Umbria has been called the heart of Italy, and our home base, Perugia, can easily be named the heart of Umbria. Today, we will welcome you to Umbria at our 5* hotel in the center of Perugia. Settle in and unpack, relax tired muscles in the hotel pool, or head out for your first gelato. We will welcome you to Umbria tonight with a delicious typical dinner with abundant wine. During dinner, you’ll get to know your fellow travel companions and learn all about the week ahead.

Today, we will meet my dear friend Susan for a one-of-a-kind food tour of Perugia. Susan has been calling Perugia home for over ten years, and over these years, she has met amazing local food purveyors that you, too, will get to meet during our foodie walk. You’ll taste, sip, and stroll along the ancient streets and learn not only about these amazing foods but also about this equally amazing city.

In the afternoon, we will walk off our morning’s tastings in one of my favorite Italian cities, Assisi. Assisi is a fascinating village that seems to live in a world of its own, separated from the clamor and chaos of other cities. Thanks to its rich history and its incredible art, Assisi is a city with a multifaceted identity. During our guided walk, you will have the opportunity to wander with your imagination from the pre-Roman era to the Middle Ages, enjoying the extraordinary beauty of places full of spirituality such as the Basilica of Santa Chiara, dedicated to the founder of the Order of the Poor Clares, and the Basilica of San Francesco, home to masterpieces such as paintings by Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini.

Umbria is increasingly becoming famous in Italy and worldwide for its food and wine specialties. One of these is undoubtedly the wine produced among the rolling hills of this region. The most famous area for wine production in Umbria is the Sagrantino area, a red wine that is making its way worldwide thanks to its unique characteristics. The Sagrantino grape is grown mainly in Bevagna, and we will visit several wineries in the area today.

Bevagna is a perfectly preserved medieval village that has become one of Umbria’s main points of reference for traditions and medieval culture. Piazza Silvestri stands out in the center of the town as backdrops to the Romanesque churches of San Silvestro, San Michele, and the nineteenth-century Teatro Torti.

After a guided tour of this charming hamlet, we will visit several wineries in the area, enjoy lunch on their property, and taste numerous local wines.

We’re visiting Umbria in the fall, so visiting the woods for some truffle hunting is a must. Did you know these highly prized funghi are cultivated the most in Umbria? More so than Tuscany and even Piedmont. The truffle in Umbria is a fundamental element of good cuisine. Combined with many dishes, it is an element that enriches the typical cuisine of the area. The soils of this region are rich in truffles, and living this truffle-hunting experience in Umbria will make for a most memorable experience! Experience the thrill of truffle hunting in the company of the quarryman and other expert truffle hunters. You will discover how this precious product is harvested, thanks to the talented truffle-hunting dogs, the real protagonists of our day! A complete lunch with truffle tasting will follow for a perfect conclusion to this unforgettable experience.

After our outdoor excursion and delicious lunch, we will tour a frantoio. A frantoio is an olive oil mill, and seeing as we’re visiting in the fall, we will get to taste the olio nuovo, the new oil. And Umbria is probably the region with the best quality in Italy, having won numerous global awards recently—a tradition devoted to the oil’s quality and not the quantity of production. So, while southern Italy gets most of the attention for olive oil production, oils from Umbria are also considered some of the best in Italy and the world.

We will visit a local producer in the morning and learn about local products. We will enjoy lunch on their property before heading out to another unique destination for the afternoon!

In the past, Lake Trasimeno was called “the Sea of Perugia,” today, it offers a wide choice of attractions for visitors. Lago Trasimeno is a true natural gem that provides an oasis of tranquility and scenic beauty. Its clear waters and green banks surround rolling hills, medieval villages, and nature reserves, creating a unique and fascinating environment. The fourth-largest lake in Italy is located in the heart of the Umbrian hills. Today, we will visit this lovely area, enjoy a guided tour, and visit the Palazzo della Corgna, an imposing palace built on a pre-existing building lined with beautifully undiscovered frescos.

Grab your apron, and let’s head to the kitchen! Today, you will learn all the tricks to make the delicious Assisi Schiacciata! Visit one of the oldest organic wineries in Umbria, where you can learn how to create and taste this delightful special bread. After preparing the ingredients, all strictly local and with organic flour produced by the cellar with organic wheat, and kneading the schiacciata, all you have to do is wait for the quick cooking and be able to taste your dish immediately. You’ll enjoy this special bread with typical Umbrian cheeses and salumi. There will also be a special tasting of the cellar’s organic wines and the delicious extra virgin olive oil.

Make sure your camera is charged for this afternoon’s visit! After lunch, we visit Spello, one of the most picturesque towns in Umbria. This pretty town overlooks olive groves and is characterized by charming winding alleys adorned with pots of colorful flowers hanging everywhere. In the Renaissance, its main church was decorated with frescoes by Pintoricchio, one of Italy’s most important painters of the 15th-16th century. Art lovers must see it. You’ll love your time in Spello, the city of extra virgin olive oil, flowers, and art!

It’s time to bid farewell to the heart of Italy. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out for your next destination or to return home after a most memorable week in the heart of Italy.