(No availability) 5 Day Cooking Holiday & Truffle Hunting in Umbria
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Umbria Wine Tour and Cooking Holidays
Discover the food, wine, and culture of this wonderful Italian region, rivaling Tuscany for its natural beauty and richness, known as the "green heart" of Italy. A full immersion in the flavors and colors of Umbria: the sweetness of the chocolate, the scent of truffles and the colors of the beautiful ceramics of Deruta.
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- Hands-on cooking classes
- Chocolate factory and museum visits
- Visit the oldest ceramics factory in Deruta
- Wine tour with tastings and Umbrian specialties
- Lets Cook in Umbria apron and recipes
- Guided truffle hunting excursion
- 4 nights accommodation
- Daily breakfast
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (US$ 288 per person)
Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria International Airport (US$ 46 per person)
Accommodation
During your cookery holiday in Italy, you will stay on a beautiful, spacious, working farm in the heart of Umbria - a region famous for its green countryside, cuisine and medieval towns. Your culinary escape into the Italian rural lifestyle is conveniently located, only 15 minutes from Perugia airport.
Just 4 kilometres away lies the capital city of Umbria, Perugia, which is steeped in history, dating well back before 309 BC. Perugia has a flare for culture and the arts. You will have free time to get to explore it, know it and fall in love with it.
The farm is home to your host, Rafaella, her husband, and many pets. Rafaella has a great passion for her home region of Umbria, its people, food and culture. Your Italian cooking classes will take place within her traditional kitchen, using the freshest products from the local surroundings and producers.
'La volpe e l'uva' (The Fox and The Grapes) farm is a little corner of paradise - a quiet, peaceful oasis, an ideal place to relax and unwind surrounded by the Umbrian hills, valleys and medieval villages. The property consists of 10 hectares of olive groves, vineyards and orchards.
Five lovely, two-room, apartments (named Rocco, Riding, Fico, Oca and Paulownia) have been renovated paying close attention to detail. The apartments are sunny and comfortable so that guests, even those who stay for a few days, feel welcomed.
In your free time you can hike, try the local wineries, or jump in the car for a day trip to one of several surrounding medieval cities. Or, perhaps, for something more leisurely, you can unwind by the swimming pool, in the gardens under the shade of the fruit trees, or in the bright communal garden.
Refine your cooking skills and daydream on this lush, laid back, Umbrian farm, packed with regional specialties and the mountains and valleys awaiting you.
Program
Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at the farmhouse in the countryside near Perugia for your Italian cooking course. Check in to your accommodation from 2pm to 7pm.
Day 2: Cooking, chocolate, ceramic
Start your day with breakfast in your apartment from your breakfast pack. Your cooking lesson begins at 10am with a presentation of the day's menu. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves for hands-on preparation of a glorious 4-course meal using homegrown fruit and vegetables, fresh organic eggs and their own extra virgin olive oil.
When you have finished cooking, it is time to enjoy all the delicious food you have prepared as you sit down to eat lunch with the other participants accompanied by the wine and extra virgin olive oil that is produced at the farmhouse. Lunch is then followed by local liquors and coffee.
In the afternoon you will visit the Perugia's chocolate factory and the Chocolate Museum to learn about chocolate production. The museum explains the process of converting cocoa into chocolate, and introduces the history of the Perugina chocolate company.
Then, you will visit a ceramic laboratory in Deruta where the majolicas are completely handmade. Deruta ceramics are a milestone in the history of Italian pottery. They gained worldwide fame during the Renaissance thanks to their creative and qualitative excellence. Their high quality products keeps the tradition alive and evokes the classic decorations of the various periods of Deruta. The production cycle is completely carried-out within the company and rigorously worked by hand in all its phases.
Day 3: Cooking, truffle hunting
A$fter breakfast, your cooking lesson begins at 10am with a presentation of the day's menu before your hands-on lesson begins. When you have finished cooking, it is time to enjoy all the delicious food you have prepared as you sit down to eat lunch followed by local liquors and coffee.
In the afternoon, your guide will drive you in the educational itineraries on the truffle track; they are fascinating and unique experiences to discover the mysterious world of the truffle. The guided visit is run by experts, who will take you through the entire itinerary from the digging up of the truffle to its processing and use in cooking, teaching you how to distinguish and taste its different varieties.
The activity includes demonstration of truffle hunting with dog, tour of the farm, and visit of the small museum, tasting of cooked dishes and local wine tasting ,and guided visit in a medieval village in Valtiberina.
Day 4: Cooking, wine tour
After breakfast, your cooking lesson begins at 10am with a presentation of the day's menu before your hands-on lesson begins. When you have finished cooking, it is time to enjoy all the delicious food you have prepared as you sit down to eat lunch followed by local liquors and coffee.
In the afternoon you will visit a winery that produces Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCGS. You will have a guided tour of the vineyard and the cellars, finishing up with a test of local Umbrian specialties and the wines.You will also visit the medieval cities of Montefalco and Bevagna.
Day 5: Departure
Following breakfast, you will check out from your accommodation at 10am.
Included excursions
Assisi tour
Bevagna tour
Deruta ceramic tour
Montefalco wine tour
Perugia chocolate tour
Transfer for truffle hunting
Instructors
Raffaella Bucefalo
After she decided to give up her job in scientific research, Raffaella Bucefalo, PhD in Micropalaeontology, rediscovered, reclaimed, and developed her three great passions: cooking, connecting, and creating. Since 2005, she has run courses teaching traditional Italian cookery at her agriturismo in Umbria. In 2020, Raffaella published her first cook book "Sprinkle with Flour": a journey into the world of fresh pasta, the food that symbolizes Italian culinary culture. In the book, the description of 19 pasta shapes illustrated with handmade drawings and 22 traditional recipes with photo.
Location
The farmhouse La Volpe e l'Uva is located in central Italy, Umbria, north of Perugia, in a hilly position, very near to the main Umbrian towns and near to the Tuscany. It is only 4 kilometers far from the historic centre of Perugia and it offers a suggestive view of the Umbrian hills. The proximity of Perugia makes the farm's position ideal for visiting other artistic towns in Umbria, such as Assisi, Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto, the Trasimeno Lake, and towns in Tuscany like Siena, Arezzo, and Cortona.
Food
During your stay, Cook in Umbria will offer you daily breakfasts and lunches. In your apartment, you will find everything you need for your breakfast, such as coffee, milk, tea, cereals, bread, biscuits, eggs, jams made with fruits from the farm, fruits, and yogurt. You will prepare your breakfast in your apartment respecting your time. Send Raffaella a list of foods that you want to find in your apartment. For lunch, you will dine on your creations from the cooking classes accompanied by local, delicious, organic, red wines completely made in the farm. The lunch will be in Raffaella's home or in the garden of the farm.
Dinners are not included. The lunches from your cooking classes are very rich; and the afternoon tours often include tastings, so you enjoy light dinners in order to be ready for your next cooking class. In the apartments, your well-equipped kitchen is at your disposal and, after each tour, your driver can make a stop at a supermarket from where you can buy anything you will need. You can also ask the driver to bring you to the historical center of Perugia and dine in a restaurant and you will come back by taxi (20 EUR).
During your classes you will be preparing a wide variety of dishes that include appetizers, first course, main course, and dessert.
Appetizer
Tasty and delicious, starters have evolved as a true course meal of the Italian cuisine. Cold or hot, it can open a tasty meal or a special buffet. Some of the dishes you can prepare are:
- Bruschette - tomatoes and mushrooms
- Cake with zucchini, potatoes, and Taleggio cheese
- Crostini with chicken liver
- Crostini with roasted peppers
- Focaccia with onion and sage
- Fry flower zucchini
- Millefoglie with eggplants
- Mixed grilled vegetable with bread and garlic
- Panzanella
- Parmigiana with eggplants
- Salad with fennels and orange
- Salad with melon and mint
- Small onions in balsamic vinegar
- Spelt salad
- Torta al testo with ham and rucola
First course
A journey into the preparation of the symbol of Italian diet: pasta. The dry and fresh versions will alternate with different fillings and combinations of sauces inspired both by tradition and fantasy. Pasta sauce is made of fresh and seasonal ingredients. Either fresh or egg pasta, adapt well to many cooking styles or as a basic ingredient of Italian-style soups. Some of the types of pasta that you can prepare are:
- Gnocchi
- Homemade cannelloni with ricotta, prosciutto, mozzarella
- Lasagne
- Lentil soup
- Pasta and beans
- Pasta and chickpeas
- Handmade pasta (tagliatelle, strangozzi, maltagliati, pappardelle)
- Pasta sauce
- Pizza and focaccia
- Polenta
- Ravioli
- Risotto
- Soup with spelt
Main course
You will discover the world of meat by focusing on the techniques of preparation and cooking of both white and red varieties, two parallel universes, which often meet. Some of the dishes that you can prepare are:
- Chicken in a rich herb, olive, and vegetable sauce
- Chicken roller with Umbrian ham
- Hearby roast beef
- Italian vegetable quiche
- Pork loin with grapes and juniper
- Pork with pears and pecorino cheese
- Rabbit all'arrabbiata
- Rabbit with wild herbs
- Salmi of guinea fowl
- Salted cod in a tomatoes sauce
- Stuffed artichokes
- Stuffed vegetables
- Umbrian meatloaf with pine-seeds and dry grapes
Dessert
You are invited to discover the many facets of pastry, the preparations, and cooking techniques. A journey through cakes, cookies, and cream to delight your days and those of your friends. Some of the desserts that you can prepare are:
- Cake with carrots and almonds
- Cake with chocolate and pears
- Castagnaccio
- Crostata (with cream, fresh fruits, and jams)
- Panpolenta with ice cream
- Rocciata
- Tiramisú
- Tozzetti with holy wine
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
The following drinks are included:
- Coffee
- Alcoholic beverages
Things to do (optional)
On your free time you can enjoy the wonderful pool and reserve massages.
Spa treatments
Massages are available in the farm.
What's included
- 4 nights accommodation
- Certificate of participation
- Cook in Umbria apron and recipes
- Daily breakfast
- Daily lunch
- Guided excursions as per the itinerary
- Hands-on cooking classes
What's not included
- Airfare
- Dinners
- Personal expenses
- Guide in the truffle hunting (direct payment): 60 EUR / person
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport
149 km
Transfer available for additional US$ 288 per person
Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria International Airport
11 km
Transfer available for additional US$ 46 per person
Driving directions from Rome
- Motorway A1, exit Orte, follow Terni-Perugia, pass the exit Perugia and continue following the sign Cesena until the exit Ponte Felcino
- Continue straight until exit 100 metres
- Make left turn under E45
- Look for sign "Zona Industriale", make right at sign and continue for about 5-6 kilometers
- You will pass an IP gas station on left, keep going
- You will see sign at right for Ponte Rio, immediately on left you will see Total Gas station and Bar Pizzeria
- Just after pass Bar Pizzeria next right is "Strada Comunale San Marino"
- Take this road that go up to the hill, and after 3 kilometers you will find at right the sign "La Volpe e l'Uva"
Driving directions from Florence
- Motorway A1, exit Bettolle, follow Perugia, pass the exit Perugia and continue following the sign Cesena until the exit Ponte Felcino
- Continue straight until exit 100 metres
- Make left turn under E45
- Look for sign "Zona Industriale", make right at sign and continue for about 5-6 kilometers
- You will pass an IP gas station on left, keep going
- You will see sign at right for Ponte Rio, immediately on left you will see Total Gas station and Bar Pizzeria
- Just after pass Bar Pizzeria next right is "Strada Comunale San Marino"
- Take this road that go up to the hill, and after 3 kilometers you will find at right the sign "La Volpe e l'Uva"
Driving directions from Cesena
- Go out at the exit Ponte Felcino
- Continue straight until exit 100 metres
- Make left turn under E45
- Look for sign "Zona Industriale", make right at sign and continue for about 5-6 kilometers
- You will pass an IP gas station on left, keep going
- You will see sign at right for Ponte Rio, immediately on left you will see Total Gas station and Bar Pizzeria
- Just after pass Bar Pizzeria next right is "Strada Comunale San Marino"
- Take this road that go up to the hill, and after 3 kilometers you will find at right the sign "La Volpe e l'Uva"
Arrival by airplane
The nearest airports to the location are Florence Airport, Peretola (FLR), Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO), or Pisa International Airport (PSA).
Arrival by train
The nearest station is Perugia railway station.
GPS
- Longitude: 12 23' 23'' E
- Latitude: 43 8' 90'' N
Distances
- Assisi, 15 kilometers
- Gubbio, 28 kilometers
- Orvieto, 45 kilometers
- Spello, 15 kilometers
- Todi, 45 kilometers
- Trasimeno Lake, 20 kilometers
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
