Itinerary:
Day 1: Depart your gateway city for Rome.
Day
2: Arrive in Rome and transfer to Assisi and the Hotel Giotto. Attend a welcome reception
featuring local wines and cheeses followed by a welcome dinner. (R,D)
Day 3: Enjoy a lecture on Umbria by local cultural expert, Anne Robichaud, followed by a half-day walking tour of Assisi, including the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to explore Assisi independently. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Visit Spoleto and its remarkable Duomo to see frescoes by Pinturicchio and Fra Filippo Lippi. Next, a tour of Spello includes the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and a visit to the 13th-century Cloister of the Church of Sant’Andrea featuring a meeting with a local Franciscan friar. There will also be time to explore Spello’s market. Lunch will feature a specially arranged “tasting lunch” of Umbrian food and wines at a local eatery. (B,L,D)
Day 5: Attend a lecture by local cultural expert, Anne Robichaud on the rural life and architecture in Umbria. This afternoon enjoy a scenic drive through the Umbrian countryside and a walking tour of Gubbio, with lunch at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)
Day 6: After a lecture on “Italian Institutions” take a walking tour of Perugia, visiting the Duomo, Palazzo dei Priori and the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria. Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to Assisi via the village of Deruta for a visit to a family-owned pottery factory and a demonstration of the local craftsmanship that dates to the 13th-century. (B,L,D)
Day 7: Take a walking tour of Orvieto that includes the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria. After lunch at a local trattoria, continue to Todi to visit the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. (B,L,D)
Day 8: The entire day is at leisure in Assisi, with meals served at the hotel. Tonight enjoy a private concert of Umbrian folk music by a musical troupe, followed by a farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 9: Transfer to Rome and board your return flight to the U.S. (B)
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