Day 1 (Saturday)

Welcome to Soriano!

For those arriving in Italy today on early flights, we offer a shuttle to Soriano nel Cimino from Rome Fiumicino airport at 10:30 AM. If you are already in Italy, or your flight arrives after 9:45 AM in Rome, we offer a second shuttle from the Orte Train station (a 35 minute train ride from Rome Termini station, and easy access from other major Italian cities) at 3:45 PM. For those arriving at times that do not coincide with our shuttle schedule, we can arrange for a private driver to bring you to Soriano for an extra charge.

Once in Soriano we will help you to your accommodations for the week and give you some time to get settled in, unpack and rest up. As you get settled in, you will find some snacks and drinks waiting for you when you get to your home.

At around 6PM, we will meet in a local Gelato shop that is walking distance from your home. We will all spend some time getting to know one another over a Gelato as we discuss what's ahead for the week. Next, we will do a little shopping for tomorrow's cooking class. We will stop in a local fruit and vegetable shop, a grocer, and local butcher. We will meet and get to know some of the shopkeepers in the village and pick up what we will need. While shopping, you will get your first introduction to some of the ingredients that make Tuscan and Umbrian cooking so unique. These are ingredients most people back home are unaware of, and will be featured in much of this week's cooking!

Next we will do casual walking tour of Soriano's medieval quarter. We'll have a walk around the narrow streets of this beautiful village. During our walk we'll stop in the studio of the extremely talented local artist, Riccardo Sanna and have a look at what he is working on.

For dinner tonight we will dine in an ancient monastery in Soriano that has been converted to a fantastic restaurant. Here we will sample many local specialties in the first of many multi-course meals as we dive head first in Italian culinary culture. The menu for tonight's dinner is:

Appetizer:
A sampling of Local Salame, Prosciutto, Porcini Bruschetta, Olive Bruschetta, Ascoline Olives (fried sausage-stuffed olives), and Sutrini (a local crepe with Romano cheese)

First Course
For our first course tonight, we will have samplings of two local pasta dishes: Gnocchi col Ferro (a local specialty eggless pasta that is hand rolled in an Arrabiata sauce) and Ciuffetti Sorianesi (hand made pasta purses, stuffed with radicchio and speck in a Parmesan cream sauce).

Second Course
After our pasta dishes we will sample local grilled Tagliata al Aceto Balsamico (A grilled steak, marinated in balsamic vinegar atop a bed of rucola salad). We'll also have Tuscan Roasted Potatoes as a side dish.

Dessert
Finally we will be brought a lemon sorbet dessert and end our evening with a glass of Limoncello or Grappa.

As always, wine is provided with all dinners, and we favor small local wineries wherever we dine. Tonight's wine will be Umbrian wine from nearby vineyards..

Day 2 (Sunday)

Our First Winery & The Marmore Falls

This morning we will all meet in a local coffee bar and pastry shop that is in Soriano's main Piazza. Here we will have our traditional Italian breakfast of freshly baked pastries and cappuccino.

After breakfast, we will head into the Umbrian countryside past the towns of Narni (The inspiration for C.S. Lewis' Narnia) and Terni (The home of St. Valentine) to the outskirts of the town of Montefalco. This area, which evokes images of beautiful Tuscan landscapes (After all, Umbria is said to be "The New Tuscany"), is famous for it's wonderful Sagrantino wines. Little known outside of Italy, this is celebrated by Italians as one of Italy's best wines. We will be granted a private tour of the Scacciadiavoli winery here, starting with their wine making process, and on down to their cellars. After our winery tour, we will be hosted to a complete wine tasting and light lunch, featuring their Brut, White Wines, Rosso di Montefalco, Sagrantino, and finally their sweet "Passito" wine.

After our tasting, we will make our way to the village of Marmore, at the edge of Lake Piediluco and the top of the breathtaking Marmore Falls. The Marmore Falls are not only the tallest waterfalls in Europe, but are also the oldest man-made waterfalls in the world, having been created by the Ancient Romans in an effort to fight disease in the nearby city of Rieti.

As we drive to the top of the falls, we will drive by the set of the concentration camp used in Roberto Benigni's Oscar-winning film, Life is Beautiful. Don't worry, it was a steel mill in reality.

Once at the top of the waterfalls, we will walk to the bottom along the trails that go alongside and behind the falls.

After visiting the falls, we head back to Soriano for a little rest before having dinner in Soriano's Tre Scalini Trattoria.

Day 3 (Monday)

Gnocchi Class and The Sacred Grove (The Monster Park)

We'll start the day with breakfast, followed by shopping for today's class. We'll visit the local village grocers, butchers, vegetable stands, etc. as we shop with the locals. For those that would rather sleep in than shop, we'll meet after shopping. Next we will take the short drive down to our 18th century villa in the countryside below Soriano where our classes will take place.

In today's class you will learn our family secrets of making homemade Gnocchi completely from scratch, and prepare two delectable sauces for it. The first is a delicate Sorrentina sauce, followed by a traditional local Porcini mushroom based sauce, made with fresh Porcinis from our local forests. Our appetizer today will be a wonderful Bruschetta topped with a mixture of local sausage and stracchino cheese. For our second course we will learn to make Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatore), which promises to be a completely different take on this recipe than what you may be accustomed to. We'll make Sautéed Bell Peppers for our side, followed by Panna Cotta (Cooked Cream.. similar to Flan, but MUCH better), topped with fresh fruit and chocolate-hazelnut sauce for dessert.

After lunch, we'll rest up a bit, have a little espresso, then head out on a short afternoon excursion to the nearby village of Bomarzo, home of The Sacred Grove' (also known as The Monster Park). This amazing estate is believed by some to have been designed by Michelangelo. It was commissioned by a local Prince in the 14th century after his wife's death. The grounds are full of massive and bizarre statues that were carved out of the local volcanic rock. It is believed that this "park", which is the only thing of its kind in the world, was developed to convey the grief the prince felt after having lost his beloved wife. It is a truly amazing place that words and pictures cannot fully describe.

After our visit to the Sacred Grove, we will have a little time to rest up in Soriano before dinner.

Tonight we will head down to the nearby town of Bassano for dinner in a unique restaurant called La Piazzetta In the early 20th century this was an Italian Vaudeville Club and theater that has been converted to a restaurant. As we sit down, they will begin to bring us little bowls of all kinds of food... Italian Tapas for lack of a better term. It will be so much that it will completely cover our table.

Day 4 (Tuesday)

Cooking Class Class & The Cardinal's Villa

We'll start the day with breakfast, followed by shopping for today's class. We'll visit the local village grocers, butchers, vegetable stands, etc. as we shop with the locals. For those that would rather sleep in than shop, we'll meet after shopping. Next we will take the short drive back down to the villa for today's class.

Today we will be making Pici Sorianesi pasta completely from scratch. This is a local pasta that is similar to spaghetti, but made without eggs, and completely by hand. Our sauce today will be a wonderful ragu enhanced with Fennel Pollen. Our appetizer today will be Panzanella, which is a Tuscan bread salad made with fresh tomatoes from our local gardens, onion, olive oil, vinegar, and other various fresh veggies growing outside. Our main course will be our family recipe for Tuscan roasted chicken & potatoes that we promise will leave you in absolute awe. Finally for dessert we will be preparing our family recipe for Tiramisu, which is guaranteed to be the best you have ever tasted.

After lunch, we will head back to town where you will have a couple hours to rest up after class, and before our early evening excursion.

In the early evening. we will go to the nearby town of Bagnaia where we will visit the magnificent Villa Lante. This estate was designed in the 16th century for Cardinal Riario, and later inhabited by Cardinal Gambara. The estate, which has been credited as one of the inspirations for Versailles in France, boasts stunning water gardens. This very popular stop among our guests makes for a wonderful and relaxing stroll, which is always welcome after the large meal we just had.

After Villa Lante, we will head back to Soriano for a little time to rest before we head out to dinner.

Tonight we will have dinner in a local Soriano Pizzeria called C'e' Pizza Per Te. This is a small, local place that serves a wonderful "Pizza by the Meter" that people come from all over to have.

Day 5 (Wednesday)

A Day of Wine, Cheese & The Gregorian Chant in Tuscany

After our morning breakfast we will head out for a day full of wine, cheese & more in beautiful Southern Tuscany.

We'll start by driving to our furthest point, the town of Castelnuovo d'Abate. To get there, we will be driving the famous Orcia Valley Wine Trail through this picturesque wine region which evokes the classic image of Tuscan rolling hills. This is the area of Tuscany that most of us think of, seen in many well-known movies, such as Under the Tuscan Sun, Life is Beautiful, and many more.

As we arrive, we will visit the St. Antimo Abbey, a beautiful Romanesque church that dates back to the 9th century. It sits in a valley just outside of Montalcino, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Here we will witness the monks of the abbey as they do the Gregorian Chant during a brief service.

After the service, we will go to nearby Montalcino, home of what is arguably the best of all Italian wines: Brunello. Instead of going to the big wineries for impersonal tastings like the tourists, we have something truly exclusive in store for you today. We will visit the small, private Croce di Mezzo winery in Montalcino which shares a fence line with Biondi Santi and Fattoria dei Barbi.

We will be hosted to a wonderful lunch with the owners of the estate, as we sample their Brunello wine with our meal. As we have lunch together, they will share their family history with you and answer any question you can imagine. You are sure to fall in love with this gracious family. It is always one of the major highlights on our weeks, and provides for a truly exclusive and unique Brunello experience. After lunch, they will treat us to a private tour of their cellars and vineyards before we move on.

Next, we'll take the short drive to beautiful Pienza, known for its incredible Pecorino cheese. You will have some time to walk around this charming village, do some Pecorino cheese tastings and some shopping before we leave for the town of Montepulciano, where we will do our final wine tasting and tour of the day.

Montepulciano is known for its Vino Nobile wine, a primary competitor for the Brunellos. Here we will tour the town's ancient 14th century cellar that was built underneath the Palace of Cardinal Ricci and is widely considered to be the most beautiful wine cellar in the world. After the cellar tour, we will participate in a complete tasting of Montepulciano's fantastic wines. Those that have seen the 2009 film 'New Moon' (The sequel to 'Twilight') will recognize this wine cellar and other areas of town from the movie.

After this long day, we will drive back to Soriano. Tonight we are hosted in the Mountain Villa of Maria Grazia, the sister of a member of our team. She has a tiny B&B in the mountains above Soriano, and we will dine with her and her husband Cesare, who happens to be our contractor! Maria Grazia will have prepared a wonderful home meal for us tonight. This is always a major highlight of the trip.

Day 6 (Thursday)

An Olive Oil Mill & Winery, The Dying City + Limoncello, Gelato & Biscotti Class

This morning we will all meet in a local coffee bar and pastry shop in Soriano's main Piazza. Here we will have our traditional Italian breakfast of freshly baked pastries and cappuccino.

After breakfast, we will head out for the nearby dying city of Civita di Bagnoregio, a nearly deserted town that was originally built by the Etruscans in the 6th century BC. It is called the dying city because it is literally crumbling away thanks to thousands of years of erosion, to the point that it is now accessible only by a foot bridge. Civita resembles a ghost town, but is extremely well kept as a place where time is frozen. Our guests often tell us that this is their favorite of the 'destinations'. This town has a striking beauty like nothing else.

In the early afternoon, we will take a short drive to a small family-run winery and antique olive mill in the village of Castiglione in Teverina. Here, one of the owners will give us a private tour of their wine cellar and olive mill, followed by a tasting of their line of wines and their olive oil. As we are tasting, we will have a wonderful buffet lunch in their garden made by the owners with many local delicacies, and of course… their wine! This is likely to be one of the highlights not only of the vacation, but your life. In fact, when we do Alumni trips, our past guests always tell us that coming back here is at the top of their list.

After lunch, we will drive back to the villa in Soriano for our next class:

Today we will learn how to make Italy's famous after dinner lemon liqueur: Limoncello, as well as delicious and authentic Biscotti, and Gelato.

Besides the traditional Limoncello, we'll also make our own family recipe for Crema di Limoncello (Limoncello Cream Liquor).

Our Biscotti today will be a local specialty known as 'Tozzeti', which are delicious Hazelnut Biscotti, traditionally dipped in wine when eaten.

While our Biscotti are baking, we'll make a wonderfully unique Dark Chocolate Pepperoncino Gelato, followed by a Vanilla Gelato with fresh fruit and a balsamic vinegar reduction.

At the end of our class, we will prepare some Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Tonight's dinner will be the pasta we make, plus a wonderful assortment of Salames, Cheeses, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Garden Salad, Tuscan Beans, and other local products from the places we have visited this week. Naturally, dessert will consist of the Gelato we made and the Biscotti!

When today's class is over, each guest will take home a ½ liter bottle of each Limoncello we make, plus a bag of our Biscotti to take home when the week is over (as if they will last that long).

Day 7 (Friday)

Market Day, Orvieto, & Pizza Class

Today is market day in Soriano. This is a true local market, not a tourist market. Here you will find clothing, accessories, kitchen items, food, etc. You will have the early morning to enjoy the market at your leisure or sleep in a bit before we start our day.

After breakfast we will drive to the Umbrian city of Orvieto which is the home to one of Italy's most magnificent cathedrals, as well as the world-renowned white Orvieto Classico wine and beautiful ceramics shops.. We'll visit the magnificent Gothic cathedral (The Duomo), then give you time to explore & shop in this wonderful cliff-top town.

We'll meet up again for lunch in a local trattoria, then after lunch we will drive back to the villa for our final (and always most popular) class of the week: Country Wood-Fired Pizza!

In Italy, making Pizza is a social event, similar to the way many of us think of having a Barbecue. It is a time of fun and laughter where bonds are forged. It is a truly special experience while the group shares the homemade pizza one tray at a time as it is pulled from the wood-fired brick oven and carried piping hot to the garden table under the vines and stars.

We will prepare several kinds of dough, and prepare the fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and many other ingredients for this wonderful evening together. Each person will help while they learn every stage of this event. You will make the dough, drink some wine, prepare the ingredients, drink some wine, help fire up the oven, drink some wine, and even handle the peel as the pizza cooks.... and then we will drink some wine!

It will be true Italian country pizza, like nothing you have ever experienced.

We'll learn to make Focaccia, Pizza Margherita, Sweet Onion pizza, Sausage & Porcini Pizza, and for dessert we will have Sugar Pizza and finally Nutella Pizza.

Day 8 (Saturday)

Goodbye :-(

Sadly, our week comes to a close this morning. The shuttle leaves town at 6:15 AM as most outbound flights require early morning airport arrivals. We will be at the Orte train station for a drop off by 6:40 AM, and at the Rome Fiumicino airport by 8:00 AM. This will be sufficient time for outbound flights leaving after 9:45 AM.