Travel with Diane Phillips and experience the Culinary Treasures of Central Italy October 9 – 16, 2016 On this fully escorted tour with Diane Phillips, you will experience the road less traveled in Umbria, home to truffles, Perugina chocolate, ceramics, wines, and Pecorino cheese. With time to enjoy all that Umbria has to offer, we will then head to Rome for more food and culture. Join us as we discover the true treasures of Italy: its people! “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Day 1, Sunday October 9th Services Included: Private transfer from FCO to the hotel in Todi by ARRIVAL IN ITALY: ROME TO TODI private bus Light lunch at the Hotel Bramante, beverages • Arrive @FCO by 9 a.m. included • Private driver will meet you at the airport, and will drive Typical Umbrian dinner at the Hotel Bramante you to our hotel in Todi (about 2 hours) • Check in at hotel • Typical Umbrian lunch • Rest of the day at your leisure in Todi, to rest and relax • Todi’s narrow streets, Roman and Etruscan ruins, Medieval and Renaissance architecture will charm you. • Dinner at the hotel to welcome you to Umbria “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Day 2, Monday October 10th Services Included: UMBRIAN COOKING LESSON & ASSISI • Half day Cooking Class Program. Delicious lunch paired with local wines included. • Private transfer from Assisi to Todi & return after dinner by • After breakfast, enter the kitchen of chef Aldo Mosca, from private bus. Puglia, who for twenty five years, has been the chef de cuisine at the Hotel Bramante. He mixes tradition and • Private guided walking tour of Assisi (about 3 hrs) with local innovation to prepare the best dishes from locally sourced English speaking guide. • Accommodation in a centrally located property. ingredients • When your cooking classes has ended, you will feast on your creations, paired with local wines. • After a brief rest, our driver will transport you to the jewel of Umbria – Assisi. • Visit Assisi, the city of St. Francis, with the beautiful St. Francis Basilica, decorated with the worldwide famous Giotto's frescoes. You should not miss St. Clare Basilica; Piazza del Comune with the medieval buildings and the interesting Roman sacred construction named Minerva temple, recently beautifully restored and St. Francis Basilica: centre of the Franciscan spirituality and cradle of the medieval European art, the Basilica was built upon the Saint's tomb. It is an architectural masterpiece containing some of the finest paintings of medieval Italian art, from Cimabue to Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti. Admire the St. Rufino Cathedral with its a magnificent Romanesque- style facade, located in the upper part of Assisi, an area of great charm and history. • For dinner we will book for you a table at Taverna de L'Arco. • After dinner our driver will take you back to Todi. “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Services included: Day 3, Tuesday October 11th • Full Day Excursion (8 to 10 hours) to Pienza; TUSCAN MEDIEVAL TOWNS OF VAL D'ORCIA Montepulciano & Casa Vissani for dinner with private • Today, we will organize a full day excursion to the bus. beautiful Tuscan Jewel of Pienza & Montepulciano. A • Cheese making lesson & farm visit at Podere il Casale private driver will pick you up at your hotel and drive – typical lunch included. you to Val D'Orcia (about 1 hr and half drive from • Michelin dinner at Casa Vissani - Vissani Four season's Todi). In the morning we will organize a visit to a tasting menu paired with three selection of wines. beautiful cheese farm in Pienza: Podere il Casale. • Accommodation in a centrally located property. • The cheese farm offers you a chance to taste and make their cheeses. After the cheese making lesson you will enjoy a delicious typical lunch at the farm! • After the tour, the driver will take you to Montepulciano where you will have a pleasant walk. • The Montepulciano area is known to be wine producer as far as the Romans Empire. Nevertheless. The NOBILE di MONTEPUCIANO in the 20th century has been surpassed by popularity and prestige by the newly developed BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO. Standing high atop a hill in southern Tuscany not too far from Siena. Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty highly recommended visiting in Tuscany. The city, full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares and hidden corners, boasts vast panoramas all over the wonderful Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it. • For dinner we will organize for you a very gourmet experience at the Michelin restaurant Casa Vissani. • After dinner, our driver will take you back to Todi. “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” th Day 4, Wednesday October 12 Services included: TRUFFLE HUNTING EXPERIENCE • Half day excursion to the truffle farm by private bus. • Half day Truffle Hunting experience, lunch included. • Today, we will arrange a unique, fun experience: a half day • Accommodation in Todi program to enjoy the beauty of Central Italy countryside and to discover the Truffle. • Our driver will take you to the north of Umbria region, famous in Italy for its delicious black and white truffles. Special Itinerary on the Truffle Track, nearby Citta' di Castello. This northern area of Umbria, close to Tuscany is one of the few areas in Italy where it is possible to hunt the precious and gorgeous White Truffle. • We will organize for you a half day on the fascinating and mysterious world of this delicacy, on a family run Truffle Farm: the experts owners will take you through the entire itinerary, from the digging up of the truffle, to its processing and its cooking. • • They will show you all the secrets of the truffle, they will teach you how to distinguish its different varieties and how to use it in cooking. The program will include: visit of the beautiful countryside and truffle hunting demonstration with dogs, visit of Citerna, named one of the most beautiful villages of Italy, tour of the truffle farm and visit of a small but really rich Truffle Museum, practical advice on truffle preservation and truffle use in cooking (including a gift of truffle recipe book). • Finally, you will assist to a cooking demonstration held by an expert local chef to learn how to make a typical Umbrian/Truffle meal. • Great Convivial Truffle Lunch! • After lunch, the driver will take you back to Todi to enjoy your afternoon. • For dinner we will book for you a table at Jacopone Restaurant. “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Day 5, Thursday October 13th CHOCOLATE MAKING CLASS,SPELLO & DERUTA • Today, we will organize for you a full day excursion • Accommodation in a centrally located property. in Umbria. • In the morning, you will enjoy the opportunity to make a hands-on experience of the chocolate making tradition for which Perugia is famous all over the world. • During a real chocolate making class at Perugina Factory you will learn the secrets of chocolate making under the supervision of a master chocolatier. You will taste some sweet delicacies created by the master and at the end of the class you will also taste the chocolate you made. • For lunch our driver will take you to Spello where we will organize for you a delicious lunch at Enoteca Propezio. • For the afternoon we suggest a visit to the beautiful medieval village of Spello and admire its white and pink stone houses and the breathtaking renaissance fresco by Pinturicchio in the Cappella Baglioni. • After a walk in Spella you will also visit Deruta. Deruta is located on top of a hill and is one of the most famous centres for ceramics and chinaware production in Italy. • In the late afternoon you will be back in Todi. • Evening and dinner at your leisure. Services included: • Full Day Excursion (8 to 10 hours) to Perugina Factory; Spella & Deruta with private bus. • Chocolate workshop with tastings and visit to Perugina Chocolate Factory. • Umbrian lunch at Enoteca Propezio - water & selected wines included. “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Day 6, Friday October 14th Services included: • Private transfer from Todi to Rome by bus with a TODI TO ROME: EATALY & PIZZA MAKING CLASS stopover at Eataly for lunch. (lunch on your own) • Pizza making class and great dinner with chef in his • Check-out from your hotel in Todi and private transfer beautiful Roman restaurant (from 05:00 pm to 08:00 to your hotel in Rome. pm). • Before reaching the hotel, we highly recommend to • Accommodation in Rome. have a walk in the paradise of Italian Wine & Food: Eataly. The big complex contains 18 casual restaurants and cafes. • After this stop for lunch, the driver will take you to the hotel. • Check-in at the hotel and free time to relax & make your wish at the Trevi Fountain; Enjoy the Dolce Vita sitting in a lovely cafe in Piazza Navona or walking in the lively Campo dei Fiori. • In the afternoon, we will organize for you a very fun activity: if your wish has always been to know how to prepare pizza, this is a course definitely right for you! • The chef will guide you through the Italian tradition of preparing pizza dough from scratch, explaining techniques and tips on making the best dough, and how to properly dress the pizza. • You will be given you own ingredients in order to top the pizza with whatever you like and experiment with various recipes. • At the end you will finally eat what you've prepared and discover if your skill level is now that of a proper pizzaiolo. “Culinary Treasures of Central Italy” Day 7, Saturday October 15th THE MARVELS OF THE VATICAN CITY Services included: • A private driver will take you to the Vatican where you • Private transfer from your hotel to the Vatican and will meet your private guide, for a great private Tour return by bus.