Spoleto

Tours

Giano dell'Umbria is a charming medieval village in the "green heart" of Italy. It overlooks a beautiful silver landscape of olive trees. It’s a place with a perfect ecological balance where people have always lived in harmony with nature. The extraction of olive oil is an ancient rite full of symbolism, which repeats every year in a magic of history, culture, tradition and folklore. The Del Sero family lives in Moriano, a couple of km from Giano, and it has been growing olive trees and producing extra virgin olive oil for generations. The Del Sero olive oil is extracted with the traditional method of first cold pressing, with granite millstones and hydraulic presses, in a recently-built plant which blends well with the surrounding landscape. The Oil mill has production and bottling units as well as spacious rooms for guests. A protected pathway allows to oversee all stages of the production process, and a large hall can easily accommodate large groups of pople in a warm atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy more than 2,000 square meters of green areas dotted with ancient olive trees, the “millstone square” and a spacious parking lot. The Frantoio is easily accessible and well connected to the main national highways. You get here quickly from the center of major towns (Rome 1,5 hours - Florence 2 hr - Ancona 1,5 hr -Perugia 40). And it is within easy reach of the main regional tourist destinations (Spoleto, Assisi, Todi, Montefalco, Bevagna, Spello...). Guests will enjoy an emotional experience, discovering the World of Olive Oil, learning about its history and culture and appreciating its beneficial effects on health and taste. DISCOVER THE WORLD OF OLIVE OIL Our proposal includes a guided tour of the Oil Mill with speaker (English/French): - How olive oil is born: detailed description of all stages of the production process, from the fruit to the oil, using the traditional method of first cold pressing (granite millstones and hydraulic presses). Comparison with other extraction methods; How a very high quality olive oil is born: description of methods adopted in the various stages of the production and storage process, which directly affect the quality of olive oil; Q&A. We have two options for tasting: 1) Option 1 Bruschettas prepared on the spot with wood-fired bread: - Classical (olive oil and salt); - Garlic (olive oil, salt, garlic). Beverages: - Red wine (1 glass); - Water. 2) Option 2 Tasting: Mix of bruschettas prepared on the spot with wood-fired bread: - Classical (olive oil and salt); - Garlic (olive oil, salt, garlic); - Arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese; - Truffle sauce. Charcuterie and cheese board (I.e. salami, capocollo, prosciutto, local pecorino cheese). Beverages: - Red wine (1 glass); - Water. Both proposals can be adjusted to specific needs upon request. We are happy to accompany our guests to beautiful nearby sites that are worth a visit (ie: Morcicchia Castle, San Felice Abbey, centuries-old Macciano olive tree).

Umbria is the hometown of famous saints St. Francis (the patron saint of Italy and founder of the Franciscan order), St. Clare (the founder of the order of St. Clare), and the equally famous St. Rita of Cascia. Born in Roccaporena in 1381, St. Rita was one of the most popular saints of the Catholic Church, with her related symbols being roses and figs. The Basilica was built in 1937 and consecrated in 1947, and the monastery where she lived for forty years was rebuilt in the 18th Century and houses the nuns of the Augustinian community. In between your exploring of the history of Umbria, you will have free time for lunch in a typical restaurant, and you may also choose to utilize this time off for personal prayer. Your trip then continues to Spoleto, a gorgeous Middle Ages uphill town in which you will discover Etruscan and Roman Age buildings such as a theater and the amphitheater which are located in the upper village. The Rocca Albornoziana houses 6 towers, a number of beautiful frescoes and the National Museum. The 14th century Ponte delle Torri, or "Bridge of Towers", is built on the remains of a Roman aqueduct, and stretches across a gorge towards the Rocca.

Join this cooking class to learn secrets about the famous local recipes, cooking exclusively with seasonal products such as vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, local fine wines and much more. A famous Italian quote says that “a small barrel contains the best wine”. There is no better way to describe Umbria, a region in central Italy, rich with history, culture, and ancient beliefs. It also has some of the best medieval borghi, small towns or villages, still preserved as they originally were, Assisi, Perugia, Gubbio, Spoleto, and Orvieto, to name a few. During your hands-on cooking class, you will learn to prepare special and unique recipes. Working with only flour and eggs, mix them with passion, prepare the dough of pasta fresca improving your cooking skills, knead, cut, tagliatelle roll and fill ravioli. These recipes will surely impress your friends when you host your next Italian dinner party once you are back home. At the end of the class you will sit around the table to enjoy the fruits of your labor in a convivial atmosphere toasting with a second course and the dessert paired with a glass of regional wine. Don't miss this special and memorable day. Or you can choose the option of enjoy only the meal. Traditional menu for a typical lunch or dinner in Italian families: Appetizer with assorted crostini : sausage and stracchino cheese, One or two dishes of fresh pasta; A second course of Chicken, Pork or fish, with its side dish, and last but not least dessert, a delicious spoon dessert. You will be welcomed into the hostess home and she hope to make you spend a pleasant time and form a lasting friendship.

The Pinacoteca: The rooms on the main floor of Palazzo Vallemani, a splendid Baroque residence just a few steps from the Basilica of St. Francis, display works belonging to the Assisi Municipal Picture Gallery. The residence, with vaults frescoed in the early 17th century by Umbrian and Tuscan painters, houses evidence of the political, civic, as well as religious evolution of the city. Among the most valuable works in the collection it is worth mentioning the Madonna Enthroned with Child attributed to Giotto and coming from the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, the works of Puccio Capanna Assisian painter among the most skilled, and certainly the most modern disciple of Giotto, the Virgin and Child, detached from the San Giacomo gate and attributed to the young Perugino. The Roman Forum: Assisi preserves numerous ancient relics, first and foremost the Forum, located below the present Piazza del Comune, dominated by the Roman Temple of Minerva (1st century B.C.). In addition to the rich archaeological collection, the remains of the Forum include the basement of the temple, a cistern, a podium with seats for magistrates, and a tetrastyle temple dedicated to Castor and Pollux. The Rocca Maggiore: Reachable from Via Porta Perlici, it probably stands on an ancient urban settlement from the 4th-3rd centuries B.C.E. and looms over the Asio hill overlooking the town of Assisi. The fortification has a trapezoidal shape with angular towers. Inside, the Maschio stands out, from the top of which there is an extraordinary view of the city and the valley, from Perugia to Spoleto.

Immerse yourself in a private dining experience at a local's home, enjoying an exclusive cooking show and tasting authentic recipes treasured in family cookbooks passed down by real Italian "Mammas". Feel the warmth of Italian hospitality as you connect with local people. You will enjoy a 4-course menu including a starter, pasta, a main course with a side dish, dessert, and drinks included (water, selection of red and white wines from regional cellars, and coffee).

Discover all the secrets and the techniques that hide behind a high quality extra virgin olive oil. You will learn, step by step, how this wonderful product is made and what makes it so unique. Once the guided tour is finished you will move on to the professional oil tasting where you will learn the tasting techniques that professionals use and learn to recognize a good oil from a bad one. It all ends with a rich tasting of some typical local products combined with the products of the Frantoio Gaudenzi.

Go food shopping like a local, enjoying a distinctive Italian local market and learning how to recognize the best products from the land. Following your market experience, immerse yourself in a cooking class at a local home, learning the secrets of the most famous dishes of regional cuisine and taste the fruit of your labor accompanied by local wines. Throughout your lesson, your cook will reveal the tricks of the trade for authentic local recipes. You can have fun putting your cooking skills to the test, and will also have a workstation equipped with utensils and all of the ingredients required to make the dishes. At the conclusion of your experience, you will taste everything you have prepared throughout a 4-course meal accompanied by a selection of red and white local wines.

Transfer to Marmore Falls The Marmore Falls is one of the most famous in Italy and among the highest in Europe. It is located in the Valnerina, a short distance from Terni, inserted within the Nera River Regional Park. It is formed by the Velino river, which flows into the Nera river coming down from Lake Piediluco. If you are planning a visit to the area, it is an obligatory stop. To admire the falls of the waterfall it is possible to enter from two different points: the Lower Belvedere and the Upper Belvedere. The Upper Belvedere, which is located at the end of the homonymous village of Marmore on the road leading to Piediluco, offers a spectacular view of the first jump, while from the Lower Belvedere on the road leading to Valnerina it is possible to have a total overview of the waterfall and admire it in all its majesty. A panoramic path connects the two access points. Inside the Park it is also possible to follow six fascinating well-marked and signposted paths, which will allow you to admire the waterfalls from multiple perspectives and fully enjoy panoramas of evocative beauty. Return to Assisi comfortably with our Minivan. It is possible to organize the transfer at different times in agreement with the agency. It is not a private tour, seats are open to sales until sold out.