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PERUGIA - "City of the Infinite View"
Perugia (full-day)
Perugia/Deruta: Art, History and Farm Cooking! (full-day)
Perugia/Deruta/Torgiano (full-day)
Perugia/Gubbio (full-day)
Perugia/Lake Trasimeno (full-day+)
Mysterious Etruscans: Perugia and Orvieto (2 days)
Perugia FESTAtour in July
Comments
Perugia (full-day)
We'll
start our day in elegantissima Perugia - called by Henry
James, "city of the infinite view" - with a visit to the massive
16th c. Papal fortress, built over the medieval quarter of Perugia
and incorporating one of the Etruscan city gates. We'll walk down
the main Corso, lined with elegant shops, to see the bellissime
medieval guild halls, including the one magnificently-frescoed by
Perugino (teacher of Raphael) and his school.
Afterwards, a pause at a Umberto's
cafe for the town's best cappuccino and hot chocolate... Umberto
was there in 1969 when I studied in Perugia... and the café
(and Umberto!) remain unchanged.
Our
next stop will be a special visit to a frescoed Renaissance palace
which houses Perugia's astounding collection of illuminated manuscripts
(dating from 1000 - 1400). An expert of an historic library will
offer us fascinating insight on these priceless treasures.
After lunch, our walk will take
us to Perugia's stunning medieval municipal palace in the main square,
graced by the Fontana Maggiore (Pisano 13th c. masterpiece
of Gothic sculpture and Perugia's pride and joy) and the cathedral.
We'll follow the labyrinthine medieval backstreets near the medieval
Palazzo della Giustizia to an Etruscan city gate and our
tour will conclude... logicamente!... with a taste of Perugia's
famed chocolates at the city's most famous chocolatier.
(NB: if desired, itinerary can be altered to incorporate
a tour of the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, the region's most
important art museum.)
Perugia/Deruta: Art, History and Farm Cooking! (full-day)
We'll start our day in elegantissima Perugia, called by Henry
James "city of the infinite view". Our tour begins with a visit
to the massive 16th c. Papal fortress, built over the medieval quarter
of Perugia and incorporating one of the Etruscan city gates. We'll walk
down the main Corso, lined with elegant shops, to visit
the bellissime frescoed medieval guildhalls, including the one
magnificently-frescoed by Perugino (teacher of Raphael) and his school.
We'll pause at a Umberto's cafe for the town's best cappuccino and
hot chocolate with cream he whips by hand.Umberto was there in 1969
when I studied in Perugia and the café (and Umberto!) remain
unchanged. His cappuccino and cioccolato caldo are
still considered the best by the Perugians.
After refreshment, our walk will take us to Perugia's stunning
medieval municipal palace in the main square, graced by the Fontana
Maggiore (13th c. masterpiece of Gothic sculpture and Perugia's
pride and joy) and the cathedral. Nearby, we'll conclude our
wanders with a taste of Perugia's famed chocolates at the city's
most famous chocolatier.
Lunch awaits not too far away, at the farmhouse of my friends Giuseppa
and Paolo who live in the Deruta countryside. Giuseppa will have
been up since dawn cooking us a feast; in fact, the only foods we eat
at our "banquet" not grown on their farm are the sugar and the
coffee! Reluctantly, we'll leave our farm friends after THE BEST lunch
of your entire time in Italy (a promise!) to head into Deruta, città della
ceramica to observe all the phases of maiolica production
in a family-run industry. Our day concludes with a visit to an
extraordinary shrine of maiolica folk art (the collection of
over 660 curious pieces was started in the early 17th c.) "hidden" away in
the countryside outside of Deruta.
Perugia/Deruta/Torgiano (full-day)
We'll visit Perugia as described above and after lunch, we'll head to Deruta to observe all the phases of maiolica production in a family-run industry. Afterwards, a visit to nearby Torgiano and the wonderful Museo del Vino (Wine Museum) of the Lungarotti family (whose wines are famous). This museum - one of the finest privately-owned museums in Italy - houses objets du vin from 3000 BC to the present. Wine-tasting may be included afterwards if desired.
Perugia/Gubbio (full-day)
We'll visit Perugia as described above and after
lunch, we'll head to Gubbio. Dramatically perched on a hill overlooking
the ruins of its Roman theater, here in Gubbio time seems to have
quite literally stopped in the Middle Ages. Gubbio's "detachment"
from today's world is also a reality: the town is not on a railway
line - here, one feels in a world apart. Our walk through the labyrinthine
medieval backstreets will take us to the imposing 14th c. Palazzo
dei Consoli, said to rival Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in its beauty
(I think it surpasses it).
Along the way, a stop to taste
local delicacies - wild boar salami, pecorino (sheep's milk)
and truffle cheeses, local liqueurs, truffle paté - and then
a stop to observe two fine young artisans at work. Acclaimed as
two of the most-gifted ceramicists in Italy, their gold-incised
black bucchero (Etruscan technique) astounds.
Perugia/Lake Trasimeno (full-day+)
Culture and then... relaxation. We'll enjoy a
morning in Perugia and then drive to Lake Trasimeno (about 15 min
from Perugia), where we'll take a ferry out to Isola Maggiore in
the middle of the lake. After a leisurely stroll through the delightful
tiny redbrick village on the island, we'll enjoy a lunch of lake
fish specialties at a restaurant acclaimed by Gourmet magazine.
Mysterious Etruscans: Perugia and Orvieto (2 days)
This tour is centered on the Etruscans, whose
culture influences the artistic/cultural development of Umbria as
early as the 6th c. Our tour will take in important Etruscan sites
in both Perugia and Orvieto, 2 of the most important of the dodecapoli,
league of 12 Etruscan city-states.
Perugia (day 1)
Our visit starts with a visit to an important 2nd c. BC Etruscan
chamber tomb (in the area of an ancient Etruscan necropolis) outside
of Perugia. Afterwards, a visit to the Archaelogical Museum of Perugia
to view a rich collection of artifacts from the Etruscan and Roman
periods of ancient Perusia. We'll have lunch in a local trattoria,
followed by a walk through the town - to view two of the Etruscan
city gates of 2nd- 3rd c. BC, as well as the Etruscan well (same
period), a marvel of engineering skill. We'll see sections of the
Etruscan walls of the city in various spots, including in the chocolate
shop where we'll end our tour!
Orvieto (day 2)
Orvieto's impregnable position on a tufo-rock plateau was cleverly
selected by the Etruscans, probably its first inhabitants. We'll
start our visit at the Etruscan tombs outside the city and then
we will head up the tufo plateau on the funicular to visit Orvieto's
fine Etruscan museum, the result of the donation of the personal
collection of a wealthy Orvietano.
Comments
"Dear Anne,
Thank you so very much for two of the most wonderful days we had during our recent trip to Italy.
Our entire experience from beginning to end was incredible. The Spello wine tasting (food and song) was above and
beyond anyone's expectations. Your knowledge and profound interest in the history of Italy, and in particular, in
Assisi, made it educational as well as totally enjoyable.
The second day (Deruta and Perugia) with you Anne, was topped with that authentic Italian luncheon at an old
farmhouse - enjoyed with the farmer and his wife! Truly something that very few ever experience; they
were so charming and welcoming, it was obvious that they loved to share their home and way of life with total strangers.
Anne, David and I have been on many guided tours; but this was our first experience with a private tour, let me assure you that there is no comparison, our daughter Lisa picked a winner when she chose you. Your love for all things Italian and your talent for finding the unusual seldom seen antiquities, make your tour unique. I could go on forever, suffice it to say that my daughter Lisa, her husband Greg Maloney, David and myself Will never forget our time with you. Thank you...Mille Gracie.."
David & Jacquie Nicks - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Sept, 2009)
"I thoroughly
enjoyed touring with Anne through Perugia and Assisi. A delightful
surprise and highlight of my stay in Umbria was a trip to the library
archives in Perugia where we not only saw but also were able to
photograph and touch one of the earliest editions of Dante's Divina
Commedia illustrated by Pietro Lorenzetti, the Atlantic Bible
dating back to the year 1000, and the first biography of Saint Francis
(1300). I still get goosebumps when I think of this experience!
Anne is incredibly knowledgeable and versatile. She tailors her
tours to her clients' interests, and her bubbly personality makes
history come alive. I look forward to taking more tours with
her when I return to Umbria."
Joanne Bradley, La Jolla, CA
"What a splendid time we spent in Perugia and Deruta! Because one day with Anne was just a tease, we booked this unplanned delight. An ever genial Anne took us to eat with a wonderful couple in their farm home. Giuseppa prepared a traditional Umbrian meal with the ingredients from her own farm. Paolo her husband was a welcome member at our table and through Anne told stories of past and present. After our feast we were toured through the farm completed by a meeting with Paolo's prized wild boar hounds! It was a truly special day. Mille Grazie Anne!"
Lisa Nicks, Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada