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The Flavors of Italy 2008September 3, 2008 - September 12, 2008
Food/Wine/Medieval Hill Towns
Join us for the vacation that will begin the journey of your life. Feast on a meal that you wish would never end. Drink wine from ancient vineyards. Explore medieval hilltop towns. Cook in an 11th century castle. Join Changing Gears for the ultimate journey through the heart of Italy in beautiful, mystical Umbria and evocative Tuscany, the regions that will bring dreams alive!!
 Day 1 – Begin your travels in Perugia where we will greet you at the airport and whisk you off to Todi, our host village, a charming medieval hilltop town in the remarkable region of Umbria. Todi is an ancient Etruscan and Roman settlement that still has the air of a medieval town. It is one of the most strikingly situated of Umbria’s famous hill towns. We will greet you with an antipasti party at our castle just outside of Todi and then take you back to your hotel in Todi for the night. |
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Day 2 – Today we divide into groups to explore the market place of Todi. Each group will be given a recipe. As you wander the narrow streets, inside the walled city, in search of the perfect ingredients for your recipe, you will feel truly Italian. After the morning shopping, we will go back to the castle to prepare the evening feast using the ingredients you purchased and following the recipes of Umbrian and Tuscany chefs. After dinner, it is back to Todi for the night. |
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Day 3 – Deruta.
Today we go to Deruta to shop for pottery. Deruta, in the true heart of Umbria, started working in clay in 1296. By the 14th century it had become a center for the production of bricks and terra-cotta, supplying the nearby cities of Perugia and Assisi. You will visit the only surviving kiln from the Renaissance era. (There once were 52 kilns.) You can shop for ceramics where many importers from the U. S. shop and where you will have more to choose from than you can imagine. Leave space in your luggage for this world famous pottery. Tonight, learn some new recipes as you prepare your dinner at the castle before going back to Todi for the night. |
Day 4 – Pienza / Montalcino.
Today we explore Pienza and Montalcino. As we leave Todi, the road to Montalcino winds through the olive groves, sunflower fields and vineyards of the Umbria and Tuscany countryside. We will stop for lunch in Pienza, the birthplace of Pope Pius II, and a great Renaissance town. After some time for exploring Pienza, it’s off to Montalcino, home of the magnificent Brunello di Montalcino, one of the reigning kings of Tuscan wines. You will have time for a swim or relaxation at your hotel before we go into Montalcino to explore the fortress and then sip some wine at the Enoteca before dinner. You will believe you are in another time that should never change. |
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Day 5 – Montepulciano / Bagno Vignoni.
This morning we drive to Montepulciano, located atop one of Tuscany’s highest hills, and home of the world famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Montepulciano has been making wine since AD 789. We will be having a wine tasting at one of the many wine cellars found throughout the town. In the afternoon, we will head over to Bagno Vignoni, a famous medieval spa town. We will spend the afternoon enjoying the thermal pools at the hotel where we will spend the night. Optional spa treatments are also available. |
Day 6 – Cortona / Todi.
This morning we will drive to Cortona and then walk to Frances Mayes house (Under the Tuscan Sun) and then it is off to Todi. The rest of the day is on your own to explore Todi or just relax at the hotel. Dinner is on your own. |
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Day 7 – Orvieto.
Day trip to Orvieto with its magnificent Cathedral and breathtaking façade (one of Italy’s greatest Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals). Also, beneath the streets and shops, is a labyrinth of caves hidden in the silent darkness of the cliffs. We will take a guided tour of these ancient tunnels and tombs dug during the Etruscan age, which will take you back three thousand years in history. And, of course, some more great shopping including the famous Orvieto wines. Dinner will be in Titignano, an ancient village a few miles from Todi. You will experience a gourmet feast of a lifetime in the Castle Hall. |
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Day 8 – Assisi.
Day trip to Assisi, a beautiful medieval town. The main attraction is the Basilica, which is one of the artistic highlights of medieval Europe. The painters of Deruta designed the gorgeous ceramic floor in the Church of St. Francis. We will take you on a tour from the top of the town, winding through the back streets of Assisi, to the bottom where the Basilica is located.
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Day 9 – Torgiano.
Today we visit Torgiano, a quiet town in the heart of D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. wine producing area of Umbria. We will have a guided tour of their famous wine and olive oil museums and end the morning with a wine tasting. We will then head back to the castle for your final cooking lesson and the grand feast that evening.
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Day 10 –
As you wake up on your last day of this journey, take a moment to savor all the experiences you have had these past 10 days – wonderful hilltop villages, great food and wine, exciting cooking lessons, incredible shopping. After breakfast, we will drive you back to the Perugia Airport for your trip home.
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Price: $3200.00 per person based on double occupancy or if you don‘t want to share a room it is $3600 for a single occupancy. Tour is limited to 10 participants. Tour price includes cooking classes, lodging, all breakfasts and some lunches and dinners, recipes to take home, wine tastings, and all tours to the surrounding areas. Price does not include airfare and some lunches and dinners.
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