The landscape comes to your table in the strong, simple flavours such as truffles from oak forests, splendid 'pecorino' cheeses from the Valnerina, lentils and farro from Castelluccio and salami and cured meats made from the truffle-eating wild boar around Norcia. 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.

The Sagrantino dry red won Italy's award for the best wine of 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.

This is a preliminary itinerary and the content will change depending on availability of cooking venues. The essential content will remain the same.

Day 1 Sunday              Spoleto to Montefalco, Wine Tasting     (L D)

You will be met outside the main entrance of Spoleto railway station at 11.00 am and transferred to your accommodation near Montefalco arriving at approximately 12.00 noon. 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. Montefalco reds have won prestigious awards for the best red wine in Italy. Welcome drinks and dinner at the family run enoteca in the town's delightful piazza.

Day 2  Monday             Markets & Villa Cooking Class 1,  Foligno (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 Foligno with a focus on the kitchenware shop. After dinner at the accommodation we have an introductory talk on the food and wine of Umbria.

Day 3  Tuesday           Ancient Traditions  & Cellar visits                  (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 you can try Montefalco's award winning Sagrantino wine.

Day 4  Wednesday       Olive oil tasting, Cooking class 2                     (B 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 Thursday        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.

Day 6  Friday          Cooking Class 3,  Norcia                                           (B L D)

In the morning we travel  to our cooking class in a private home or 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.

Day 7  Saturday         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 8  Sunday
On the last day of the tour you will be transferred to Spoleto Station leaving the accommodation at 9.15am in time for the 10.12am train from Spoleto Station to Rome Termini

• Transfers from and to Spoleto station tor hotel
• All land travel by air-conditioned coach
• Accommodation for 7 nights. 5 days full board and 2 days half board
• Meals at the accommodation include fresh local produce and local wines
• 3 cooking classes of characteristic regional recipes, including lunch
• A truffle hunt and truffle lunch in a mountain village
• A visit and lunch at a traditional charcoal maker
• Visits to cellars with tasting of Montefalco's award winning Sagrantino wines
• An olive oil tasting & a visit to a biological farm
• Cheese and prosciutto tastings in Norcia, Italy's salami capitol
• A visit to the famous ceramics centre of Deruta
• Short informative talks on the food an wine of Umbria
• The services of a tour leader throughout the tour