AUTHENTIC UMBRIA
June 14th - June 22nd
Mingle with locals and discover this enchanting region that remains little changed by the centuries and is far away from the tourist crowds.
Explore Perugia on a top-rated food tour as you taste and sip typical Umbrian foods and wines linked to centuries of tradition.
Enjoy a hands-on cooking class in a state-of-the-art kitchen at a local winery.
Craft your own bar of chocolate.
Visit a local market and have an in-home cooking lesson with Shelley.
Hunt for truffles and have lunch with a family in the mountains above Spoleto.
Enjoy sightseeing, artisan visits and free time in Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Deruta and Orvieto.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
On this small group, exclusive tour, you'll travel like a local with Shelley and Susan Guerra, a wine professional and the owner of Via Del Vino Food and Wine Tours who lives in Umbria and will show you the sights that only the locals know.
Stay at a boutique hotel in the historic center of Perugia, Susan’s adopted hometown. First founded by the Etruscans, Perugia is a beautifully preserved, medieval city where you’ll have shops, museums, cafes, and restaurants right at your door. You’ll mingle with locals as you discover this enchanting region that's remained little changed by the centuries and is far from the usual tourist crowds.
Our week in Umbria will feature a selection of food and wine activities including cooking classes, wine tastings, an artisan chocolate experience, truffle hunting with a local family, Perugia’s top-rated food tour plus sightseeing and free time to meander in several of Umbria's most iconic, and beautiful hill towns.
*if Book Now button is inactive, please refresh your browser!
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY
DAY 1 Sunday, June 14: Arrival to Perugia
Today is your arrival day in Umbria in the historic center of Perugia. Your home base for the week is the boutique Hotel Priori Secret Garden, located on Via dei Priori, steps from shops, museums, cafes, and historical attractions. At the hotel’s rooftop bar, you can enjoy an afternoon drink with views over the rooftops. Drop your bags and have an afternoon stroll or lunch on Perugia’s main Corso. Later, you’ll have time to relax before getting to know your fellow travelers at an evening meet and greet, followed by a light dinner.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Light Dinner (1)
Day 2: Monday, June 15: Perugia Food Tour + Artisan Chocolate
Today we'll explore Perugia on our top-rated Taste Perugia food tour. As we stroll through its maze of medieval streets, you'll be struck by the beauty of this ancient city and by the delicious simplicity of Umbrian food. We'll meet the local restaurant and shop owners and learn about the history of Perugia as we sip and taste our way around town. After lunch we’ll have an artisan chocolate-making experience with Susan's friend, Giulia, a young chocolatier and chocolate sommelier. Giulia will explain how cacao is grown and transformed into chocolate from bean to bar. We'll taste single-origin chocolate samples and make our own bars with local ingredients (nuts, spices, etc) to suit our taste. After our experience, we'll have free time to relax before a generous aperitivo on Susan and Richard's terrace which sits on top of a 3rd-century BC Etruscan gate.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (1), Aperitivo (1)
Day 3: Tuesday, June 16th: Cooking Class with Local Chef
Today, we'll do a cooking class with two young, Umbrian chefs, Vittorio and Filippo, in Borgo Brufa, a little village along the ridge of the Brufa hill, that despite its small size is well known for its tradition of sculpture. We'll enter the town driving along La Strada del Vino e dell'Arte (the wine and art road), a sculpture park with installations that extend from the village to the surrounding countryside.
Vittorio and his brother Gregorio (chef and sommelier) grew up in Borgo Brufa and recently opened a beautiful restaurant with a decidedly artistic flair; both in the decor and on the menu. Together with their friend Filippo, we'll prepare a three-course meal that Vittorio will artfully pair with his choice of wines. Though our menu for the day is still to be determined, the seasonal, local ingredients and Vittorio's Michelin Star experience from his time in Denmark will bring a modern touch to traditional Umbrian recipes.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Three Course Cooking Class
Day 4: Wednesday, June 17: Market Day, Home-cooking + Saints
Wednesday is market day in Perugia where you’ll have an inside look at everyday life in the city. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the market while shopping with Shelley to select fresh, seasonal ingredients for our home cooking class. Following the market visit, we’ll head to Susan and Richard’s home kitchen. Here you'll learn to prepare authentic, Umbrian specialties and discover the stories and history behind each dish. After preparing the meal, we’ll gather to enjoy the fruits of our labor paired with local wines.
In the late afternoon, we’ll head to Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis and Saint Claire. Assisi's majestic Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands above the valley and offers panoramic views in every direction. The basilica, a religious pilgrimage site and also the final resting place of Saint Francis is famous for its series of Giotto frescoes depicting his life. We'll have a short, guided tour with Susan's friend Maura. After the tour, you'll also have free time to meander and shop the many boutiques in the historic center. On our way back to Perugia we'll stop for aperitivo with wine tasting at a family winery in the Assisi DOC.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (3), Aperitivo (2)
Day 5: Thursday, June 18th: Cooking Class at a Local Winery
Today we'll meet Chef Jacopo, the farm estate manager at Vineria del Carmine, a beautiful winery just 30 minutes outside Perugia. We'll start our cooking class by making grissini to munch on during our aperitivo. Next, we'll make a traditional pasta shape, then a meat or fish . To conclude you'll learn how to make chef Jacopo's modern take on the traditional Italian desserts. Jacopo will conduct this hands-on class and answer all your questions about Umbrian food. During the class, we'll have finger food and wine. The meal you have made will be served downstairs in the Vinera accompanied by a sommelier-guided tasting of Carmine Estate wines.
Later today, we’ll have an optional visit with Susan’s friend, Marta Cucchia, a fourth-generation weaver. Marta’s studio is a former hermitage built by St. Francis and his disciples in 1212. This characteristic location now houses the Giuditta Brozzetti Museum Workshop, one of Italy’s last surviving hand-weaving workshops. Here, Marta still weaves on the original working looms from the 18th and 19th centuries. She’ll tell us the story of how this ancient craft has been kept alive over the centuries by generations of talented, fierce, entrepreneurial women. Tonight, you’ll have dinner on your own with suggestions.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (4)
Day 6: Friday, June 19th: Truffle Hunting with a Local Family
Today we'll hunt for truffles on a farm where Francesca's family has lived off the land since the 1400s. When we have enough of this local delicacy to make lunch, we'll stop in a panoramic spot and have our first taste of a freshly dug truffle with scrambled eggs (an Umbrian favorite) and a glass or two of Prosecco. Then back at Francesca’s home, you can lend a hand as she makes fresh pasta or simply sit back and watch as you enjoy homemade snacks, pecorino cheese, and loads of local wine. When the pasta is made, we'll sit down to a traditional Umbrian meal where all of the recipes have a distinctly ‘wild’ flavor. Family and friends from the village often join us for this relaxing, fun, and authentic lunch. In the afternoon we'll head back to Perugia for free time and dinner on your own.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (5)
Day 7: Saturday, June 20th: Spello
After breakfast today, we’ll depart for Spello one of Italy’s “Borghi Più Belli d’Italia.” This designation is given to the most beautiful villages in Italy. Here we’ll have free time to stroll and shop at the many artisan boutiques. For those interested in history, Spello is a former Roman settlement where you’ll find ancient architecture, Roman towers and city gates nestled between artisan boutiques, family-owned restaurants, and food shops carrying typical Umbrian products. Two notable attractions are the Villa dei Mosaici di Spello—a museum showcasing the remains of a Roman Villa (uncovered during the contruction of a parking lot), and the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore with its beautiful frescoes painted in the 1500s by Bernardino di Betto, ( A.K.A Pinturicchio). After free time with lunch on your own, we’ll return to Perugia to relax before dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: 4-star Hotel Priori Secret Garden
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner (2)
Day 8: (Fri Jun 7): Orvieto
This morning, after breakfast, we’ll check out and head toward Rome. On our way, we’ll stop in Orvieto, a city with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere that soars above the surrounding valley, perched atop a tufa cliff. The historic center is enhanced not only by its beautiful cathedral, monuments, and museums but through the tradition of wood craftsmanship, wrought iron, and majolica pottery, which can be purchased in the many shops throughout the historic center. You’ll have free time to shop and have lunch on your own before we head to Rome. Tonight we’ll have farewell dinner in the seaside town of Fiumicino.
Accommodation: Hotel Tiber, Fiumicino
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner (5)
Day 9: Monday, June 22nd: Departure
Today is your departure day. After breakfast at our hotel, we'll say arrivederci until our next adventure in La Bel Paese. A free shuttle to Rome Fiumicino Airport is included.
Please Note
Although every effort is made to adhere to the stated tour, our itinerary is subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of Via del Vino, LLC and its travel providers. A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking to secure your spot.
Our Umbria tour uses a boutique property with a mix of rooms that are all unique and may vary in size and amenities. Rooms are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis according to need (doubles vs twin beds vs single supplement). Single supplement rooms are limited. Please let us know if you need twin beds.
Physical Requirements of This Tour:
Walking unassisted at a relaxed pace on uneven pavements, hills, and stone stairs with only short breaks.
Standing for 1 or 2 hours for walking tours with only short breaks and limited seating available.
Getting on and off the minibus unassisted.
This tour is not suitable for guests with mobility issues.
Cost of Umbria Food & Wine Tour:
Cost: €4,900 per person in shared double room, Single Supplement: Plus €600
A deposit payment of €1200 per person is due at the time of booking and is non-refundable.
Payment in full is due on April 14, 2026, and is non-refundable.
RESERVE NOW
Contact Shelley with any questions: shelleystable@gmail.com, +1 646-236-0605
Trip Inclusions:
8-Nights accommodation
Transportation for all daily activities
Daily breakfast
5 lunches, 3 dinners, and 2 aperitivi all include wine
2 to 3 Cooking Classes, 1 Artisan Chocolate Experience
2 Winery visits
Entrance fees to the Basilica in Assisi and the Cathedral of Orvieto
What’s Not Included:
Airfare
Airport transfers on arrival (can be provided for an additional cost)
Cash tips for local guides (optional)
Note: Additional nights before the tour start can be arranged for an extra cost.