Luxury food and wine appreciation fly-drive holiday in Tuscany and Umbria
This 6-night fly-drive holiday begins in Pisa where you collect your hire car before heading to the Chianti region south of Florence. Your first hotel, Villa le Barone is a charming Tuscan villa within walking distance of the village of Panzano where there are a handful of restaurants. You will stay here for three nights. During your time here, we include a cookery lesson and a wine-tasting. Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta, Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef) and Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous Tuscan reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. You will have ample opportunity to explore cultural places of interest in Tuscany. We suggest visiting the Chianti villages, San Gimignano and Siena but it is also possible to visit Florence if desired. From Tuscany, you head south to Umbria, the very heart of Italy, perhaps stopping at beautiful Lake Trasimeno on the way, the fourth largest lake in Italy. Umbria offers undulating land of hills, river valleys, a patchwork of fields, vines and olives similar in many ways to her better-known neighbour, Tuscany, yet in other ways so very different. The hill towns are superb in their own right; steep, narrow cobbled streets with overhanging arches, the grey stone enlivened here and there by pots of geraniums. Ancient crafts remain very much alive, with ceramics and woodwork being very much in evidence. Umbria abounds in Roman architecture with Gubbio and Spoleto being noteworthy and there are Etruscan remains too. The food is hearty and earthy with truffles and porcini, sausages and salami being regional specialities. You have three nights in Umbria in the medieval village of Torgiano. The hotel, Le Tre Vaselle, is owned by the Lungarotti winery and offers a medieval wine cellar and wine therapy spa. The hotel is ideally located to visit local wineries and wine museums in the village. During your stay, we include a cookery lesson with the hotel’s chef as well as a wine-tasting in the medieval wine cellar. The region offers many cultural delights to explore at your leisure. Begin your exploration of the region with Perugia, the capital of Umbria. At the heart of this city, on a hilltop, is the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, distinctive because of its original architectural style. Other places of interest include Orvieto and Lake Bolsena, Assisi and the interesting walled town of Todi. At the end of your holiday you return from Rome by air to London.
Highlights
Panzano • Chianti • Siena • San Gimignano • Torgiano • Lake Trasimeno • Perugia • Orvieto • Assisi • Lake Bolsena • Todi
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 6 nights.
From about
£2,440 fly-drive
Holiday Code FHIT22
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury food and wine appreciation fly-drive holiday in Tuscany and Umbria
Start your holiday with a flight from the UK to Pisa. We include flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Pisa. Collect your hire-car at the airport and then it’s a drive of about an hour and a half to your first hotel in the Chianti Classico region, south of Florence. Settle into your room and enjoy an included dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.
After breakfast, we include a hands-on cookery lesson with a Tuscan chef at Villa le Barone. During the lesson, you will prepare an entire meal and enjoy it together for lunch. You will have the afternoon at leisure. After a busy morning, you may wish to spend time relaxing at the hotel by the infinity pool taking in the views over the Chianti hills or perhaps you could play some tennis. If you wish to explore further afield, Villa le Barone offers bikes to rent and would be happy to suggest some cycling or hiking activities in the surrounding area.
Today in the late morning you are taken to a nearby winery for a wine-tasting followed by lunch. You have the afternoon at leisure to relax or explore the region. Siena is around a 50 minutes’ drive from Villa le Barone and is a charming city in a hilltop location with clusters of palazzos, towers and churches. The medieval city centres around Piazza Il Campo which is where the biannual horserace, Il Palio is held. Other places of interest include the Palazzo Pubblico, a Renaissance palace which still serves as the city’s town hall and Il Duomo, Siena’s striking cathedral. Another place worth visiting is San Gimignano, known as the city of a thousand towers. Highlights include the Cathedral and Palazzo del Popolo. If you don’t want to drive yourself in the afternoon, the hotel can arrange a car and driver for you.
Enjoy a final breakfast at Villa le Barone before you travel to Umbria. The journey to your next hotel, Le Tre Vaselle will take approximately 2 hours. You may want to stop at Lake Trasimeno on the way, the fourth largest lake in Italy, situated on the border between Tuscany and Umbria to take in the breath-taking views and scenery. Check-in to your hotel and get ready for dinner. We include a three-course gourmet meal for your first evening.
Enjoy breakfast at Le Tre Vaselle before participating in your second cookery lesson of the week. The cooking class is taught by the hotel’s chef and focuses on the traditional Mediterranean diet. Classes are in both English and Italian and lunch will follow. You have the afternoon at leisure. Perhaps you would like to make use of the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool, or the indoor Bella Uve Spa with heated pool with counter current swimming system and massaging water jets as well as a Turkish bath and vinotherapy spa treatments available at a supplement. Alternatively, Perugia, the region’s capital, is a 20-minute drive from the hotel boasting a hilltop location above the River Tiber and Lake Trasimeno. Perugia offers a cosmopolitan atmosphere with a highly regarded university. Corso Vannucci is a cobbled pedestrianised street lined with cafés and bars. You may wish to try one of the local restaurants that Perugia has to offer for dinner this evening.
You have most of today at leisure to explore more of Umbria. Suggested places to visit include Orvieto and Lake Bolsena, Assisi and Todi. Orvieto is just over an hour by car from Le Tre Vaselle. The old town rises majestically on a rocky plinth overlooking rolling hills. Places to visit include the Duomo, the medieval Piazza del Popolo and the Porta Maggiore. Tranquil Lake Bolsena is a further 30 minutes’ drive south west of Orvieto. Alternatively, Assisi is situated 30 minutes east of Le Tre Vaselle. The town can be seen for miles around as it clings to the edge of Mount Subasio. There are lots of examples of Renaissance architecture here. The town is known for the Basilica di San Francesco, which is comprised of two churches, the lower Romanesque church and the Gothic upper church. The interior of both churches is adorned with superb frescoes. The Basilica remains the focal point for millions of Pilgrims to this day. 30 minutes south of Le Tre Vaselle is the charming walled town of Todi. Places of interest include the Piazza del Popolo surrounded by palaces, the Romanesque Cathedral which dates from the 12th century and the Church of San Fortunato, a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Back at Le Tre Vaselle, we include a wine-tasting of three or four wines in the medieval cellar with the sommelier as well as some appetizers. Make your own arrangements for dinner.
Today, depending on the time of your flight, check-out after breakfast and make your way to Rome. Drop off your car at the airport before taking your flight back to the UK.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 6 nights.
From about
£2,440 fly-drive
Holiday Code FHIT22
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● Scheduled return flights with British Airways from London to Pisa and from Rome to London
● Hire of a Group B car for the duration of the holiday
● 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in a classic room at Villa le Barone, Panzano in Chianti
● 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in an executive deluxe room at Le Tre Vaselle, Torgiano
● Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Villa le Barone
● Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Le Tre Vaselle
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Additional information
Dates
This holiday can be arranged throughout the year. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the month and day of the week.
Cookery
Cookery lessons are not possible at Villa le Barone on Thursdays and Fridays.
Travel times for this holiday
Pisa Airport to Panzano: 1 hour 30 minutes by car
Panzano to Torgiano: 2 hours car
Torgiano to Rome Fiumicino: 2 hours 15 minutes by car
Call us on 01392 441245
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 6 nights.
From about
£2,440 fly-drive
Holiday Code FHIT22
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Scheduled return flights with British Airways from London to Pisa and from Rome to London
• Hire of a Group B car for the duration of the holiday
• 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in a classic room at Villa le Barone, Panzano in Chianti
• 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in an executive deluxe room at Le Tre Vaselle, Torgiano
• Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Villa le Barone
• Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Le Tre Vaselle
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there There are flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Pisa with British Airways several times a day and back from Rome Fiumicino to Heathrow many times a day. From Pisa it’s a drive of about 90 minutes to your first hotel.
Additional information
Dates
This holiday can be arranged throughout the year. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the month and day of the week.
Cookery
Cookery lessons are not possible at Villa le Barone on Thursdays and Fridays.
Travel times for this holiday
Pisa Airport to Panzano: 1 hour 30 minutes by car
Panzano to Torgiano: 2 hours car
Torgiano to Rome Fiumicino: 2 hours 15 minutes by car
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury food and wine appreciation fly-drive holiday in Tuscany and Umbria
Villa le Barone is an enchanting 4-star hotel in a beautiful rural location in the Chianti countryside. Exquisite gardens, delicious cuisine and excellent wine, alongside authentic, comfortable accommodation, afford guests an intimate, relaxing taste of Tuscany.
Classic double room
Hotel le Tre Vaselle is a 5-star boutique hotel in a beautiful rural location. Wine and gastronomy are at the centre of a stay here. It is superbly located to visit local wineries, and the hotel's spa offers wine-centred treatments.
Executive deluxe room
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 6 nights.
From about
£2,440 fly-drive
Holiday Code FHIT22
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Scheduled return flights with British Airways from London to Pisa and from Rome to London
• Hire of a Group B car for the duration of the holiday
• 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in a classic room at Villa le Barone, Panzano in Chianti
• 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in an executive deluxe room at Le Tre Vaselle, Torgiano
• Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Villa le Barone
• Cookery lesson, one dinner and wine-tasting at Le Tre Vaselle
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there There are flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Pisa with British Airways several times a day and back from Rome Fiumicino to Heathrow many times a day. From Pisa it’s a drive of about 90 minutes to your first hotel.
Additional information
Dates
This holiday can be arranged throughout the year. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the month and day of the week.
Cookery
Cookery lessons are not possible at Villa le Barone on Thursdays and Fridays.
Travel times for this holiday
Pisa Airport to Panzano: 1 hour 30 minutes by car
Panzano to Torgiano: 2 hours car
Torgiano to Rome Fiumicino: 2 hours 15 minutes by car
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury food and wine appreciation fly-drive holiday in Tuscany and Umbria
About Tuscany
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.
Highlights of Tuscany
Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.
Cultural highlights of Tuscany
As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.
Festivals in Tuscany
Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.
Gastronomy in Tuscany
Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury food and wine appreciation fly-drive holiday in Tuscany and Umbria
About Umbria
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Umbria offers the chance to explore a lesser-known rural area of Italy. Umbria is a gentle, undulating land of hills, river valleys, a patchwork of fields, vines and olives similar in many ways to her better-known neighbour, Tuscany, yet in other ways so very different. Umbria evokes a deeper rusticity, a less ‘polished' feel than Tuscany, the secrecy and mysticism of the Middle Ages and yet because of this holds a charm and fascination for the visitor. The hill towns are superb in their own right; steep, narrow cobbled streets with overhanging arches, the grey stone enlivened here and there by pots of geraniums. Ancient crafts remain very much alive, with ceramics and woodwork in particular. Umbria abounds in Roman architecture with Gubbio and Spoleto being noteworthy and there are Etruscan remains too. The food is hearty and earthy too with truffles and porcini, sausages and salami being regional specialities. Yet Umbria also has some of the most important religious sites in Europe, such as the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi and throughout the region are to be discovered outstanding works of art by Perugino, Giotto, Pinturicchio and Gozzoli. Umbria is an intriguing region that awaits further discovery.
Highlights of Umbria
Shop for ceramics in Gubbio, truffles and cooked meats from Norcia. Dramatic landscapes of the Monte Sibillini and one of Europe's highest waterfalls called the Cascate delle Marmore near Terni. One of Italy's beauty spots is the Fonti del Clitunno south of Trevi. See carpentry and woodworking in Todi. Visit the wine museum in Torgiano. Forests of holm oak near Spoleto. Antique fair in April and a national craft fair in August and September in Todi.
Cultural highlights of Umbria
A mixture of religious and secular art and architecture makes Umbria fascinating. The cities of Perugia and Assisi are great centres but the smaller towns of Gubbio, Todi, Spoleto and Spello are also of outstanding interest. Highlights of the region include the Fontana Maggiore in the Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia. Perugia`s Galleria Nazionale containing works by Perugino and Pinturicchio. Gattapone`s Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio and his Ponte delle Torri in Spoleto. The `Adoration of the Magi` by Perugino in the church of the Madonna della Lacrime in Trevi. Frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo in the Pinacoteca of Gualdo Tadino. `San Sebastiano` by Luca Signorelli in the Pinacoteca at Citta di Castello. Frescoes by Giotto and Lorenzetti in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi.
Festivals in Umbria
Perugia has a jazz festival in the summer and the Sagra Musicale music festival held in its churches in September. Orvieto holds concerts in August and has a firework display on the 15th. Spoleto`s Festival of the Two Worlds, a world-class cultural event, takes place June and July. Spello holds its Infiorata in June when the streets are decked with flowers. Foligno holds jousting in September during its Giostra della Quintane.
Gastronomy in Umbria
Umbria's gastronomy is very much a product of its earth and waters: Mushrooms and truffles flavour many dishes, Game and wild boar, Trevi produces black celery, olive oil and black truffles, Pecorino cheese from Torgiano, Todi offers Panzanella, dried bread soaked and marinated in sliced tomato, basil, onion and olive oil, Sweet macheroni with walnuts, Salami and sausages are a regional speciality, Trout from the rivers and perch from Lake Trasimeno, Strangozzi and Bici are local pasta, often flavoured with porcini and truffles. Umbria produces some high quality robust red wines near Torgiano (Rubesco produced by Lungarotti for example) and Orvieto is known for its white wine.
