1st Day: Arrival in Assisi
After you arrive at either the airport in Florence or Rome, you will be led by a private bus to a 3 star hotel located in Assisi’s centre or in immediate surroundings. Later, with a guide, you will visit the gothic Basilica of S. Chiara and the city’s center square or piazza.
Here in the square stands the ruins of the famous temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva, and the Basilica of S. Francesco, which is regarded as one of the most famous Christian sanctuaries in the world. A staircase divides the Basilica into two sections, the first being the Romanic lower church that contains St. Francis Assisi’s crypt and some of his possessions, the second being the Gothic upper church that contains frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue. Our itinerary continues onward to Santa Maria degli Angeli. Here you will see the cupola that was designed and built by Alessi Galeazzo and the Porziuncola, a rural chapel where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order in the 1209. The tour will be followed by dinner and an overnight stay in Assisi.
2nd Day: Deruta – Todi
After breakfast at the hotel, you will go by bus to the charming town of Deruta, a renowned site for high quality hand-painted ceramics. You will be given a behind the scenes glimpse into how these beautiful objects are made. After, the tour will proceed on to a beautifully gothic styled church and then to an art museum that houses one of Perugino’s frescos. Then we will travel by bus to Todi, break for lunch, and reconvene for a tour of this Roman and Etruscan rooted city. We will visit many interesting monuments spanning between the Gothic period and the Renaissance. Through the journey, you will be able to discern the ruins of the city’s walls that were built in the VIth century. After the tour, you will be returned to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
3rd Day: Bevagna – Montefalco
After breakfast at the hotel, we will travel to the beautiful and archaic Bevagna by bus. Here you will get a feeling for what life was like in the Middle Ages as medieval professions are resurrected for the public. Then you will change periods, as Roman life is resurrected in this same fashion. By viewing sumptuous vestiges of thermal baths and temples you will be able to understand how spectacularly the city flourished during the imperial era. After lunch, you will be driven to Montefalco where you will view its well preserved medieval center and some interesting churches built in Roman, Gothic and Renaissance styles. The most important of these is the San Francesco which houses some sublime frescos painted by the famed Florentine, Benozzo Gozzoli. Following the tour, we will return to the hotel in Assisi where dinner and an overnight stay awaits you.
4th Day: Spello – Foligno – Nocera
This day will be dedicated to greediness. After breakfast, you will go by bus to Spello. After a guided tour of the city, we will head to a winery where you will discover how to make both wine and olive oil. Then, you will be able to sample 4 different varieties of wine while eating a homemade bruschetta appetizer. After this nice break, you will continue toward Foligno, a city that is often regarded as the prettiest in Umbria. Finally, you will reach Nocera and visit a Norceria where you will savour some of the finest cooked meat, typical of this town. Following, you will be returned to the hotel for the evening.
5th Day: Perugia
After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart for the history rich Perugia. Despite its abundance of historical remains, Perugia is much less touristic compared to Florence or Siena. So with more of the city to yourselves, you will better be able to relax, enjoy, and sightsee.
The day will begin with a guided tour of the historical center where you will see the remains of the Rocca Paolina, once the symbol of the powerful Baglioni family and the Piazza IV Novembre, the city’s most prestigious square. Within the square there are many significant monuments, the most impressive being the gothic Cathedral of San Lorenzo, which was built between 1345 and 1490 by Braccio Fortebraccio. You will be allotted free time for lunch and a personal exploration of the city. We will reconvene later in the afternoon to continue with group sightseeing. We will view the Fontana Maggiore, one of the most renown fountains in Italy, and the Palazzo dei Priori which houses the National Gallery of Umbria (outside visit), a gallery that contains one of the most outstanding provincial collections of Italian art. It is a testimony to the many different regional forms of art, such as wooden and iron sculptures, paintings, and also silverware and fabric design. Following, we return to the hotel in Assisi for the night.
6th Day: Departure
After breakfast at the hotel, you will have some free time for a last minute stroll in Assisi. Then a private bus will transfer you to the airport wherein our services end.
- full board starting with dinner on the 1st day and ending with breakfast on the 6th day (except lunch on day 4)
- 3 star hotel accommodations; room with private services (hotel is rated according to the Italian standard)
- private bus for the tour (including parking and tax access to the art cities)
- half day guided tour of Assisi (02h30) on day 01
- half day guided tour of Deruta (02h30) on day 02
- half day guided tour of Todi (02h30) on day 02
- half day guided tour of Bevagna (02h30) on day 03
- half day guided tour of Montefalco (02h30) on day 03
- full day guided tour of Spello, Foligno, and Nocera (6 hours max) on day 04
- wine tasting at a winery on day 04
- tasting of cooked meat in Nocera on day 04
- full day guided tour of Perugia (6 hours max) on day 05
- a personalized booklet with all relevant information necessary for your stay
- our assistance throughout the whole stay
- all other services specified in the above program
- beverages
- entrance fees for monuments
- city tax to pay directly on spot
- all services not specified in the above program