4 DAYS

5 NIGHTS

 
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Umbria DiVino

    

AUD  3050  Subject to change

  
Staying in an exclusive boutique hotel in Montefalco's main piazza.

Cellar visits to a range of Umbria's exquisite vineyareds & wine makers including Montefalco's award winning Sagrantino. There will be lunches & cooking classes in private homes, farms and villas, as well as food foraging and a couple of country walks to keep the calories in perspective. Includes visits to Montefalco's linen shops and outlets, and a traditional weaving industry in Perugia, and to Deruta for ceramics. A massage or

Call 1 300 65 66 79 (Australia) to reserve a place
 
 
 
     
 

Join us on an exploration of Montefalco's vineyards and cellars sampling the region's award winning Sagrantino. The tour includes truffle hunting cheese-making and cooking classes and visits to traditional weavers. You will stay in a newly renovated boutique hotel right in the centre of the beautiful hilltown of Montefalco.

Glorious views of the Umbrian countryside are ever present from a range of probate terraces, gardens  and cellars from where we will try  a range of Umbrian wines including the Sagrantino dry red which won Italy's award for the best red wine in 1998. This unusual grape grows only between Medieval Montefalco and the ancient Roman town of Bevagna. Its production in local monasteries can be traced back to the early middle ages, and a sweet version produced from Sagrantino raisins was the favourite of the Vatican for the holy wine of their mass.

Tempering our taste buds are the strong, simple flavours of truffles, splendid 'pecorino' cheeses, and salami and cured meats made from the truffle-eating wild boar. The Apennine slopes dominating one side of the Umbrian valley have long held the reputation for producing Italy's best golden green olive oil.

Our selection of local cooking classes are based on a variety of recipes rooted in ancient tradition and some of the finest natural produce in Italy. In visits to wine cellars, private homes, villas and farmhouses as well as specialist tastings, whatever the ingredients, the accent is always on genuine flavours.

  
     
 
 
  • Cellar tastings of Montefalco's award winning Sagrantino wines
  • A guided discovery of the culinary heritage of Central Umbria
  • Two Cooking classes based on traditional regional recipes
  • Representative meals at selected local restaurants
  • A truffle hunt in the forest near Spoleto
  • Foraging for wild asparagus & other edibles
  • A visit to Deruta, Italy's ceramics capital since the 14th century
  • An exploration of the local artisan cloth weaving in Perugia and Montefalco
  • Visit to a local olive oil grower and mill
  
 
     
 
 
While in Umbria you will be staying at Palazzo Bontadosi located just outside the walls of the medieval hilltown of Montefalco in Umbria. The accommodation is ideally situated for our visits to nearby towns and villages.
 
     
 
 

Please note, 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. The final version of the itinerary will be presented on arrival. B L T D means that breakfast, lunch, tastings and/or dinner will be included that day.

Day 1  Sun                    Foligno to Montefalco                                             D
 You will be met at Foligno Railway station at 11.30am. A private coach will transfer you to Montefalco. The afternoon is at leisure to upack and to explore your host town. Montefalco reds have won prestigious awards for the best red wine in Italy. Welcome drinks and dinner at the exclusive Aurum restaurant at our hotel

Day 2  Monday             Markets, Cooking Class & Cellar tasting                            B L
A visit  the local markets to experience the atmosphere, followed by an excellent cooking class at a local villa including the estates own 'Sciaccadiavoli' - or 'devil chaser' wine. In the afternoon we stroll to a nearby cellar and meet winemaking brothers Elisio & Lamberto Spacchetti.

Day 3  Tuesday          Fongoli Estate, Cellar visit & Oil tasting                           B L
We visit a local oil mill and walk through the field of olives which will include a talk on growing techniques and a detailed tasting and comparison some of the area's excellent extra virgin olive oils. The oil is an essential ingredient of Umbrian cooking and the landscape displays evidence of years of tradition in the area's principal agricultural activity. The family are also one of the area's best wine makers so we visit their ancient cellars have lunch sitting on their terrace overlooking vineyards and olive fields

 Day 4 Wed             Truffle hunt, Spoleto                                          B L
This morning we travel to a mountain forest where we will accompany a professional truffle hunter and his trained dogs into the forest on his daily quest for 'black gold'. We enjoy a simple meal of wine, bruschetta, pasta and truffles in the hunter's home in the mountain village. In the afternoon we drive down to Spoleto and walk across the magnificent medieval aqueduct into the town. Free time in Spoleto. and transport back to the accommodation for dinner.    

 Day 5 Thu                       Wine massages                                                              B D
This morning we 
Wild food foraging, Cooking class               
Up early this morning to join the locals out foraging for wild asparagus. Cooking class & lunch is at a private home. Afternoon visits to a local olive oil producer or a tasting of this essential ingrediant of Umbrian cooking
     Spello                                                     
 We travel to the delightful small hilltown of Spello for a tasting in a local enoteca  and then rest of the morning is free in the town to explore the ancient roman backstreets and modern art shops. Lunch in Spello on a terrace overlooking the landscape.   Cocktails and farewell dinner at the accommodation.
 

Day 6 Fri    Ceramics, Weaving, Perugia                                        B 
Deruta has been a major ceramics centre since medieval times. No culinary exploration would be complete without a venture into eating's decorative accessories. Here you will be shown through a selection of some of the 300 outlets selling plates, bowls and anything else that might be made of terracotta. We then travel on to Perugia to a workshop of traditional fabric weavers still using ancient hand built wooden looms in a beautifully restored gothic church.  The afternoon in the town is free for shopping or individual sightseeing.  

Day 7 Sat                   Orvieto                               B D
 In the morning travel to Orvieto for a visit to the markets and then a cooking class and lunch. In the afternoon free time in the town to explore the town centre with its fascinating array of shops, cafes and an award-winning gelateria. Final dinner tonight in Montefalco.

 Day 8 Sun          Transfer                                                                    B 
 7am Transfer to Foligno station. The tour officially ends heret.
 
 
 
The cost of the tour costs AUD 3050. A deposit of $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 $ 850 for single use of a double room. The full balance is due 60 days before departure. The tour is costed on a minimum of 5 people travelling and is limited to 18 places. Subject the final number of participants and exchange rates the price may vary slightly. You will be notified immediately of any change.  
 
 
 

 
  • Transfer from and to Foligno Railway station
  • All land travel within Italy by air-conditioned coach
  • Accommodation and breakfasts for 7 nights
  • 6 days half board
  • 2 restaurant meals of regional specialities and wines
  • 2 cooking classes incl lunch or dinner based on fresh local produce
  • A truffle hunting excursion and lunch in the foothills of the Apennines
  • A guided walk in the forest above Assisi
  • Visit and lunch at a traditional charcoal burner's home
  • Visits to the area's best cellars including tastings of Montefalco's award-winning Sagrantino wines
  • Admission to all sites included in the itinerary
  • Lectures on the food & wine, art and history of Umbria
  • Services of tour leaders throughout the tour
 
 
  • Airfares
  • Entry fees to places other than those specifically mentioned in the itinerary
  • Personal transport costs, phone calls or tips
  • Travel insurance (a pre requisite of the tour)
  • Laundry
  • Extras ordered at meal times
  • Each day will include a visit to a café where what you order will be at your own expense
 
     
 
Meals: Dinners at the guesthouse in Umbria will be full two and three course robust meals including the excellent local award winning wine and all beverages.. Any additional courses, special wines or extras ordered will be at your expense.

Cooking Classes: The *two* cooking classes will be based around the standard Italian menu of ‘Antipasti’, primi’ ‘secondi’, and ‘dolci’. The lessons are hands on and we eat what we make at the end of the lesson. Your first lesson will be based on the myriad varieties of ‘antipasti’ or entrees, that are the obligatory introduction to any Italian meal. These may consist of pizza, or bruschetta, or a lentil or grain soup. Much use is made of local and seasonal foods such as the pecorino sheep’s cheese and fresh vegetables. There will be a lesson in the preparation of various pasta courses called ' i primi piatti' or first course - usually carbohydrate, including the local pasta variety known as ‘strangozzi’ or ‘priest strangler’, lasagne, and a ravioli or stuffed pasta dish. Gnocchi could also be included in the pasta lesson. Basically the recipe is the same, the final result is all in the treatment or cutting of the pasta. In the 'dolci' course you will make a local version of strudel called ‘rocciata’ and a sort of chocolate pudding called ‘crescionda ‘.
 
 
 
 

You will be accompanied throughout the tour by a local team of intelligent and gracious local Italians including our official Umbrian tour guides and other local Umbrians who will travel with you most days. The team has collaborated now for over ten years and will ensure events run smoothly for your holiday experience.