TO BE DELETED: A Culinary Journey through Italy

On your comfy drive from the airport to the hotel, prepare to spoil your senses with a multitude of Italian delights that begin in Rome, a city that celebrates over 2,500 years of history.  At a delightful boutique hotel, you may be a leisurely stroll to extraordinary monuments like the Trevi fountain and Pantheon Dome.  Before your afternoon guided tour, unwind in your suite or enjoy an espresso on the hotel’s garden rooftop to steal a panoramic view of the immense historical heritage that highlights the city.

A friendly expert will accompany you through the Vatican where some of the most influential names in Italian art are represented including Michelangelo, Botticelli and Signorelli.  A holy see of renaissance, classical and contemporary works, the Vatican exhibits some of the greatest masterpieces ever realized.  In Saint Peter's Basilica, see beautiful relic sculptures of saints and angels and learn the history of Christianity.  Stare up in awe at Michelangelo’s massive dome structure that towers above Saint Peters shrine.  Around the altar, behold the stunning Baldacchino, four large bronze canopies by Bernini.

Depart Rome and drive off into the hills, enjoying picturesque valleys and mountains that border the neighboring regions of Tuscany and Umbria.  It’s a captivating rural vision.

Tucked up in the hillside is a majestic estate where you’ll be spending the next few days.  You will feel like you are in an enchanted forest where you’ve entered an Italian fairy tale. maintained by a family of Italian natives who share their passion and knowledge for food.

Gain a profound understanding of local food and wine during a cooking class when using fresh ingredients off the farm to prepare traditional Tuscan dishes.  Your palette will relish in the quality of how their produce completely enhances dishes like tagliatelle alla boscaiola, linguine pasta with a hearty sauce of porcini mushrooms.  

Today you’ll explore the natural foliage and gastronomic culture that exemplifies the Italian countryside.  The fresh air is as intoxicating as the taste of simple ingredients used to prepare specialty farm-to-table dishes.  Handmade pastas, cured meats, organic produce, extra virgin olive oil and fine wines dominate all aspects of the culinary spectrum.

In your morning cooking lesson, give your grocery list a makeover while preparing dishes that feature local products. You will feel like a budding chef as you learn the difference between black and white truffles and how to build the ultimate antipasto platter of crostini’s with cured meats like Tuscan ham and spicy Finnocchia, salami splendidly intertwined with wild fennel, black pepper, and garlic.

After a gourmet lunch, go on a leisurely walk around the trails and paths that outline Lake Trasimeno, the largest park in Umbria.  Rent a bicycle to tour the lake’s contour and look out to mountains in the distance.  In Trasimeno, stroll around the tiny village and encounter shops with friendly locals selling crafts and products.  Tour incredible century-old olive mills and villas restored with modern flair.

Cortona is known as one of Italy’s oldest hill towns that preserves Etruscan Civilization, dating back to 600 BC.  Inside its medieval walls you’ll wander the narrow passageways and behold panoramic views looking out to the Valdichiana.  Some might consider Cortona the heart of Central Italy, its valley stretches out and over both Tuscan and Umbrian land. Around the historic center, Piazza Republica and Piazza Signorelli, browse through shops holding a splendid assortment of handmade linens and olive motif tablecloths.

In Montepulciano, you’ll develop a palette for red wine as you sip a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and learn the history of the region’s classic and famous wines.  You’ll explore an age-old winery and its underground cellar that’s like a treasure chest filled with the finest red bottles made from the area. A gourmet lunch and final cooking lesson will also provide more insight as to why the Italian diet and cuisine is so unique.  

Revitalized after a luxury adventure through the countryside, a pleasant change of scenery leads you to Florence where you’ll explore the classical wonders that flourish the city.  At the Accademia Museum, a four-hour tour will take you centuries back in time to when the Medici Family ruled Florence.  You will learn their contributions to making Florence a thriving center during the Renaissance period.  Feel the momentum build along the hallways and grand columns to arrive at the center where Michelangelo's David towers 14 feet over you bearing a rock in one hand and a sling in the other.  

In the evening, before a gourmet dinner of Tuscan fare, enjoy an intimate cooking class in the refurbished monastery and learn the art of preparing traditional, regional dishes with some contemporary flair.  The chefs are eager to share their passion for cooking and knowledge of fine Tuscan food and wine.   

In the morning you’ll travel through Umbria southwest to Orvieto and visit an ancient city that sits on volcanic rock.  Orvieto offers dramatic views of the surrounding valleys, olive groves and vineyards.   Guarded by a fortress, the medieval town is filled with cryptic tombs and cemeteries from Etruscan times.  There is an astounding collection of archeological ruins, artifacts and a preserved underground city.

Opposite the church and along the row of shops in the square, a guide will assist you underground to explore what will seem like a mystical labyrinth.  Hear fascinating stories and events that took place in the underground passageways.  See rock carvings and caves used for everything from wells, to olive oil presses, and bomb shelters, depending on the century.

After an unforgettable experience, you’ll be ready for your final gourmet lunch of Umbrian dishes paired with the region’s best wines.  Savor dishes like fresh pappardelle pasta dressed in a hearty lamb Ragu and grilled pork tenderloin glazed in balsamic and shaved with black truffles.  

After breakfast, you can say farewell to the rolling hills of Umbria and the charms you enjoyed around Orvieto. You can always extend your culinary experience to more regions beyond Tuscany and Umbria, visiting the culinary delights of Campania or the wonders of Piedmont.  

A shuttle service will bring you to the airport where you will have plenty of time to check in and make your way through security before your flight departs.