Imagine Your Dream Vacation in Tuscany, Umbria and the rest of Italy...

Our Italian Cooking Vacations through Tuscany, Umbria and the rest of Italy are not just about what you see, but how you see it. They are all about fun, laughter and a sense of family. We reject mass tourism in favor of discovering the real Italy. After all, it's about so much more than just the sights you see, so we integrate you into the warm and friendly Italian culture at every opportunity. You will discover Italy among the Italians, rather than being wrapped in a crowd of other tourists. This wonderful and warm Italian experience is what makes it the trip of a lifetime. Look further and discover what makes us so special... and get ready to become a part of our extended family!
Guest Quote: "I felt like I was with friends and family from the very start"
Doris & Lauren - Roanoke, VA - USA (see full letter)

Our Cooking, Wine & Culinary Vacations in Italy

Cooking, Wine, Culinary & Cultural Experience Vacations in Italy

  • Cooking at Villa Eddarella

    All-Inclusive Tuscany and Umbria Cooking & Culinary Vacations

    In Italy, life is all about food, family and friends, and that is what we are all about. Join us on one of our popular small-group weeks in which we bring you a balance of cooking classes, culinary outings, and excursions to major sightseeing destinations, as well as some of Italy's most wonderful hidden treasures. We'll get wrist-deep in dough and laugh together as we make homemade fettuccine, lasagna & gnocchi from scratch. We'll make our own limoncello, biscotti & gelato, and even country wood-fired pizza. When we are not cooking, our excursions take us to the most stunning Tuscan wineries, cheese factories & olive mills. We visit royalty in Umbria, the sights of Tuscany & Umbria, plus so much more.

    Our Tuscan cooking vacations really get you off the beaten path... as hoards of tourists flock to Italy, so much of the real beauty and culture that originally drew them there has become lost.  Much of Tuscany and Umbria have turned into giant tourist traps.  But our home base of Soriano nel Cimino is still true.  It is one of the few places in the Tuscany, Umbria and Rome area that has been able to maintain everything that makes Central Italy so special.  Soriano boasts amazing restaurants and pizzerias, adorable cafes, and stunning postcard-perfect scenery. It embodies that vision you have when you close your eyes and think of a Tuscan village... only here it is still unspoiled by mass tourism.

    If you want to explore beautiful Tuscany and Umbria while eating amazing food and laughing with new friends in relaxed cooking classes, we are sure you will love our vacations!


    Click here to learn more about our Italian Cooking Vacations
  • Group photo in Montepulciano Tuscany

    Take The Ultimate 16 Day Culinary Tour of Italy

    We now offer a truly incredible and comprehensive 16 day tour of Italy with small groups of less than 28 people!

    This is an exclusive first-class coach vacation that begins at The Amalfi Coast and ends in Venice. In between, we visitRome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Pompeii, San Gimignano, Deruta, Assisi, Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Modena, Murano, Burano, and more. In fact,we visit more than a dozen UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

    Along the way we will have cooking classes, plus visits to three wineries, a mozzarella factory, a Parmiggiano Reggiano facotry, a Prosciutto factory, a Balsamic Vinegar factory, an Olive Mill, a Murano Glass Factory, The Ferrari Museum & Test Track, a private tour of the Lamborghini factory & test track, visits to outlets, and much more.

    This is a very unique experience, completely unlike other tours of Italy. All along the way we will introduce you to the best of the best as you will discover Italy in a way other tours don't. We'll be like family for 16 days, and tour Italy like Italians

    Click here to learn more about our 16 Day Culinary Tour of Italy

The Culture Discovery Vacations Blog

Insights from our adventures in cooking & touring Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio - Italy
Oct 15
2007

The Flag Throwers ( Sbandieratori ) of Soriano nel Cimino

Posted by: admin

Tagged in: tours , Lazio , Culture

Things got quite busy since my last post. We had a wave of guests come to Soriano, and the annual chestnut festival ( Sagra delle Castagne ) began, which really kept me running, camera in hand.

The folks in Soriano's tourism office were kind enough to issue me an all-access press pass for all of the events, so I have tons of content (both video and photo) from the last few weeks that will take form in blog articles over the next few weeks.

So now that I am back in the US and getting over my jet lag, I'll begin...





The Flag Throwers ( Sbandieratori ) of Soriano nel Cimino

Soriano is, for the most part, divided into four districts (Contrade). When the chestnut festival begins, these districts compete in many events (Archers, Cavaliers, Parades, Medieval dinners, etc.). Additionally, each district brings a distinct group with a specific talent. For example, Soriano's swordsmen are from the ‘Rocca' district. The ‘Trinita' district brings a group of heavily trained Flag Throwers.

To be completely honest, they never impressed me in the past. I always thought it was a total non-event. I mean, big deal, right? But I hadn't seen the Flag Throwers from Soriano in years, and I was covering the festival, so I really should check it out. In fact, I actually considered if I wanted to waste my camera's battery life on the event for fear that I might end up missing something interesting later into the evening.

The event was about to begin, and I took my place in the Piazza... thinking there must be something better to do. Then I heard the drums coming from Via Santa Maria (Trinita's home street). Suddenly I saw a massive group of drummers, trumpeters, and flag throwers march into Piazza behind the Trinita Flag Carrier. Their costumes were breathtaking! Their choreography was mesmerizing! Even the drums were absolutely stunning! When the row of trumpets began to play, my jaw dropped in utter awe.

This was not the Flag Throwing group I remembered. In the past it was a small group of guys that put on a nice, but largely unspectacular performance. Wow, have they changed. Someone with great skill and vision has clearly taken over in this group. I would argue that it was the most spectacular event I saw during the festival. Maybe because my expectations were so low going in, or maybe they are just that great now.

Unfortunately, the video that accompanies this article doesn't do them justice. It doesn't even come close to capturing the grandeur of the group, nor does it reproduce even a fraction of the awesome sound they produce. Not knowing what to expect, my camera missed many of the best moments of the performance. 

Next time I have an opportunity to film them, I will try to better convey how truly awesome this group was.

 


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