Italy: All About Umbria (trip)
Italy: All About Umbria
- Culinary & Wine Travel
“Giovanna and her family and the town and Hotel Clitunno were wonderful. We had a great experience. The pace was… ”
7 Days, from $2,700* per person. Year-round.
Accommodations: Boutique. Exertion level: 3 (7 is most strenuous)
Overview of Italy: All About Umbria
About the location: Set among thickly wooded hills, Spoleto is one of the most attractive towns in Italy, making it ideal for a cooking vacation in Umbria. At night, when the landmarks are illuminated and the city lights twinkle, it becomes a magical place, and is a fitting location for one of Italy’s most important performance arts festival, Festival dei Due Mondi, founded by composer Gian Carlo Menotti and the late Thomas Schippers. Long a destination of those seeking the best that Italy has to offer, Spoleto boasts ancient Roman ruins (including the Roman theater), the striking 13th-century aqueduct, Ponte delle Torri, the imposing medeival fortress, the Rocca Albornoziana, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, completed in 1227, which contains the tomb of the famous 14th-century artist Filippo Lippi.This medieval yet sophisticated city is also undeniably Umbria’s most gastronomic town, and you will explore some of the best Umbria has to offer at the warm and inviting Hotel Clitunno. When you arrive at the lovely historic building you are in for a surprise, for behind the modest facade is a hotel of taste and beauty. Under the guidance of the well known architect Bellini, the three-year renovation of the hotel has resulted in a stunning yet welcoming environment. The hotel is filled with antiques, oriental rugs, and objets d’art; it has cozy sitting areas with fireplaces, an intimate bar and an elegant dining room. The bedrooms are charming and characteristic with lovely bathrooms. But even more wonderful than the charming ambiance of the hotel is the warm hospitality of the Tomassoni family, who own and operate the hotel.
About the cooking lessons: The restaurant offers typical specialties of Umbrian Cuisine and innovative dishes based on the most traditional flavors of the region. Your Italian cooking courses will be held with Mamma Giovanna, manager of the hotel’s San Lorenzo Restaurant and matriarch of the Tomassoni family, along with one of the chefs of the restaurant. The Umbrian cuisine is incredibly rich and varied, famed for its heady olive oil, truffles, cured meats, homemade pastas—and the wines are among the best produced in Italy. We at The International Kitchen consider the meals you will prepare and enjoy with Mamma Giovanna and her staff some of the best you will find anywhere in Italy: incredible flavors, fresh ingredients, centuries-old traditions, and warm laughter with good friends.
Operated by The International Kitchen.
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Locations visited/nearby
All About Umbria , Cooking Vacation , Cooking Class , Italy
1 testimonial about this trip
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Reviewer: Mary K .
located in
Washington
USA
Giovanna and her family and the town and Hotel Clitunno were wonderful. We had a great experience. The pace was perfect and the dining experience wonderful. It was intriguing to glimpse inside the cooking of Umbria. The people were totally gracious... Spoleto was charming. The shopping was low-key but excellent. We bought jewelry, bedspreads and ceramics. In addition, we took a trip to Deruta with Federica and had a grand time choosing ceramics. I would recommend this particular experience without reservation.
2 testimonials about the provider, The International Kitchen:
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Reviewer: Thomas & Christine L.
located in
NC
USA
I'd like to start by saying, this was the best vacation of our lives. The Relais Oasi Olimpia is a five star hotel with a four star rating. Every member of the staff was warm hearted and friendly, and totally dedicated to our needs and well being. The rooms were large and comfortable, especially compared to the so-called four star hotel we stayed at in Rome. Carmen Mazzola the general manager was extremely competent, resourceful, and accommodating. Whenever we made a request, or a scheduling change was necessary due to weather or some other reason, she handled all with speed and good nature, always exclaiming, "It's nothing!" when we thanked her. The cooking lessons with Marco the Chef were just what we had hoped them to be. Nothing too intense, (after all we were on vacation) but informative and easy to execute. I'm happy to say, Christine and I are quite competent now in producing a variety of delectable dishes we would be proud to serve anyone. Our boat tour to Positano was wonderful, our host Antonio piloted the boat to the picturesue little town, and later stopped at a cove where we swam in the Mediterranean and had an expertly prepared lunch. Our favorite tour was of the Mozzarella Factory, I won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Suffice to say, don't miss it. Being Italian-American, this vacation awakened feelings in me long hidden. Personality traits that I have are prevalent in Southern Italy. I felt like I was among my own kind at last. I want to go back.
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Reviewer: Katie P
located in
UK
I just wanted to let you know that Chris and I had a wonderful time at Chateau de Berne last week. Mayung took very good care of us as ourhostess, and Jean-Louis is great! And of course the location is absolutely beautiful, as you know. We were made to feel very welcome the whole time we were there. I'm a few months pregnant, and Mayung did a great job of juggling our schedule so that I got some rest when I needed it but we also managed to fit in a lot of activities (including a visit to the market, a winery tour and wine tasting and a visit to a local abbey as well as some shopping on our own).And the cooking lessons were very well done. Chris and I were the only students (and in truth, Chris was the only one really cooking with Jean-Louis -- my job was to take notes and pictures!), so it felt like a one-on-one tutorial. Jean-Louis is a patient teacher and he did a good job of explaining everything he was doing. As the week progressed, Chris took a more and more active role in the food preparation, and the hands-on approach was very educational too. Everyone at Chateau de Berne was warm and friendly, and they really did make us feel very welcome there. This program was Chris's birthday present (his 40th) and I'm very pleased with how well it worked out! Thank you!
Disclaimers
*Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.
Max group size: 12
Special information
- This is a custom departure, meaning this trip is offered on dates that you arrange privately with the provider. Additionally, you need to form your own private group for this trip. The itinerary and price here is just a sample. Contact the provider for detailed pricing, minimum group size, and scheduling information. For most providers, the larger the group you are traveling with, the lower the per-person cost will be.
Itinerary
Day 1
Note that the 4-night itinerary generally follows the first four nights of the 6-night itinerary, with departure after breakfast on day 5.
* Transfer from the Rome Fiumicino Airport to the Hotel Clitunno in Spoleto.
* This afternoon, enjoy a welcome drink and a short presentation on your cooking course from Mamma Giovanna or one of the chefs of the restaurant.
* This evening, enjoy dinner and a welcome night’s rest at your hotel.
Day 2
* After breakfast, your introduction to classic Umbrian cooking gets underway with the presentation and preparation of some typical appetizers: crostini with chicken liver pate, homemade focaccia stuffed with caciotta cheese and ham, bruschetta with garlic, tomatoes, and truffle sauce. Enjoy preparing and tasting the dishes you’ve prepared.
* After your first lesson, relax and have lunch at the trattoria “La Cantina.”
* In the afternoon depart at around 3:30 pm for a walking tour of Spoleto on your own. Make sure to visit such sights as the famous Dome of the City, the Church of Saint Eufemia, the entrance to Rocca of Albornoz, and the recently restored heart of the village.
* Dinner tonight will be at the hotel.
Day 3
* After breakfast, depart by minibus at 9:00 a.m. for a guided tour of legendary Assisi, the city of Saint Francis.
* Lunch in a typical restaurant.
* Afterwards, it’s on to the famous town of Montefalco, land of the Sagranino red wine, visit of a local winery where you will be invited to taste wonderful wines.
* Return and dinner at the hotel this evening.
Day 4
* Breakfast, followed by your next cooking lesson.
* Today the emphasis will be on first courses, with the preparation of such dishes strangozzi (homemade pasta) with truffle sauce, gnocchi (potato dumplings) al sugo, farro in umido. As always, you will taste the dishes you have prepared and lunch in the hotel.
* In the afternoon, free time.
* Dinner at the hotel this evening.
Day 5
* Breakfast. (End of Four-night itinerary).
* Cooking class on the preparation and tasting of sweets like crescionda and attorta.
* Depart at 12:00pm for a visit to nearby Norcia, home of the Black Truffle.
* Lunch in Norcia’s most famous restaurant, “ Il Granaro del Monte,” which will feature the remarkable tastes of these mysterious tubers.
* Afterwards, a guided visit to the parks of the Sibillini and the Valnerina, two of the most fascinating parks of Italy.
* Return to the hotel for a late afternoon dinner.
Day 6
* This morning, after breakfast, you will have a chance to learn the secrets of an Italian Chef, as you accompany him to the local fruit and vegetable market to choose the ingredients for this afternoon’s cooking lesson.
* Today you will tackle main courses, with instruction in the preparation of trout valnerina style, zucchini and fried eggplant, frittata of asparagi, and tagliata di bue with balsamic vinegar sauce.
* This evening, you will taste all that you have made, and celebrate your graduation at a grand dinner at the hotel, where all participants will receive their “Italian Cooking Course Certificate “.
Day 7
* Breakfast at the hotel, final farewells, depart for your transfer to Fiumicino Airport in Rome.
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