Discovering Umbria
Experience tradition and history, admire the fabulous landscapes and the medieval borghi, discover the secrets of the regional gastronomy…welcome to Umbria.
Day 1 Assisi
Arrival. Time at leisure, dinner and overnight.
Day 2 Assisi
history & spirituality
Breakfast. In the morning meet your local guide for private walking tour of Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis and Italy’s famous pilgrimage site. Discover all the facets of the Old Town (Roman walls and medieval houses), including the Basilica of Santa Chiara, dedicated to the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, and the papal Basilica of St. Francis, built between 1228 and 1253. Now home to the consecrated remains of the saint, the stunning monument is also said to have the best collection of art in any church of Italy, including frescoes and paintings by Cimabue, Giotto, Lorenzetti and more. Afternoon at leisure. Don’t miss a visit to the Hermitage, one of the most beautiful Franciscan sites. Complete your day by a marvellous genuine welcome dinner in a family run country house. Overnight.
Day 3 Assisi – Bevagna – Assisi
ballooning, wine & handcrafts
Without doubt, mornings are the best time for hot air ballooning. The air is calm, fresh and the land is quiet. Being up in a balloon, drifting quietly is an almost spiritual experience! We bring you back for breakfast to Cantina Dionigi, just a stone’s throw away from our balloon base. The Dioginis are fourth generation wine makers who also know how to put on a great Umbrian style breakfast. If you are not opposed to drinking a bit of wine before midday, you may even like to sample some of their excellent wines although it is a rather decadent way to start the day…
Following breakfast reach medieval Bevagna for a private guided walking tour and discover its ancient theatre, the temple, the forum (main square), the Roman baths and its mosaics and the Medieval House of Mastro Cecco. Enjoy some time at leisure immersing yourself in the Middle Ages visiting the artisanal laboratories La Cartiera (paper mill), la Cereria (candle makers), la Zecca (mint factory), il Setificio (silk manufacturing). Return to Assisi and overnight.
Day 4 Assisi – Perugia – Assisi
art & baking
Breakfast. Today is about art, pizza and bread in Perugia, Umbria’s largest town with its very extensive historic centre. Our guided tour includes a walk through the medieval ghost town built in to the foundations of the Papal castle, Palazzo dei Priori, the Collegio del Cambio with frescoes by Pietro Perugino, the Collegio della Mercanzia with a late 14 C wooden interior and the National Gallery of Umbria which hosts one of the richest collections in Italy with works of international renown. The impressive number and variety of artistic works housed in the museum range from paintings on wood, canvas and murals, to sculptures in wood and stone, to goldsmith’s art and fabrics, which exemplify the artistic evolution in the territory between the 13th and 19th centuries.
Afternoon with Andrea Pioppi, Italian master baker and expert teacher, who after 20 years at the family bakery firm, has decided to follow his vocation as a liberoimpastatore (free-spirited dough kneader). Be inspired by his passion for the art of baking and learn how to create your own bread and pizza. Return to Montefalco and overnight.
Day 5 Assisi – Spoleto – Assisi
ancient stones & food
Breakfast. Today enjoy an excursion to the stunning Spoleto. The town is presided over by a formidable medieval fortress and backed by the broad-shouldered Apennines. The Romans left their mark in the form of the grand arches of the Bridge of Towers and an amphitheatre; the Lombards made it the capital of their duchy in 570, building it high and mighty and leaving it with a parting gift of a Romanesque cathedral in the early 13th century. Meet your local guide for a walking tour which includes Spoleto’s pretty pale-stone cathedral, originally built in the 11th century using huge blocks of salvaged stones from Roman buildings for its slender bell tower. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight.
Day 6 Assisi – Orvieto – Assisi
hidden treasures & gastronomy
Breakfast. In the morning travel to Orvieto and enjoy a guided visit to the Duomo containing the Apocalypse fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli. The Duomo di Orvieto is widely considered the most glorious example of Italian Gothic. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon a pleasant guided tour along a very easy route makes it possible to get to know Orvieto’s underground world, created by its ancient inhabitants over about 2500 years of uninterrupted digging. An hour-long tour on a discovery of a millenary, surprising and unexpected “Underground City”. Time a leisure and return to Assisi. Overnight.
Day 7 Assisi – Spello – Assisi
art & flowers
Breakfast. In the morning meet your local guide in Spello for a tour to enjoy both art and flowers. You’ll walk around the labyrinth of floral decorated streets to take in the atmosphere and visit the Porta Venere, an Augustan-era gate flanked by two 12-sided towers, the impressive 12th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore which houses the Baglioni Chapel with Pinturicchio’s beautiful frescoes of the life of Christ and where even the floor, dating back to 1566, is a masterpiece. The remainder of the day is yours to explore more of this medieval gem. Overnight.
Day 8 Departure
Breakfast and departure.
Inclusions
- 7 nights in selected 4-star hotel in Assisi with full breakfast
- Private guided visits with English speaking guides in Assisi (Basilica of San Francesco and Giotto frescoes), Bevagna (Medieval house Mastro Cecco, Roman bath and mosaics), Perugia (Collegio del Cambio, National Gallery of Umbria), Spoleto, Orvieto (Duomo and underground) and Spello (Baglioni Chapel); including all the entrance fees to the sites
- Private bus as per this program
- Dinner (Assisi)
- Dinner in a country house (Assisi)
- Hot air balloon experience
- Breakfast at the winery (Bevagna)
- Baking class (Perugia)
- Dinner in a local restaurant (Spoleto)
- Genuine lunch (Orvieto)
This Itinerary is for minimum 15 people
Price from euro 2.395 per person
