"Slow Down And Smell The Pasta"
Italy Off The Beaten Path -- 7 Day Italy Tour
Get Ready To Take A Small Escorted Tour Of Gourmet Culinary Delights And Enjoy Some Outstanding Wine
Italy is known worldwide for the variety and high quality of its food, wine, olive oil, cheeses, cured meats and many other artisan foods. There are a huge number of wines to taste and to enjoy from more than 310,000 Italian wineries -- as compared with just 11,000 wineries in the U.S. Most of the wine produced in Italy stays within Italy.
There is much to discover here in the land of high quality artisan wine producers – most of which are unknown to foreigners.
For these reasons, we are able to offer one of the best 7 day food and wine tours of Italy. This tour is geared toward those who consider themselves gourmets, foodies, and wine lovers.
We are located in the heart of Central Italy in the region known as Umbria. This geographic area is famous among Italians but not so much with foreigners. Among Italians, it is known for being among the best places for food and wine in Italy.
A recent Trip Advisor study concluded that this region has the best food in all of Italy. Forbes Magazine recently crowned a local town "one of the top six wine touring cities in all of Europe."
During your Italy food and wine tour, you will sample and enjoy delicious fresh food, much of it organic and locally grown. Enjoy a combination of authentic lunches and gourmet dinners at Italian restaurants, trattorias, local wineries, and farmhouse hotels. Indulge in a scrumptious meal at a charming Conde Nast-rated family restaurant.
Savor delightful and exceptional wines from some of the best Italian vineyards and best Italian wineries to visit. We’ll treat you to a special rare red wine from a grape variety that is seldom found elsewhere the world. Shop for fresh Italian produce, take a private cooking class with an authentic chef or Italian “nonna”, and enjoy your private meal in a 17th century storybook palazzo.
There will be ample private time to do things on your own so you can enjoy during your relaxing trip to Italy.
Typical Italian Itinerary
Italy Food And Wine Tour
A Tour In Off The Beaten Path Umbria
For 7 Days / 6 Nights
Saturday
Travel To Italy To Start Your Italian Small Group Tour
Sunday Day 1
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Arrive In Italy And Travel To Enchanting Spello
Arrive in Rome at Fiumicino airport. You will be met by an Italian/English-speaking chauffeur who will whisk you away by private car for your visit to the spectacular heart of Italy.
Experience your first leisurely lunch in Italy at a restaurant that features local Italian specialties such as prosciutto ham, tartufo mushrooms, seasonal wild asparagus, and more.
The setting includes a stunning vista of the Italian countryside.
Enjoy the remainder of your afternoon on your own while relaxing at your authentic Italian hotel, lounging by the pool, or exploring the quaint small town of Spello.
We will start our evening early with an informal get-together where you will receive a brief orientation with a casual wine tasting and with a sampling heavy appetizers in a genuine privately-owned 17th century Italian palazzo.
Private driver from Rome Airport, lunch with local Italian wine (if desired), and a light dinner with drinks and heavy appetizers are included.
Monday Day 2
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Bevagna & Montefalco
After a quiet breakfast at your hotel, you’ll take a short trip and travel to the lovely walled Roman town of Bevagna.
We’ll continue on to the famous wine town of Montefalco where we’ll enjoy a scrumptious lunch at a Conde Nast-rated restaurant.
Known for delectable fresh pastas, the restaurant’s offerings change according to the season.
Our afternoon will be highlighted by two different wine tastings in the Italian countryside at two different family-owned wineries. You’ll get a chance to tour an Italian vineyard, see a century-old wine cellar and taste some outstanding red and wine wines during your visit.
We’ll then return to Spello to freshen up and walk five minutes to a casual dinner at a delightful local restaurant featuring a genuine 14th century interior.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, wine tasting, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Tuesday Day 3
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Perugia: An Ancient Etruscan Town
After breakfast we’ll visit one of the best-known chocolatiers in all of Europe for an escorted tour. Of course, you’ll have time to sample many of their delightful and glorious chocolates.
We will then drive to the ancient Etruscan university town of Perugia where you will have lunch at a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the Italian countryside and enjoys a well-deserved reputation for preparing fine traditional Umbrian cuisine.
After lunch, you’ll have time to meander around Perugia and do some shopping along its main shopping street. If you like, you can also visit an impressive art museum that is the best in Umbria or perhaps even make a stop at an archeological museum.
During the afternoon, we will take a drive -- off the beaten path -- through the beautiful Italian countryside. We will visit a charming family-owned winery enjoy a wine tasting of white and red wine.
We will then make a fascinating visit to an Italian frantoio and take an olive oil tasting tour. You will see where superlative Italian olive oil is made. You will get a chance to sample some distinctive Umbria olive oils -- some of which have a hint of pepper with a light grassy taste.
While sampling some of the ultrafine oils you can watch a short video that explains how Italians make olive oil. If your trip to Italy occurs during harvest season, you can also see the process of olives being pressed and converted into sublime olive oil.
We’ll then return to Spello to enjoy our evening meal at an authentic, small family-owned Italian restaurant.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Wednesday Day 4
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Italian Cooking Class & Trip To Visit Assisi
After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll go food shopping just like the locals do at the weekly Spello market day. On our way back we’ll make a couple of stops at various artisan producers.
We’ll gather back at a Spello palazzo with our newly-purchased produce and ingredients and learn how to prepare them in a special private Italian cooking class led by a charming chef who was born in France and who has worked at numerous restaurants in Italy.
Next, we’ll savor our hand-prepared feast on the palazzo’s private terrace that offers a splendid view of Umbria and the rolling countryside.
After our late lunch, you will take a trip to visit and shop in world-famous Assisi for the balance of the afternoon.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Assisi was founded over 2,500 years ago by the ancient Umbrians before becoming a Roman town.
You’ll have dinner on your own -- at our expense -- at one of several enjoyable local restaurants.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Thursday Day 5
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Roman Aqueduct Walk And Italian Picnic
After breakfast we’ll take a leisurely, slow-paced tour by walking along a 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct.
During your walk, you’ll love the view of the rolling green hills with thousands of olive trees, grape vines, and wild flowers in the imposing Italian countryside. You’ll take a break to feast on Italian gourmet specialties during a picnic which will be set up for you and your group along the aqueduct.
Return for a tour of Spello, enjoy your swimming pool or relish some private time in the afternoon. Later on, we'll stop by at a Spello wine bar for wine tasting with a well-regarded Italian sommelier, featuring wines from Umbria and other areas in Central Italy.
Afterward, we’ll have dinner at a popular and colorful pizzeria known for its vast selection of tasty wood-fired pizzas.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, wine tasting, artisan beers and local Italian wine, if desired.
Friday Day 6
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Gubbio & Private Dinner In A Storybook Palazzo
For your final full day in Italy, we’ll take a memorable drive off the beaten path in the beautiful Italian countryside through the mountains. Your trip will take you to the unforgettable Roman and medieval town of Gubbio.
We regard this hilltop town as one of the best unknown places in Italy. It is a favorite destination among Italians and we are sure you will love Gubbio as much as we do.
This town is truly one of those unique places in Italy to visit and is a very interesting hilltop town. The drive to Gubbio is picturesque. You’ll see vibrant red and white geraniums which line the road (in season) as we approach Gubbio. This mystical town seems to float halfway up Mount Ingino and can be seen from far away.
There are a large number of restaurants that specialize in food from the mountains: wild mushrooms, wild boar and many other tasty foods for foodies. Gubbio is regarded as one of the best food places in Italy.
Once we arrive, you can ramble around town, capture some great selfies, do some shopping, visit museums, take a cable car up to Mount Ingino high above Gubbio and enjoy the sweeping vista of the Apennine Mountains, and have lunch on your own (at our expense).
Return to Spello to enjoy your swimming pool, relish some afternoon private time and finish packing. We’ll have a farewell celebration with cocktails and an early private dinner arranged just for you, specially prepared by a highly regarded local Italian chef.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Saturday Day 7
Italy Food And Wine Tour
Your Tour Group Departs For Rome Airport
During the last day of your 7 day tour of Italy, you will be picked up at your hotel to take the trip back to Rome Fiumicino airport for your flight back home.
Private driver to Rome Airport and light breakfast are included.
Please Note: This schedule may change subject to weather and availability.
What’s Included
Italy Food And Wine Tour
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7 day Italy tour of Italian food and wine for 7 days / 6 nights
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Private transportation to and from Rome airport
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6 nights lodging in an Italian 4-star hotel
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Ground transportation each day of the tour as needed
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All breakfasts, lunches and dinners with coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired
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Private dinner prepared by our favorite Italian chef
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Cocktail party featuring heavy appetizers at a privately owned storybook palazzo
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All cellar and vineyard tours with wine tastings taking place at wineries in Italian wine country, at cozy wine bars, or in palaces
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Professional tour guide available during portions of your Italian small group tour
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Numerous opportunities to shop
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Optional time for walking, hiking, trekking, cycling, biking, e bike, or e-biking
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Additional private time to do things together or on your own
What's Not Included
Italy Food And Wine Tour
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Flights to and from Italy
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Travel Insurance
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Passport Fees
Accommodations
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We book our guests at small, boutique hotels that are often family-owned. Many are located in historic properties, some of which are centuries old. You will stay at an Italian 4-star hotel that is charming and authentic, featuring modern amenities including: wi-fi, air conditioning and a private in-suite bathroom. Many guests have remarked that our hotels are more quaint and memorable than chain hotels in North America.