fabrizi, as well as others who you will meet throughout the itinerary. The team has collaborated now for over 15 years.

Living Italy is community project in a small hilltown in Umbria in Central Italy.  
 Click here to find out who we are.                     
 Or click here to contact Living Italy
 
What kinds of people go on Living Italy tours? The single feature which distinguishes the Living Italy groups is their desire to understand and appreciate in depth the places they visit. The interests of the group are usually wide-ranging - history, fine arts, music, architecture, food, reading etc. The age of group members varies greatly, but most would be more than fifty years old and have travelled. With a maximum of 24 places on the tour the group is large enough for you to find like-minded friends, but small enough for us to get to know you all.  
 
 What will the weather be like? Late summer is a pleasant and relaxed time to visit central Italy, with the main Italian summer holiday season over and the Italian way of life returning to its normal rhythm. Daytime temperatures will range from 15 to 25 degrees and the evenings are still balmy. It is always a good idea to travel with a lightweight waterproof  jacket and scarf for the odd chilly evening, and it is reasonable to expect rain on a few days. 
 
 How fit do you have to be?  In order to visit and enjoy the natural attractions of the countryside and the historical centres of towns it is necessary to be able to walk well, as bus and car access can be difficult. While there are no medical restrictions on who may book a place on the tour, you should be fit enough to stroll for periods of up to an hour (with short breaks) and you should specially note that the towns are not called 'hilltowns' for nothing!. Wherever possible we break up walking tours with coffee stops and extended lunches and we have tried to mix busy and relaxed days in the itinerary. Remember that it is always possible to take time off from the program whenever you like.