Specialized tours for up to 10 people can be arranged on a variety of themes or you can mix and match as you wish. A typical day could include a visit to a nearby town to tour an important church or archeological site with an experienced local guide, followed by lunch in a quaint restaurant. Relax in the afternoon or take in another town, a wine tasting in our own cantina or at a local winery, or shopping in the famous ceramic center of Deruta.
All A Week In Umbria tours will include portions of the Art & Culture and Wine & Cuisine tours. Breakfast and dinner, a mixture of home cooked meals and visits to extraordinary local restaurants, are included. Some lunches will also be included.
Choices of special tour themes (or customize your own):
Art & Culture: 5 days of morning and afternoon visits to nearby towns or full day trips to larger towns like Assisi, Perugia, and Spoleto are possibilities. Trips to the National Museum in Perugia as well as the Gothic cathedral of Orvieto with its celebrated chapel by Luca Signorelli are among the “must sees” of Umbria.
Wine & Cuisine: If you really want to experience the culture of a place, sample its food. We pull out all the stops for a delightful sampling of the finest restaurants serving the cuisine of Umbria. A variety of rustic trattorias and lush restaurants will be included.
Saints and Holy Places of Umbria: Walk in the footsteps of St. Francis as we visit important Franciscan sites: the church where he began his ministry, his amazing basilica with frescos by Giotto, the shrine at his tomb, as well as the churches of St. Clare and Damiano in Assisi. Enjoy a day trip through the beautiful mountains to St. Benedict’s home of Norcia and then on to the home of St. Rita of Cascia.
Biking: A series of 15 to 25K rides will be mapped out for you through picturesque Umbrian landscapes and hidden hill towns. Lunch can be brought to you or arranged at local restaurants.
Camera Club: From the basilica of St. Francis and the Duomo of Orvieto to the aqueduct of Spoleto, capture May’s crimson poppies and summer’s fields of sunflowers. Awaken to mist filled mornings among hillsides covered in silver leafed olives or walk through stands of poplars as the sun cuts across the valley. All of Umbria waits to be photographed by you.
Cooking lessons: Learn classic Umbrian recipes in Palazzo LaPlaca’s kitchen with a professional chef and then consume the day’s bounty. Cooking lessons in local restaurant kitchens can also be specially arranged.
Italian lessons**: Ever wanted to go off to Italy and take Italian lessons? Well, here’s your chance. Morning and afternoon lessons are available for either an intensive program or a laid back introduction to “la bella lingua”.
** If desired, an introductory course in Italian can be offered in New York with a private teacher prior to coming to Italy. Pricing will vary depending on fees associated with activities selected. Lunches are on one’s own unless otherwise arranged. Larger groups of up to 20 can be arranged with additional accommodations at Bettona’s Realis Hotel, at a local B&B or Agriturismo. Airport service or rental cars can be arranged; use of laundry machines is available; Aero beds are available for children if desired; small pets, with approval, additional fee, and security deposit, are allowed.