Day 1 (Saturday)

Welcome to Paradise in Italy!

Places:	Rome Airport >> Norcia
Experiences:	Welcome Reception
Meals:	Afternoon Cocktails + Dinner

We start our week at the Rome FCO International airport with our shuttle departing at 12:00 Noon. For guests arriving on late flights that cannot make our free shuttle, we can arrange for a private transfer service for an additional charge.

Once in Norcia, you will check in to your room for the week: The “Relais & Chateaux Palazzo Seneca”, a 16th century palazzo in the heart of Norcia’s medieval quarter that has been converted into an opulent luxury resort. All the rooms are different with wrought-iron poster beds or carved wooden headboards, leather desks, designer bathrooms, décor to the standards of the most prestigious mansions.

Once you are checked in, you will have the afternoon to relax, browse the breathtaking village of Norcia, or just take some time to unwind in the sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, etc. You may also enjoy the privacy of a beautiful library with historic and prestigious books, fireplaces and soft leather sofas where you can relax and drink a chalice of fine wine.

At around 6PM, we will meet in the lounge, where hors d’oeuvres and champagne will be served as we get together for an hour or so to discuss the week ahead and get to know one another.

Our welcome dinner tonight we will be in the charming and rustic “Granaro del Monte” restaurant, Umbria’s oldest restaurant. Having been in continuous operation since 1850, it recognized as a national historic monument.

The menu for the evening is entirely based on ancient Norcian traditional recipes. We’ll start with a selection of local Norcia Salami, Prosciutto, etc. for our appetizer, the most sought after in Italy. Our first course will be their specialty “Casteluccio Lentil Soup” (Local lentils grown on the nearby Casteluccio plains, which are known to be the best in the world) with Umbrian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Our second course tonight will be wood-fire grilled Norcia Sausages, Pancetta, and other local meats. For our side dish, we will have fresh seasonal vegetables, and finally dessert will be the pick of the day from the restaurant’s in-house bakery.

After dinner, those that are tired from a long trip can simply walk upstairs to their rooms, or join us for a stroll around this breathtaking village at night and a little grappa to salute our first day together!

Day 2 (Sunday)

Our First Cooking Class, an Artisan Prosciutto & Salame Farmer & The Castelluccio Plain

Places:	Norcia, Castelluccio
Experiences:	Cooking Class: Chianina Beef & Pecorino Tart; Ricotta Ravioli with butter & Sage Sauce; Herb Roasted Pork with Smoked Pancetta; Zuppa Inglese Artisan: Visit with a Prosciutto Producer
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: The meal we prepare in cooking class Dinner: Vespasia Restaurant

This morning we’ll have late start to give you some rest after your trip yesterday. Take the time to relax, explore the village, or use the Palazzo’s sauna and steam baths. At around 10:00, we’ll meet in the lounge of the Palazzo, where a beautiful buffet will await us, complete with pastries prepared that morning by the palazzo’s bakery, home-made jams, freshly baked, breads, etc. We’ll have some time to enjoy breakfast with a fresh cappuccino, café latte, or tea as we meet Chef Flavio, our cooking instructor for the week. Flavio will tell us a little about himself and his experience, including the Michelin Star he received while at “Al Palazzo”, and how that brought him to his new pride and Joy, Ristorante Vespasia, right here in Norcia.

After breakfast, Chef Flavio will take us on the short walk the beautiful and historic “Casa Bianconi”, the site of our cooking classes for the week.

For our class today, we will prepare a four course meal. Our appetizer will be a Chianina Beef & Pecorino Tart. For our first course, we will make Ricotta Ravioli with butter & Sage Sauce completely from scratch. Our main dish will be Herb roasted pork with smoked Norcia Pancetta. Finally, for dessert, we will make Zuppa Inglese.

As always, class is 100% hands-on, so today we will get right into it! Once class is over, we will sit down and enjoy the meal we prepared together for lunch.

After lunch, we will head up the Sibillini Mountains Natural Reserve to visit the “Castelluccio Plain”, which offers some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Besides the striking beauty, Castelluccio is recognized at the source of the best lentils in the world. We’ll spend about an hour here taking amazing pictures that you are sure to cherish forever.

For guests visiting us in June, it is Poppy Season, and people come here from all over the world to see the amazing flowers growing here!

As we head back to Norcia, we will pay a visit to a very special farm in the rolling hills above town. While taking in the views, we will meet Giuseppe, possibly the most famous artisan prosciutto producer in Italy. So much so that he is regularly interviewed by international media! Tired of the effects modernization and scaling has had on the quality of food, Giuseppe raises his own pigs with a zero carbon footprint. In fact, he makes sure that there are two and a half acres of grazing land for every pig he raises. To take it a step further, he has gone back to all of the ancient traditions, and everything is 100% organic. The result is evident when you taste what he produces. In other words, Norcia has the best Salame and Prosciutto in the world... and Giuseppe has the best in Norcia!

Giuseppe will show us his farm, tell us what makes it all so special, show us how he makes his incredible salami, sausage and prosciutto. Of course we’ll have a chance to taste what he produces.

Keep in mind that this is not a tourist destination with a gift shop at the exit. To the contrary, this is a Giuseppe’s farm, his family home. It is a truly amazing experience you won't soon forget.

After our visit with Giuseppe, we will head back to Norcia for a little rest before dinner.

Dinner tonight will be in Chef Flavio's Michelin Rated, elegant "Vespasia" restaurant. The menu of the evening will be Umbricelli pasta with Sausage & Fresh Ricotta, Brasato di Sagrantino (Chianina Beef braised in Sagrantino wine), followed by a wonderful Honey & Pollen Parfait for dessert.

 

Day 3 (Monday)

Under The Tuscan Sun in Cortona and Assisi

Places:	Norcia, Cortona, Assisi
Experiences:	Excursion: Cortona; St. Francis' Basilica in Assisi; Shopping in Assisi
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: At a Trattoria in Cortona, Tuscany Dinner: Vespasia Restaurant

As with every day, our morning begins again with the beautiful breakfast buffet, full of freshly baked pastries and breads from the palazzo’s in-house bakery. After breakfast, we will make our way to the Tuscan village of Cortona, best known as the setting for the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun”. Once here, you will have time to stroll the town, do some shopping, etc. Or take a short walk to visit “Bramasole”, Francis Mayes’ villa described in the famous book… or “Villa Laura”, the villa that doubled for “Bramasole” in the movie.

You will most certainly recognize the town from the movie, and you will be surrounded by scenery from this movie all week, as we spend a great deal of time in the surrounding countryside in days ahead.

We'll have lunch together in an adorable trattoria in Cortona, then make our way to Assisi, the hometown of St. Francis. Still surrounded by its ancient walls, is sits on the slopes of Mount Subasio with beautiful rose stone buildings, winding narrow streets, noble palaces and balconies full of flowers.

You will have a few hours to do some shopping and exploring in town, or join us on a walking tour of the St. Francis’ Basilica.

We’ll then head home to Norcia for a beautiful sunset/dusk drive though the countryside that evokes images you imagine from so many movies about the Tuscany area. Once home at the Palazzo, we will have dinner at Granaro del Monte.

Dinner tonight will be “Lonzino” Carpaccio with rucola and mushrooms for our appetizer, followed by Home made Tagliatelle Pasta with Norcia Prosciutto & Lemon. Our main course will be Norcia Pork filet with local Sibillini Mountain herbs. Finally, we will enjoy Honey Spumone for our desert.

Day 4 (Tuesday)

Cooking Class & Spoleto

Places:	Norcia, Spoleto
Experiences:	Cooking Class: Smoked Trout with Herbs & Salted Ricotta Cheese; Tagliatelle Pasta with Chianina Ragu; Tuscan Roasted Chicken; Spelt & Pear Cake With Sagrantino Wine Sauce Excursion: Visit Spoleto; Shopping
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: The meal we prepare in class Dinner: Granaro del Monte Restaurant

After our morning breakfast, we'll meet with Chef Flavio and head to the local shops in town to do some shopping for this morning's cooking class. We'll meet with local grocers and butchers as we gather the key ingredients for today's class.

After our shopping, we will go back to Casa Bianconi and start our class for today's lunch. Today we will be making Smoked Trout with Herbs & Salted Ricotta Cheese, Tagliatelle Pasta with Chianina Ragu (from scratch), Tuscan Roasted Chicken, and Spelt & Pear Cake With Sagrantino Wine Sauce.

As always, our lunch today will be the what we made in class. After we finish our lunch, we will take a short excursion to the beautiful city of Spoleto, home of the world-famous jazz festival: Festival of Two Worlds.

In Spoleto, you will have the opportunity to spend some time shopping and browsing this beautiful town, as well as a visit to their magnificent Basilica.

After a few hours in Spoleto, we will return to Norcia for dinner at Granaro del Monte. Tonight's dinner will feature stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni for a first course, Apple-Roasted Norcia Pork, and seasonal fruit.

Day 5 (Wednesday)

The Di Filippo Winery & Perugina Chocolate Factory Class

Places:	Assisi, Deruta
Experiences:	Cooking Class: Chocolate Making Class Winery: Di Filippo Winery Tour & Tasting
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: At the Di Filippo Winery Dinner: Granaro del Monte

After breakfast this morning, we will drive to the outskirts of Assisi for a visit to the exclusive Di Filippo winery.

This is a small, private winery and ranch, on which the owners pride themselves on maintaining a zero carbon footprint estate with organic production. The full range of wine here is wonderful.

We will talk a short walk around the estate, visit some of the animals, and head into the cantina, where we will have a complete wine tasting, followed by a lunch made up of locally produced salames, cheeses, etc.

After lunch, we will head to the outskirts of Perugia to the world-famous Perugina Chocolate Factory.

Once here, we will have time to visit the chocolate museum and a little time at their factory store (YUM!!!). We will then “Apron Up” as we walk into the Chocolate Classroom, where we will be treated to a private 3 hour Chocolate Making class taught by Perugina's Master Chocolatier.

During class, each person will have the opportunity to make their own chocolates with their own fillings, such that each person will have made their own unique recipe. When finished, we will naturally try one another's creations, then head back home to Norcia with our bellies full of chocolate, our chocolate diplomas, and our bags filled with the chocolate we made… to dinner!

If you are the least bit hungry by this point, we’ll be dining back at the Granaro del Monte restaurant in Norcia!

We will have Monteleone Spelt Soup, Pappardelle Pasta with Rucola Pesto & Pecorino Cheese, Wild Boar Stew with herbs & olives, Grilled Vegetables, and Ricotta-Lentil Crostata for dessert.

As with every night, those that are up to it will head out for drinks in one of the local cafes tonight!

Day 6 (Thursday)

Truffle Hunting, Wine, Olive Oil, & The Gregorian Chant

Places:	Norcia, Montefalco
Experiences:	Scacciadiavoli Winery Tour & Tasting Frantoio Brizi Olive Mill Tour & Tasting Truffle Hunting with National Champion Truffle Dog Gregorian Chant at St. Benedict Monastery
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: At the Brizi Olive Mill Dinner: Vespasia Restaurant

This morning after breakfast we will go to the village of Montefalco, where we will visit the boutique “Scacciadiavoli” winery, one of the oldest in the region dating back to the 1800’s. We’ll visit the beautiful ancient cellars and enjoy a tasting of heir incredible wine.

Next, we will head right down the road to the “Frantoio Brizi” olive oil mill. This is one of the few remaining mills in Italy that stays true to the antique “Traditional Cold Press” method olive oil production. We’ll have a tour of the mill, plus an olive oil tasting, followed by lunch at the olive mill.

After lunch we will head back to Norcia, where you will have some time to rest before we head out to the hills above town in the early evening on a Truffle Hunt. Our guide for the hunt will be Salvatore and his dog, Dick. Dick is a two-time national truffle hunting champion, and it will be abundantly clear why once you see him in action.

Once back from the hunt, those that wish to rest up will have some time to do so, or take a stroll through town. For those that are interested, we will walk across the Piazza to the St. Benedict Monastery and head down into the crypt of St. Benedict’s birth home. Once there, we will witness the monks as they perform the Gregorian Chant for their “Compline” service, the final service of the day that lasts about 20 minutes. This is an extremely intimate and moving experience for those that are interested.

Dinner tonight will be at Chef Flavio’s elegant “Vespasia” restaurant, where we will have several choices for each of courses this evening.

For dinner tonight, we will be having Saffron-Pecorino Risotto with Suppli Wafer, Spelt Roasted Sibillini Lamb with roasted vegetables, and finally Fresh fruit with mousse and crumbles for dessert.

 

Day 7 (Friday)

Make Ricotta Cheese, Saffron Farm, & Cooking Class

Places:	Norcia
Experiences:	Cooking Class: Farro Salad; Norcia Lentil Soup; Umbrian Porchetta; Ricotta & Berry Crostata Farm: Make Ricotta Cheese & Visit Ranch & Saffron Farm
Meals:	Breakfast: Italian Breakfast at Vespasia Lunch: The meal we prepare in class Dinner: Granaro del Monte

After breakfast this morning, we will start our final cooking class for the week at Casa Bianconi.

Today we will be making a wonderful Farro Salad for our appetizer. Our first course will be the Norcia Lentil Soup that you will have been begging us for after having tried it the first night. We will make roasted Porchetta for our main course, and finally Ricotta Crostata with fresh berries for our dessert.

When our class has finished, we will sit down and enjoy the results of our class for lunch.

After lunch, we will pay a visit to a local shepherd that produces freshly made Ricotta and goat cheese daily and grows saffron. While there, we will make Ricotta cheese together (and of course eat it!) and try some of his saffron, visit his sheep, and learn about his life on an Italian farm.

After our visit we will have some time to take it easy (maybe get a massage at the spa), do some strolling and shopping in Norcia, and finally we will get together for our farewell dinner.

Tonight we will have Truffle Bruschetta, Grilled Norcia sausages, and Millefoglie pastry with fresh berries.

Day 8 (Saturday)

Goodbye :-(

Sadly, our week comes to a close this morning. This morning we will have an early departure at around 6:00 AM. This will get us to the Rome airport by 8:30 AM.

This will be sufficient for flights departing after 11:300 AM, so if you cannot get a flight out after 11:00 AM, you will need to spend a night in Rome for a Sunday flight out.