NEW YEAR EVE IN ITALY: 5 days Cooking Vacation, Perugia, Italy Sight-Seeing Tours

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Spend a fabulous cooking holiday at the country farm "la volpe e l'uva" in the heart of Umbria, near to Tuscany. Just north of Perugia close to Assisi, Spello, Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto, Siena and Cortona. The farm is surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards, olive trees and Etruscan and Medieval history. Raffaella, the owner of the farm, is waiting you to offer you an unique culinary adventure.

Learn to cook authentic Italian dishes in an informal and friendly environment where you will learn the passion of the Italian kitchen and have fun doing it. All cooking classes are hands-on, use the freshest of ingredients and sample the olive oil and wine produced directly on the grounds of the Agriturismo la volpe e l'uva! Our local chef will guide you through the preparation of simple but delicious Italian recipes and reveal some of her culinary secrets.
The cooking teacher speaks English so understanding won't be a problem. The cookery classes take place in the Raffaella's home.

The Festa di San Silvestro in Italy is celebrated December 31th on New Year's Eve. This is a period rich in traditions! Families and friends get together for a huge feast. New Year's Eve is a wonderful time for a vacation in Umbria. Have a fun New Year's Eve with our special package including 5 night accommodation, 3 cooking classes, 3 lunches from cooking classes and 3 half-day excursions that will give you a taste of the italian atmpsphere of this magic time of the year! In the cooking classes you will learn the typical recipes of the Christams time and of the New Year Eve. The star of the New Year Eve dinner is lentils, symbolizing money and good fortune for the coming year. Traditionally, the dinner in Umbria also includes a cotechino, a large spiced sausage, or a zampone, stuffed pig's trotter. The pork symbolizes the richness of life in the coming year. Huge midnight fireworks displays celebrate the coming of the New Year. Perugia has public displays in a central square but private parties will also include firecrackers or sparklers, too, and will continue for a long time. Don't forget to wear your red underwear to ring in the new year! We say it'll bring you luck in the coming year.

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Thursday 27th December - Arrive in Perugia
Arrival at the country farm "La volpe e l'uva" (Perugia, Central Italy, Umbria, near Tuscany). Check-in your apartment at 4:00pm.

Friday 28th December - Assisi
Hands-on cooking class starts around 10.00 am. You will prepare a four course lunch that you will eat at the end of the class, accompanied by our wines.
The excursion takes place from 15.00. You will visit the mystical city of Assisi, a beautiful medieval town based on Mount Subasio, overlooking a peaceful Umbrian landscape. Assisi is essentially known for the fact that it's the place of birth of St. Francis in and that of Santa Chiara.
You will visit the city and the famous churches like the St. Francis Church filled with spectacular frescoes by Giotto, and also the Eremo delle Carceri (a peacefully isolated church and monastery in the wooded slopes just outside Assisi's walls, this was the first monastic home of St. Francis' and his followers) and the St. Damiano church (A church and monastery outside the city walls is where the crucifix spoke to St. Francis, prompting him to repair it and begin his ministry. Later, St. Clare died here). Professional guide in the excursion.

Saturday 29th December: Gubbio
Hands-on cooking lesson starts around 10.00 am.You will prepare a four course lunch. For lunch you will eat your creations in your apartment accompanied by our wines. The excursion takes place from 15.00.
You will visit Gubbio. Lying on the slopes of Monte Ingino, it is one of the most ancient towns of Umbria, extremely well preserved during centuries and rich of monuments testifying its glorious past.
Here in the Christmas time you can see the Christmas tree which every year in the evening on 7 December, Immaculate Conception eve, lights along the slopes of Monte Ingino.
It is the biggest tree in the world, by now a real symbol of Gubbio.
It rises from the last stone houses of Gubbio up to the basilica of S. Ubaldo, the patron saint of the town, close to the place where, till 10 January, shines the star of Bethlehem which completes the tree.Professional guide in the excursion.

Sunday 30th December- Deruta ceramic and wine
Hands-on cooking lesson starts around 10:00 am.
You will prepare a four course lunch. For lunch you will eat your creations in your apartment accompanied by our wines.
The tour take place from 15.00 to 19.00. You will visit a ceramic laboratory in Deruta where the majolicas are completely handmade. Their high quality producs 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. Than you will have a wine tour in a Winemakers Company near Perugia. It is a vineyard under family management, which with special care from their very own vines, produces D.O.C. Colli Perugini and IGT dell'Umbria white, red and rosè wines

Monday 31th December - Perugia
10.00pm You will visit the historic city centre of Perugia with a guide.
In the evening I will reserve for you a restaurant in the city centre where you will have the new year dinner and you will see all the exhibitions for the new year

Tuesday 1st January: Departure.

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Facilities in the country farm:

* Swimming pool (6 X 12)
* Car Park
* Garden
* Play area for children
* Outdoor barbecue
* Sell of wine, olive oil and jams
* guided tours (on request)
* Cooking courses (on request)
* Sing courses (on request)
* Baby bed
* Animals allowed
* Credit Cards

Availability Calendar