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Contents of this page
Quick Links
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Taste of Umbria
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| Staying in Montefalco
Visiting
Spoleto, Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Norcia and Deruta as well as
private homes, farms and villas
Call 1 300 65 66 79 (Australia) to reserve a place |
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The landscape comes to the table in this grand tour of Umbrian wine, oil &
of course cooking which is famous for recipes rooted in ancient tradition
and strong, simple flavours.
Whatever the ingredients, the accent
is always on the genuine flavours and aromas that arise naturally from the
scenery around.
The region produces some of the finest natural produce
in Italy. Making use of the exceptional local olive oil, truffles and the
distinctive Umbrian wines, the regional specialities offer connoisseurs much
to enjoy. There are splendid 'pecorino' cheeses made from sheep's milk, and
the salami and cured meats made from truffle-eating wild boar are famous
throughout Italy.
The whole of
Umbria beneath 600 metres in altitude has a climate and geography
particularly suited to the cultivation of the olive. The oil is an essential
ingredient of Umbrian cooking. One of the most delightful days today we
spend having a picnic
spread on the nets under the olive trees on a beautiful hill overlooking the valley of Umbria across to Assisi.
The Sagrantino dry red won Italy's award for the
best wine of 1998. This unusual grape grows only between medieval Montefalco
and the old Roman town of Bevagna, and its production in local monasteries
can be traced back to the early middle ages. |
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A guided discovery of the culinary heritage
of Central Umbria |
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4 Cooking classes based on
traditional regional recipes |
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Representative
meals at selected local restaurants |
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A truffle hunt in the forest near Spoleto |
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Cellar tastings of Montefalco's award
winning Sagrantino wines |
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Guided
visits in Montefalco, Bevagna, Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto
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A visit to Deruta, Italy's ceramics capital
since the 14th century |
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An exploration of the local artisan cloth
weaving in Perugia and Montefalco |
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Visit to a local olive oil grower and mill |
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While in Umbria you will be staying at the
Fabrizi estate
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. Four of the farm buildings were
converted into high quality accommodation, with a swimming pool. There
are twenty rooms. All have their own bathroom and private entrance.
Meals are held in a pleasant dining room and there are lounge areas in
two of the buildings. There is a garden and terrace with spectacular
views across the Valley of Umbria to Assisi, Trevi and Spoleto. This is
often used as an outdoor eating area but is also a wonderful place to
read or just take in the sun. The rooms are not air-conditioned, but 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. |
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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 Rome to Montefalco
L D
You will be met at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport at
Fiumicino at 10.30am. A private air-conditioned coach
will transfer you to Montefalco. After lunch on the estate we
travel up to the medieval town of Montefalco where you will
be introduced to the food, wine and artisan traditions of
the town including a wine tasting in a private cellar.
Welcome drinks and dinner at the
family run enoteca in the town's delightful
piazza.
Day 2 Mon
Markets & Villa
Cooking Class 1,
Bevagna, B L D
Today is market day
in Montefalco so there is a walk around the town to
experience the atmosphere. The cooking class is at a local
villa just near the marketplace.
You will develop skills in making a complete Umbrian meal
from antipasti, through to dolci, including fresh pasta
in its local variation, 'strangozzi' with its interesting
definition as 'priest strangler. In the afternoon we visit
Bevagna and then travel directly to dinner
on the vine covered terrace of a local winery, one of
the family run smaller cellars that characterize the wine
making traditions of the area.
Day 3 Tue
Cooking Class
2,
Norcia
B L D
In the morning we travel to our cooking
class
in a private home
or small local restaurant
based on characteristic regional food.
The class is followed by lunch. In the afternoon we
drive through the Valley of the river Nera to Norcia, the
sausage and salami capitol of Italy. The walled roman
town has been historically famous for its delicious cheeses
and salamis and almost every Italian town has a Norcineria
selling its produce. We stock up on produce to include at
dinner this evening back at the accommodation. After dinner
a talk on the food and wine of Umbria
Day 4 Wed
Olive oil tasting, Cooking
class 3
B L D
We visit a
local oil mill and walk through the field of olives which
will include a field lecture on growing techniques and a
detailed tasting and comparison some of the area's excellent
extra virgin olive oils. The whole of Umbria beneath 600
metres in altitude has a climate and geography particularly
suited to the cultivation of the olive. 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. We travel on to a nearby
farmhouse
where we explore the ancient estate, its
traditions and its biological grain farm, cooking lunch by
the enormous fireplace in the original family kitchen using
produce from the fields outside.
Day 5 Thu
Ceramics, Weaving, Perugia
B
D
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 6 Fri Truffle hunt,
Spoleto
B L D
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 7 Sat
Ancient Traditions & Wine Tastings
B L D
After
a short drive to a nearby farmhouse we visit a ‘carbonaio’
or charcoal kiln that once provided the local area with wood
coal. They will show us the ancient techniques and we have
lunch on the property. The afternoon is taken up with visits to various local wine cellars where Montefalco reds
have won prestigious awards for the best red wine in
Italy. Dinner is a medieval feast in costume in an
ancient setting in Bevagna.
Day 8 Sun Cooking
class 4 &
Concert B L D
Cooking class & lunch is at a private home. Afternoon
visits to small mountain villages which dot the Umbrian landscape on the
road to Montefalco . We return to the accommodation for dinner In the evening a concert will be arranged. (A
previous concert was Italian Early Music on original instruments at the Sala dei Notari)
Day 9 Mon
Spoleto
B L D
Today we travel 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. We explore the ancient
Roman centre of the town including the Roman house and visit the Duomo to
see Filippo Lippi's final fresco cycle. On our way home we visit the fascinating
paleo-Christian basilica of San Salvatore and the mysterious Tempietto at
Clitunno. Dinner will be at the accommodation.
Day 10 Tue Spello & Trevi B L D
We travel to the delightful small hilltown of Spello and
include a
guided visit to the Baglioni Chapel decorated with superb frescoes
by the Umbrian Renaissance master Pintoricchio. The 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. A visit to nearby Trevi
on the way home. One of the most picturesque towns in the
Umbrian valley.
Day 11 Wed Todi,
Medieval festival
(June) or Oil pressing (November)
B L D
Todi is one of Umbria's most popular towns. it was once
voted the most liveable place in the world ! We spend the
morning on a guided exploration of the town's beautiful main
square and surrounding streets. Lunch is in a restaurant
with dramatic views overlooking the valley. The afternoon is
at leisure and in the evening we attend a local medieval
festival which takes place at the end of June each year and where the entire town has reinvented itself as a
medieval society, with costumes shops, artisans and parades.
A spectacular event. In October we visit an oil mill in action for a fresh
pressed tasting.
Day 12 Thu Gubbio
B D
This morning we drive to Gubbio, an exceptionally
well-preserved medieval hilltown nestling in a remote valley
in northern Umbria. We visit the museum in the
imposing Palazzo dei Consoli to see the extraordinary
Eugubean Tablets, the most complete record of religious
practices from anywhere in the ancient world. After free
time we drive to the monastery of Sant' Ubaldo where the
ancient 'Ceri' that form the focus of
Gubbio's annual festival are kept.
Day 13 Fri Assisi
B D
We spend the day in Assisi, the
home of St Francis, Italy's favourite saint. There is a
guided visit of the town, the Roman remains
under the still-standing temple of Minerva, and the Basilica
of San Francesco decorated with frescoes by Giotto. Dinner
at the accommodation is followed by a talk with slides on
the apocalyptic fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli.
Day 14 Sat Orvieto
B L D
In the morning travel to Orvieto for
a guided tour of the town including the Duomo, among the
greatest of all Italy’s cathedrals, containing the work of
Luca Signorelli. There will be free time to visit the weekly
markets and to
explore the town centre with its fascinating array of shops,
cafes and an award-winning gelateria. Cocktails and farewell dinner at the accommodation.
Day 15 Sun Transfer B
7am Transfer to Rome's
Leonardo da Vinci airport at Fiumicino, with an anticipated
arrival at 10.30am. The tour officially ends at the airport. |
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The cost of the tour is EURO 3550 (
AUD 5680). A deposit of
EURO 300 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 EURO 850
for single use of a double room (AUD 1350).
The full balance is due 60 days before departure. The tour is costed on
a minimum of 10 people travelling and is limited to 24 places. Subject
the final number of participants and exchange rates the price may vary
slightly. You will be notified immediately of any change. |
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Transfer from
and to Rome's Fiumicino Airport |
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All land travel within Italy by air-conditioned
coach |
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Accommodation and
breakfasts
for 14 nights |
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12 days full
board, 2 days half board |
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6 restaurant meals of
regional specialities and wines in Montefalco, Bevagna,
Spoleto, Spello, Todi and Orvieto |
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4 cooking classes based on
fresh local produce |
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A truffle hunting excursion
and lunch in the foothills of the
Apennines |
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Visit and lunch at a traditional charcoal burner's home |
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Visits to the area's best cellars
including tastings of Montefalco's award-winning
Sagrantino wines |
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Guided
visits to Orvieto, Spello, Assisi, Spoleto, Bevagna and Gubbio |
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A concert in one of Umbria's
evocative venues |
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Admission to all sites included in the itinerary |
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Lectures on the food & wine, art and history of
Umbria |
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Services of tour leaders throughout the tour |
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Airfares |
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Entry fees to places other than those specifically mentioned in the
itinerary |
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Personal transport costs, phone calls or tips |
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Travel insurance (a pre requisite of the tour) |
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Laundry |
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Extras ordered at meal times |
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Each day will include a visit to a café where what you order will be at
your own expense. |
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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:
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An introduction to the Umbrian menu |
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The wines of Montefalco |
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A field lecture on
olive cultivation & olive oil production |
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A field lecture on truffles |
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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 four 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. Your second class 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. The third lesson will be based
on the last’ dolci course where you will make a local version of strudel
called ‘rocciata’ and a sort of chocolate pudding called ‘crescionda ‘. |
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You will be accompanied throughout the
tour by a local team of intelligent and gracious local Italians including Analita
our official Umbrian tour guide, Cristina, Carol or other local Umbrians who will travel with you most days, and
featuring father and
son Piero and Giuseppe Fabrizi who own and run the excellent
accommodation at Montefalco. The team has collaborated now for over
ten years and will ensure events run smoothly for your holiday
experience. |
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