Itinerary

Day 1 –Spoleto –Welcome to Umbria

 

Check in at your 4-star hotel in Spoleto city center. The tour will start with lunch at an osteria in Spoleto, where you will enjoy an introduction to Umbria over a meal of traditional Umbrian cuisine.

 

Following lunch, we will accompany you on a private walking tour of the atmospheric hilltop town of Spoleto, home to the annual Due Mondi (Two Worlds) arts festival. The walking tour will take you through the medieval streets and will take in the main sights of Spoleto, including the Duomo (cathedral), with its frescoes by Pinturicchio and Fra’ Filippo Lippi and the Ponte delle Torri, Spoleto’s striking 13th-century aqueduct.

 

Day 2 –Assisi -In the Footsteps of Saint Francis

 

This morning we will head for the city of Assisi known throughout the world as the birthplace of Saint Francis. We will take a guided walking tour of the city and see the many important sights, including the spectacular Basilica of Saint Francis with its frescoes by Giotto. In Assisi we will also have a light lunch, including salamis and hams accompanied by the local Torta al Testo bread. In the afternoon we will visit the Eremo delle Carceri, immersed in the forests of Monte Subasio above Assisi, where Saint Francis and his followers would retreat to pray and the nearby basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli which incorporates the tiny church known as the Porziuncola, where Saint Francis died in 1226.

 

Day 3 –Orvieto –The Magic of Three Thousand Years of History

 

Today we will spend the day in the ancient city of Orvieto. Orvieto, founded around three thousand years ago, was a very important Etruscan city. Orvieto is also famous for its stunning striped Gothic cathedral, one of the most important medieval buildings in Italy, containing The Last Judgment fresco by Fra’ Angelico and Luca Signorelli. Our tour of Orvieto will also visit the Pozzo di San Patrizio (Saint Patrick’s Well) where, if you want, you can descend the 248 steps of the double spiral staircase. After lunch in Orvieto you will have the afternoon free to do some more sightseeing or shopping.


Day 4 –Norcia and the Valnerina –Saints and Truffle Hunters

 

Today we will explore the unspoiled Valnerina area of Umbria visiting its isolated hilltop hamlets and abbeys, including the beautiful San Pietro in Valle (Saint Peter in the Valley) founded by the Duke of Spoleto around 720 AD following a dream in which Saint Peter ordered him to build a church in his honor.

 

We will also visit the walled town of Norcia at the foot of the Monti Sibillini national park. Norcia is famous throughout Italy for its cured meats, cheeses and truffles and most Italian towns boast a Norcineria selling salamis and other cured meats. Norcia is also the birthplace of Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine order and patron saint of Europe and we will see many of the sites connected with his life including the remains of the house where Saint Benedict and his twin sister Saint Scholastica were born around 480. Depending on the season, lunch will either be an al fresco picnic of Italian salamis, cheeses and breads in the stunning Monti Sibillini national park or at a rustic trattoria in Norcia. You will also get some free time to explore Norcia’s many delicatessens and stock up on local delicacies.

 

Day 5 –Perugia and Deruta –Renaissance Art and Ceramics of Umbria

 

Today we will accompany you on a tour of Perugia, the capital city of Umbria.  We will see the recently restored 13th century Fontana Maggiore, the Palazzo dei Priori which houses the National Gallery of Umbria and the Collegio del Cambio with its frescoes by Perugino and amble along Perugia's elegant main street, Corso Vannucci. Following lunch at a local osteria on our way back from Perugia we will stop in the town of Deruta, famous for its maiolica ceramics, where we will visit the studio of a local ceramic artisan.

 

Day 6 –Montefalco, Bevagna and Spello –Hilltop Towns, Olive Oil and Wine

 

Today we will visit three of the most characteristic Umbrian towns: Montefalco, Spello and Bevagna.

 

In the morning we will set off for the hilltop town of Spello, a former Roman colony where large parts of the Roman fortifications remain intact. In Spello we will visit the church of Santa Maria Maggiore with its magnificent frescoes by Pinturicchio in the Cappella Baglioni (also known as the Cappella Bella). We will then visit Bevagna, another prosperous Roman settlement, where Roman aristocrats used to build their villas, which is nowadays a tranquil town whose streets are lined with lovely crafts shops, delicatessens and trattorias.

 

Following lunch we will head to nearby Montefalco. Known as “the balcony of Umbria” because of the panoramic views it enjoys, although Montefalco is now more famous for its Sagrantino wines it is also home to some important works of art such as the 15th century fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. After a brief walking tour of the town you will get some free time to have a well-earned glass of wine in the central piazza. On Friday evening we will have a farewell dinner at a lovely local restaurant.

 

Saturday -Farewell

 

This morning unfortunately it is time to say farewell. We are sure you will head for home with loads of lovely memories and the desire to return to Umbria soon.

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