Authentic Umbria Food & Wine Tour

Mingle with locals and discover this enchanting region that remains little changed by the centuries and is far away from the tourist crowds.

What to expect?

Join us on this special tour of Umbria. We live here and will show you the sights only the locals know. You’ll get a peek into daily life in the beautiful city of Perugia and feel like you live in this enchanting region that’s remained little changed over the centuries and is far from the usual tourist crowds. Stay at a boutique hotel in the historic center of Perugia. First founded by the Etruscans, Perugia is a beautifully preserved, medieval city. You’ll have shops, museums, cafes, restaurants, and gorgeous architecture right outside your door.

Our week in Umbria will feature a selection of food and wine activities including cooking classes, wine tastings, an artisan chocolate experience, truffle hunting with a local family, Perugia’s top-rated food tour plus sightseeing and free time to meander in several of Umbria’s most iconic, and beautiful hill towns. 

Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Perugia

Today is your arrival day in Umbria and at your hotel in the historic center of Perugia. Your home base for the week is the boutique Hotel Priori Secret Garden located in Via dei Priori, just steps from shops, museums, cafes, and historical attractions. At the hotel’s rooftop bar, you can enjoy an afternoon drink with views over the city. Drop your bags and have an afternoon stroll or lunch on Perugia’s main Corso. Later, you’ll have time to relax before getting to know your fellow travelers at an evening meet and greet followed by dinner.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Welcome Aperitivo, Dinner

Day 2: Artisan Chocolate + Spello

We’ll start our day with an artisan chocolate-making experience with Susan’s friend, Giulia, a young chocolatier and chocolate sommelier. Giulia will explain how cacao is grown and transformed into chocolate from bean to bar. We’ll taste single-origin chocolate samples and make our own bars with local ingredients (nuts, spices, etc) to suit our taste. After our experience, we’ll have free time for lunch or to shop before departing to Spello. Spello is listed in the official “Borghi Più Belli d’Italia” a designation given to the most beautiful villages in Italy. Here we’ll have a short guided tour and free time to stroll or shop the many artisan boutiques before dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: Taste Perugia Food Tour + Artisan Visit

Today we’ll explore Perugia on our top-rated Taste Perugia food tour. As we stroll through its maze of medieval streets, you’ll be struck by the beauty of this ancient city and by the delicious simplicity of Umbrian food. We’ll meet the local restaurant and shop owners and learn about the history of Perugia as we sip and taste our way around town. We’ll end the tour with gelato from one of Italy’s Top 100 artisan gelaterias. You’ll have free time to relax in the afternoon before a visit with Susan’s friend, Marta Cucchia a fourth-generation weaver. Marta’s studio is a former hermitage built by St. Francis and his disciples in 1212. This characteristic location now houses the Giuditta Brozzetti Museum Workshop, one of Italy’s last surviving hand-weaving workshops where Marta still weaves on the original working looms from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the evening we’ll have a light dinner/aperitivo on Susan and Richard’s terrace atop a 3rd-century BC Etruscan gate.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Aperitivo

Day 4: Deruta Pottery + Cheesemaking

Today we’ll stop in Deruta to tour a family-owned ceramics factory. The owner Carlo and his daughter Rachele will show us the process of creating their Majolica ceramics, from forming the clay to firing and glazing to stenciling and painting. After a light lunch stop, we’ll head to a local cheese producer (probably the best in Umbria) and meet the passionate owner, Riccardo who will show us how to make fresh cheese. According to Riccardo, anyone can learn to make cheese, flavored with local ingredients in a way that can easily be done in your home kitchen. After we make our cheeses, we’ll have a cheese-tasting of Riccardo’s special selections. Later we’ll return to Perugia for dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Assisi

Today we’ll head to Assisi. The birthplace of Saint Francis and Saint Claire, the city is the spiritual heart of Umbria. You’ll visit Assisi’s majestic Basilica, a UNESCO world heritage site, that stands above the valley and offers panoramic views in every direction. The basilica, a religious pilgrimage site and also the final resting place of Saint Francis is famous for its series of Giotto frescoes depicting his life. You’ll have free time to meander, shop, and have lunch on your own before an afternoon tour of the Basilica. Next, we’ll stop at a local winery in the Assisi DOC. Here, we’ll be welcomed by the mother and daughter team for a private tour and tasting of their organic wines, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar served with an aperitivo of local cheeses and snacks. Later in the day, we’ll return to Perugia with free time before dinner on your own.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Aperitivo

Day 6: Cooking Class at a Local Winery

After breakfast, we’ll head to a beautiful winery just 30 minutes outside Perugia for a cooking class to make traditional pasta shapes and fillings in the winery’s state-of-the-art DeManicor kitchen. Chef Jacopo and his staff will conduct this hands-on class and answer all your questions about Umbrian food.
 During the class, we’ll have finger food and wine. The meal you have made will be served downstairs in the Vineria accompanied by Carmine Estate wines. In the afternoon you’ll have free time in Perugia with dinner on your own.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7: Truffle Hunting with a Local Family

Today we’ll hunt for truffles on a farm where Francesca’s family has lived off the land since the 1400s. When we have enough of this local delicacy to make lunch, we’ll stop in a panoramic spot and have our first taste of a freshly dug truffle with scrambled eggs (an Umbrian favorite) and a glass or two of Prosecco. Then back in the village, you can lend a hand to Francesca as she makes fresh pasta or simply sit back and watch as you enjoy homemade snacks, pecorino cheese, and loads of local wine. When the pasta is made, we’ll sit down to a traditional Umbrian meal where all of the recipes have a distinctly ‘wild’ flavor. Family and friends from the village often join us for this relaxing, fun, and authentic lunch. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Perugia for free time and dinner on your own.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8: Orvieto and Fiumicino

Today we head to Orvieto, a city with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere that soars above the surrounding valley, perched atop a tufa cliff. Your day includes a ticket to Orvieto’s magnificent Duomo an example of Italian Gothic architecture, renowned for its striking facade and intricate detailing. You’ll have free time to meander in the many shops and beautiful piazzas before a short visit to the ancient laboratory of L’Orvietan. Our host Lamberto will tell us the story of this renowned, local amaro. This traditional herbal liqueur, steeped in history and crafted with a secret blend of local herbs, roots, and spices, was first concocted as a medicinal remedy in the 17th century. After lunch on your own, we’ll head to the port town of Fiumicino for a farewell dinner and an overnight stay at the 4-star Hotel Tiber.

Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Tiber Fiumicino

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9: Departure

Today is your departure day. After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll say arrivederci until our next adventure in La Bel Paese. A free shuttle to Rome Fiumicino is included.

Note

Although every effort is made to adhere to the stated tour, itineraries are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of Via del Vino, LLC and its travel providers. A day-by-day tour schedule with contacts, transfer information, and additional details is provided before your departure.

What’s Included:

• 8-Nights accommodation in historic/boutique properties
• Transportation for all daily activities
• Daily breakfast
• 4 lunches, 4 dinners, and 3 aperitivi all include wine
• 1 cooking class + 1 cheesemaking class
• 2 Winery visits
• 2 Artisan Visits
• Guided tours in Assisi and Spello
• Entrance fees to the Basilica in Assisi and the Cathedral of Orvieto

What’s Not Included:

• Airfare
• Airport transfers on arrival (can be provided for an additional cost)
• Cash tips for local guides (optional)

Note: Additional nights before the tour start can be arranged for an extra cost.