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Day 1: Foligno to Montefalco, Wine Tasting                  
Meet at Foligno railway station at 11.15 am. Transfer to your accommodation near Montefalco. After lunch 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 at a family run enoteca in the town's delightful piazza. Montefalco reds have won prestigious awards for the best red wine in Italy. Dinner is at the accommodation every evening.

Day 2:    Markets & Villa Cooking Class 1,  Foligno         
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 jut near the markets. In the afternoon we visit Foligno. After dinner we have an introductory talk on the food and wine of Umbria.

Day 3:   Montefalco Wine Cellars & Cooking class 2  
The morning is taken up with a cooking class at the accommodation followed by lunch. In the afternoon we visit a range of local wine cellars for tastings od Montefalco's award winning Sagrantino wine. The visits may include large producers such as Caprai, Pardi, Sciaccadiavoli or Novelli as well as middle sized producers like Perticaia and family run vineyards such as Fongoli or Saraceno

Day 4: Olive oil tasting, Cooking class 3                            

We visit a local oil mill for a tasting of "the verdant elixir, the base of all Umbrian cuisine and Trevi is the olive oil capital of Umbria. Olive groves strewn alongside Trevi’s rocky hillside must persevere to grow. It is said the heartiness of the olives is a trait shared by the Umbrian people. They are a people of the land and they are more than happy to share it.

Many of them do so by transforming their family homes into agriturism or licensed tourist farms. Here visitors can eat and drink off the land and taste some of the best produced olive oil in the country. We are treated to a professional taste-testing of this liquid magic at Le Due Torri agriturismo near the hill town of Spello. Just like fine wine, olive oil has distinct characteristics. As the sweet thickness oozes over our tongues we learn to search for positive tastes of green grass, mature tomato and fresh almond. We swirl our glasses, smack our lips and come away with a new appreciation for the complexities of one of Italy's greatest treasures." (text by Ann Ceraldi, a Canadian Journalist). 

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:Truffle hunt & Spoleto

This morning we travel to a mountain forest where we will accompany a professional truffle hunter. We enjoy a simple meal of wine, bruschetta, pasta and truffles in the hunter's home in the mountain village. On the way home there is some free time in the town of Spoleto.

Day 6: Cooking Class 4,  Norcia                                                  

Cooking class at a local farmhouse based on characteristic regional food. The class is followed by lunch.  In the afternoon we drive through the Valley of the river Nera to the walled roman town of Norcia, the sausage and salami capitol of Italy. We stock up on produce to include at dinner this evening back at the accommodation.

Day 7: Deruta Ceramics, Weaving Perugia                          

Deruta has been a major ceramics center 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  Tour ends

On the last day of the tour you will be transferred to Foligno Station.

INCLUSIONS:

• Foligno station or Foligno hotel transfers

• All land travel by air-conditioned coach

• Accommodation for 7 nights. 5 days full board and 2 days half board

• 4 cooking classes of characteristic regional recipes, including lunch

• A truffle hunt and truffle lunch in a mountain village

• 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 and wine of Umbria  

• The services of a tour leader 

Not included: Porterage