Day 1 (Saturday)

Welcome to Soriano!

Places:	Soriano nel Cimino
Classes:	None
Meals:	Dinner: at Taverna dei Frati

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)

5-Course Cooking Class Class & The Cardinal's Villa

Places:	Soriano nel Cimino, Bagnaia
Classes:	Panzanella; Risotto with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar Reduction; Tuscan Roasted Chicken; Tuscan Roasted Potatoes; Tiramisu
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar-Pasticceria Roma Lunch: : The meal we prepare in cooking class Dinner: At the Tre Scalini Trattoria in Soriano

We will begin our first full day together with a bang. In the morning, we'll meet for our daily traditional Italian breakfast at Bar-Pasticceria Roma, a local pastry shop & coffee bar located in Soriano's lively central piazza, a very short walk from the home you are staying in. As with every morning, coffee & freshly baked pastries is on us (tea, milk, juice, etc, is also available). We will have our breakfast alongside the local villagers before our transportation arrives to take us to the villa for our first cooking class.

Our Italian cooking classes are held at Villa Eddarella, which is just 5 minutes from town. The villa is an 18th century farmhouse that was built by Paola's ancestors. We have completely restored into a beautiful country villa, with a breathtaking 700 sq. ft. teaching kitchen on the ground floor and views of the rolling hills that are to die for.

As we arrive, we'll give everyone a quick familiarization tour of the villa, and you will immediately learn one of the most important themes of the week: "Casa mia e' casa tua" (My house is your house). In other words, when we show you how we divide wine bottles in our 90-bottle wine rack, we'll also show you where the corkscrews are, and where the glasses are. When you want some wine, have at it :-). We are all a big family this week.

After you have been given your aprons and recipe books (yours to take home at the end of the week), we will get down to business. We have a huge meal to make for lunch, so we'll not waste much time, especially since our cooking classes are extremely 'hands-on'.

Together, we will prepare 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. For our first course, we will prepare a delicate white Risotto with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a balsamic vinegar reduction, followed by 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.

During all of our cooking classes, we work, but we laugh and play. We break out the wine (and sometimes the Grappa). We may sing along to the background music as we are prepping, and everyone takes little breaks along the way. We even have a computer and WIFI Internet right in the kitchen for those of you that can't get away from your e-mail. We may find that we need some herbs, and send a few guests out to the garden to pick them. In other words, don't think of it as 'school'. Above all, it is a delightful social experience in a breathtaking setting, while you make a mouth-watering meal together... and learn how it is done along the way. In fact, when we get the occasional person that doesn't cook with us, they have just as much fun!

Lunch today will be the results of all of your work, and we promise you won't be wanting for more! We have yet to have a guest tell us they have ever had better Panzanella, or better Roasted Chicken, or better Risotto, or better Tiramisu. Most important of all, you will know how to make all of this back home.

After we have had our lunch and chased it with some espresso (and/or Grappa or Limoncello), 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 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 be back in Soriano for dinner at the Tre Scalini Trattoria before calling it a night.

 

Day 3 (Monday)

A Day of Wine, Cheese & Shopping in Tuscany

Places:	Montepulciano & Pienza, Tuscany
Classes:	None
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar Roma Lunch: Lunch: Restaurant in Pienza Dinner: A the Villa of Maria Grazia

After our morning breakfast we will make our way to the beautiful Orcia Valley of Tuscany, which is the setting for almost every picture and movie you have seen set in Tuscany. We will start in the heart of the region at the town of Pienza, which is considered to be the crown jewel of Tuscany. In the 1400's, Pienza was the hometown of Pope Pius II, who during the Renaissance chose to transform it into the utopian town. The result was nothing short of breathtaking, and as such, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Besides striking beauty, Pienza is world-famous for its 'Pecorino di Pienza' cheese (the streets are lined with cheese shops), beautiful and fragrant flowers throughout, and perhaps the most breathtaking views in all of Tuscany.

We'll spend the morning here before proceeding to the town of Montepulciano, yet another magnificent town with awe-inspiring views, medieval alleyways and unique shops. Most of all, Montepulciano is world-famous for its "Vino Nobile" red wine, which is coveted throughout Italy and the rest of the world. First we will have lunch in a trattoria, focusing on local specialties of this area of Tuscany.

After lunch, we will tour the town's ancient 14th century wine 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 our tour and tasting, you will have a couple hours to browse and shop the unique artisan and wine shops in town before head head 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 4 (Tuesday)

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

Places:	Civita di Bagnoregio, Castiglione in Teverina, Soriano nel Cimino
Classes:	Limoncello; Limoncello Cream; Tozzeti (Tuscan Biscotti); Gelato (Vanilla with fresh fruit & balsamic vinegar reduction); Gelato (Chocolate-Pepperoncino); Dinner: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar Roma Lunch: At Madonna delle Macchie Winery & Olive Mill Dinner: At the villa after 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 he 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 6 (Wednesday)

A Day in Rome & The Vatican like a Roman!

Places:	Rome
Classes:	None
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar Roma Lunch: Traditional Roman Trattoria Dinner: Back at the Villa

After our morning breakfast we head out to Rome! We're not doing Rome ina tour bus like so many other tourists... We're doing it like Italians. Trains and subways all the way! We'll take the train from Orte (near Soriano) into Rome's bustling Termini (Central) station.

Important: To see everything most people wish to see in Rome, we would need days. We only have one day, and as the say: You can't see Rome in a day. Our itinerary today is a small sampling of Rome with highlights. There will be no shopping time today, and we will not visit the Roman Forum. We strongly advise our guests to plan a few days on their own in Rome after their time with us in order to see things we will miss out on. Additionally, there is quite a bit of walking today, so please be prepared.

When we arrive in Rome, we will meet up with a local guide that specializes in Rome's art and history. From the station, private cars will take us to downtown Rome.

We will go to Piazza Navona to cover the Fountains of the Four Rivers by Bernini and the Church of St Agnes by Borromini while hearing about the rivalry between these 2 artists supposedly evident in the architecture.

From there a short stroll will take us to the beautiful Trevi Fountain to find out the importance of water and fountains in Rome and of course give you time to throw your coins in and perhaps have a gelato.

Next, we'll visit the ancient pagan temple of the Pantheon which today is a Catholic Church. We will cover the construction of the dome, which after almost two thousand years, is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

After our visit to the pantheon, we'll stop for an espresso at the legendary 1930's Caffe' St. Eustacchio coffee bar, which is Rome's most famous, and largely considered to be the best espresso one can have.

Next we will have lunch in a local Roman Restaurant (not one of those tourist traps) where we will have a very traditional Roman meal. After lunch we will head over to the Vatican, passing the Colosseum. If time and traffic permits we will try to take a brief photo stop at The Colosseum. Once we arrive at The Vatican, we will be treated to a private tour of the Vatican Museums (including the Sistine Chapel), followed by a tour of St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.

After our tour, we will head back to the train staion and to Soriano where we will have dinner waiting or us back at Villa Eddarella.

Day 6 (Thursday)

"When in Rome, Cook Like the Romans Do" Cooking Class + Viterbo: The City of Popes

Places:	Soriano nel Cimino, Viterbo
Classes:	Eggplant Parmesan, Spaghetti alla Carbonara (from scratch), Saltimbocca alla Romana, Frascati-Sauteed Porcini Mushrooms, Frappe
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar Roma Lunch: The meal we prepare in class Dinner: La Zaffera in Viterbo

After our morning breakfast, we will do shopping for today's class. We'll visit a local vegetable stand, butcher, grocer, etc. as we shop with the locals for fresh ingredients needed for our morning of cooking.

Once we have finished our shopping, we'll head down to Villa Eddarella for our third cooking class of the week. You were just in Rome, so let's cook like Romans! While in most of our classes, we focus on Tuscan and Umbrian cuisine, today is all about Roman specialties. After all, we are in a border region that is heavily influenced by Tuscan and Umbrian cuisine, but to our southern border we have Rome, and it also plays an influence on our area. So today we'll cook like the Romans do!

We'll start off with a true Roman recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. It won't be quite like what you are used to back home... It will be one-hundred fold better! We'll serve it up as our appetizer for today, but once you are home, who says you need to make it in appetizer portions? It also makes for a great first or second course. For our first course today, we will be making the quintessential Roman pasta dish: Spaghetti alla Carbonara. We'll be making our spaghetti completely from scrath, and our Carbonara recipe will absolutely knock your socks off. When any Italian thinks of Roman second courses, the first thing that comes to mind is invariably Saltimbocca alla Romana, which literally translates to "Jump in the mouth", and it does! Saltimbocca alla Romana is a dish made with veal cutlets, sauteed in Roman Frascati wine & butter, then topped with prosciutto & sage. It is to die for. For our side dish, we will make Porcini mushrooms from the local mountains, sauteed with white Roman Frascati wine and local herbs. Finally, our dessert we will make Roman Frappe, a sweet and crispy pastry, twisted into ribbons, then deep-fried and topped with sprinkled cinnamon & sugar.

After some espresso, grappa, limoncello, etc., we will head back to town to give you some time to take it easy and rest up... or walk lunch off! Today's excursion is an evening outing to the capital of our province, Viterbo. Just nine miles from Soriano, Viterbo is the largest city in Italy between Rome and Florence, and while not frequented by tourists, it has remarkable beauty and a riveting history that very few are aware of.

We'll make our way into the ancient walled city, and take a walk through the main shopping district. We'll stop for a gelato in the Gran Caffe Schenardi, a beautiful coffee bar that dates back to 1818 as one of the very first coffee bars in Italy, that went on to serve Popes, Kings, Queens, etc. through its history. It was even a favorite place of Orson Welles, who would take time to think and write poetry here during the filming of Othello in 1958.

Next we will take a walk to the ancient Papal Palace, the official seat for six Popes between 1257 and 1281 when the Vaticn was having trouble asserting authority in Rome. This was the location of the first Papal Conclave before it was moved to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, after the controversy of the famous 1268-1271 Papal Election happened here. This was the longest Papal election in history, that lasted nearly 3 years. After it had been going on for almost 2 years, the people of Viterbo became very upset and locked the cardinals inside, then began to ration food to nothing more than bread and water. To make matters worse, they tore the roof off the building to expose the Cardinals inside to the elements! The effects of this reached as far as Marco Polo in China at the time, and when it was all said and done, the people of Viterbo forced the election of a Pope that wasn't even so much as a priest! The result of this disaster created the rules that are, for the most part, the same rules used in electing popes today: The Papal Conclave.

After visiting the Palace, we will make our way on foot to the San Pellegrino district of Viterbo, which is known to be the best preserved medieval quarter in all of Europe. There, we will go to the elegant "La Zaffera" restaurant for dinner tonight.

Before returning to Soriano, we will take a nighttime walk through the San Pellegrino district and enjoy the amazing medieval buildings bathing in amber light... truly breathtaking.

Day 7 (Friday)

Market Day, Pitigliano, & Pizza Class

Places:	Pitigliano, Soriano nel Cimino
Classes:	Pizza Class, making: Focaccia with Melon, Prosciutto & Mortadella (Figs when in season); Margherita Pizza; Sausage & Porcini Mushroom Pizza; Caramelized Onion Pizza; Caramelized Sugar Pizza; Ricotta & Nutella Pizza; plus Zucchini Flower Pizza when in season.
Meals:	Breakfast: Cappuccino & Pastries at Bar Roma Lunch: in Pitigliano Dinner: Pizza Class resulting in our farewell dinner

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 take a drive into one of the southernmost towns of Tuscany, Pitigliano. While in town, we will have some time for shopping in their beautiful artisan shops and a visit to the ancient "Jewish Ghetto", which was once a haven for fleeing jews beginning in the 16th century as they escaped the Vatican's counter-reformation movement. We'll have lunch in a local trattoria before heading back to Soriano.

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 Barbeque. 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.