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Home , Bevagna, Foligno, Montefalco, Umbria

TUSCANY AND : INTO THE HEART OF C u l i n a r y E d u c a t o r : Nancy Harmon Jenkins itinerary:

® THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA OCTOBER 26 - P resented by November 4, Travel Programs ® 2008 and umbria itinerary

Autumn is a glorious time of the year to explore Italy’s heartland, Tuscany and Umbria. By late October, in Cortona, , , and elsewhere, the grapes have been crushed and set off on their long journey to become some of Italy’s finest wines. The olive harvest is just beginning, and the frantoio (olive mills) are starting to whirr with activity while the fragrance of freshly pressed olives perfumes the air. White and black are lying just below the surface of the loamy autumnal soil, waiting for little dogs (and large humans) to turn them over. All the while markets are full of delicious and unusual vegetables, from prized wild porcini mushrooms to humble black Tuscan kale.

This prolific region is arguably more “Italian” than any other part of the peninsula. Unlike the south with its Arab and Spanish influences, with its ties to the Eastern Mediterranean, or the Piemonte with its links to France, this is Italy pure and simple. Heartland cuisine is sober, straightforward, and succulent, relying on excellence of ingredients more than on complex techniques to achieve its stunning effects. Ingredients include prized beef, free-range lamb and poultry, fresh and cured pork products, famously aged and fresh cheeses, truffles, aromatic wild mushrooms, and rich and flavorful oils. These are all ingredients that we will explore during our eight-day journey into the culture and cuisine of .

We’ll spend the first half of our tour in Tuscany, primarily in and around the walled Etruscan town of Cortona, familiar to readers of Under the Tuscan Sun (and Nancy’s Italian “hometown”). This stunning region of intense agriculture, including the broad fields of the Val di Chiana and the olive-clad slopes of Cortona, has long been popular with foreign residents but not well-known to tourists. The town itself has a venerable history and a great artistic heritage that adds to its appeal. After Tuscany, we will transfer to neighboring Umbria, and focus on the region around and , where Umbria’s two greatest products, wine and oil, come together beautifully. Our hotels are beautifully restored historic buildings. The Tuscan hotel is in Montefollonico, a small country village; and the Umbrian hotel is in Bevagna, a small town with an ancient history in the heart of the Montefalco wine country.

THE ITINERARY BELOW IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Day 1: Sunday, October 26 Cortona is easily reached by train; it’s on the main line between and , with two stops, Terontola-Cortona and, closer to the town, Camucia-Cortona. If you know your arrival time (Italian train schedules are at www.trenitalial.com and can be accessed in English), we will try to meet your train and transport you to the hotel, the four-star Villa Marsili. This elegantly refurbished historic palazzo sits just below the walls of Cortona with a gorgeous view out across the Val di Chiana. Early in the evening we’ll gather for a wine reception and get an introduction to the tour. Then we’ll walk a block or two up the hill to a favorite wine bar where we’ll have an introduction to local wines, cheeses, breads, salumis, and other local specialties. Hotel: Villa Marsili, D

1 2 3 Day 2: Monday, October 27 The morning will start with a private visit and tasting at one of the prestigious Vinonobile di Montepulciano cellars in the countryside between Cortona and Montepulciano. This will be an exciting opportunity to taste with the winemaker and discover the story behind the miracle of Vinonobile. Following lunch at the winery, we will visit a sheep and goat farm where the cheese-maker will explain the process of producing high-quality pecorino and other traditional cheeses, as well as some innovative goat milk cheeses. He will guide us through a tasting of the different styles of cheese that he makes. Dinner will be on your own. There are several options within walking distance of our hotel, as well as a restaurant on the property. Hotel: Villa Marsili, B, L

Day 3: Tuesday, October 28 In the morning we will head to , one of Italy’s most charming and historic cities. There we’ll have a guided tour of the Piazza del Campo, the black-and-white striped Duomo, and other important sites, then transfer to an enoteca for a guided wine tasting with one of Italy’s leading wine experts. Following the tasting will be lunch in one of the town’s acclaimed restaurants, and a visit to a maker of panforte, Siena’s iconic dessert. If there is time remaining, you will have an hour or two to explore the city on your own before our evening appointment. We will visit a modern olive mill where we hope to see a pressing of some of the season’s olives. Dinner will be in the frantoio owner’s restaurant where his wife will show us specialties featuring their own just-pressed oil. Hotel: Villa Marsili, B, L, D

Day 4: Wednesday, October 29 In the morning we will visit a beautiful property on the slopes of Monte Amiata where our hostess chef, one of Tuscany’s best known cooks, will give us a cooking class featuring traditional dishes. We will learn about pasta, vegetables, plate decoration, and the intricacies of cooking with a wood-fired oven, and then dine on our morning’s efforts. In the afternoon we will set off for , another one of Tuscany’s historic provincial capitols, to visit a chocolate emporium and have a tasting of delicious delicacies while we learn about the owners’ farm-to-market operations. In Arezzo we’ll also visit the church of San Francesco with Piero della Francesca’s remarkable fresco cycle, the Story of the True Cross, which has recently been restored. Our guide will explain the importance of this magnificent work of art. Dinner will be a light meal in a small restaurant in Cortona. Hotel: Villa Marsili, B, L, D

Day 5: Thursday, October 30 We will set off very early to visit a butcher shop where Tuscany’s prized chianina beef cattle are marketed. After a visit to the nearby farm where these magnificent cattle are raised, we will go to the weekly open-air market in nearby Montepulciano. There we will shop for another Tuscan specialty – , which is wood-oven roasted whole young pork. If time allows, we will stroll through the winding streets of Montepulciano, pausing for a coffee at the historic Caffe Poliziano, before we have lunch at a lovely restaurant on the edge of town. Back in Cortona in the evening, we’ll have a chance to rest, shop, regroup, and then go off to experience an Etruscan dinner in a delightful bed and breakfast just outside of Cortona. Hotel: Villa Marsili, B, L, D

Day 6: Friday, October 31 Following on our Etruscan theme, we’ll start the morning with a local archeologist for a tour of the fascinating Museo Etrusco, one of the prides of Cortona. Then we’ll head off for Umbria, round , where defeated the Roman army, and stop for a lakeside lunch. After lunch, we will go on to medieval Bevagna. We will check into our hotel, have a brief rest, and then go to nearby Foligno for a wine tasting and dinner with one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic restaurateurs in the region. Hotel: L’Orto degli Angeli, B, L, D

1 2 3 Day 7: Saturday, November 1 We will begin the day with a visit to a fine salumeria in Bevagna. A gifted young butcher and his charming wife will show us how to prepare everything from porchetta to fennel-flavored finocchiona sausage, and offer us tastings as we go along. Then we will be off for a shopping excursion in the nearby town of , world-famous for its ceramics, and then to for a guided tour of this monumental town. Later in the afternoon, we’ll regroup for an excursion to a farm on the outskirts of Assisi, where we’ll be introduced to the secrets of Umbrian farmhouse cookery. Dinner will be at the farmhouse, dining on the delicious products of our kitchen session. Hotel: L’Orto degli Angeli, B, D

Day 8: Sunday, November 2 This day will be devoted entirely to , with a visit to an old-fashioned frantoio, contrasting nicely with the frantoio we will have visited near Siena. There the olives are still crushed by stone wheels and pressed on fiscoli (mats) into the lush oil, considered by many to be Italy’s true premium oil. We will taste the new oil fresh from the press, alone and with bruschetta, and visit with the family of the frantoio owner. We will learn how the process works and enjoy a splendid lunch, incorporating the oil into a great variety of dishes. Dinner will be on your own in Bevagna. Hotel: L’Orto degli Angeli, B, L

Day 9: Monday, November 3 We will rise early for an excursion to the beautiful Val Nerina. There we will visit the Urbani warehouse and join the crew to hunt for truffles in the nearby forest.The Urbanis are premier providers of white and black truffles to restaurants worldwide. We’ll get to sniff the Umbrian treasures before they get shipped off to Sirio Maccione and Wolfgang Puck, then follow up the hunt with an al fresco truffle lunch. We will return to Montefalco after lunch for a walk through the lovely wine town and visit a nearby artisanal winery. There the owners make some of the finest sagrantino di Montefalco, a great DOCG wine. Dinner will be a special farewell feast in Bevagna at the restaurant connected with our hotel. Hotel: L’Orto degli Angeli, B, L, D

Day 10: Tuesday, November 4 You will depart for your flight home. When making reservations for flights, please keep in mind that our hotel is two hours from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, and schedule your departure accordingly. There are regular flights from nearby to and from Milano, with connections to JFK and Newark on Alitalia. There are also inexpensive Ryan Air flights from Perugia direct to London.

Hotel Accommodations Villa Marsili www.villamarsili.net/cortona-hotel/en/home.html L’Orto degli Angeli www.ortoangeli.com/umbria/orto_angeli.php?Lang=E

CULINARY EDUCATOR Nancy Harmon Jenkins is a food writer and author of cookbooks such as The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, Flavors of Puglia, Flavors of Tuscany, and The Essential Mediterranean. Her latest book, Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cuisines, was recently published by HarperCollins. Ms. Jenkins divides her time between a farmhouse in Tuscany and a home on the coast of Maine. A former staff writer for The New York Times, she continues to freelance for the Times, and also writes for Food & Wine and a number of other national publications. Ms. Jenkins also leads culinary tours to Turkey and other parts of Italy.

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