This 7-night tour of Umbria is a love letter to food, wine, and slow days done right. Unlike its Tuscan neighbor, the region of Umbria in Italy has managed to stay under the radar — think hilltop towns without the crowds, ancient cities, and an authentic way of life almost untouched by the 21st century. Accompanied by two Art In Voyage hosts — our CEO Mikael Audebert and Chef Kevin Fonzo — you’ll travel with a small group of six to eight guests, exploring Umbria’s most delicious and storied corners. Hunt truffles in the forests of Montefalco, master pasta and tiramisu in a hands-on cooking class, taste artisan chocolate in Perugia, and dine in the wine cellar of a 14th-century palace. You’ll visit the crown jewel towns of Umbria, with a touch of Tuscany midweek (Siena and Montepulciano) — all while staying in a private villa overlooking Lake Trasimeno, where the wine flows and Chef Kevin prepares Italian feasts to remember.
• Arrive in Rome, where a luxury private transfer will be waiting to take you into the Umbrian countryside.
• En route, stop in the town of Orvieto for a self-guided tour — think volcanic rock, wine cellars, and Gothic drama — and lunch at leisure (own account).
• Continue to your home for the next week — a private villa set above Lake Trasimeno.
• Tonight, meet your hosts, our CEO Mikael Audebert and Chef Kevin Fonzo, over a welcome dinner at the villa prepared by Kevin — expect Umbrian cuisine paired with fine wine.
• This morning we head to Assisi, not just home of St. Francis, but a masterclass in medieval architecture and frescoed chapels.
• Join our private guide for a leisurely three-hour walking tour through cobbled lanes, basilicas, and viewpoints that have inspired centuries of pilgrimage.
• You’ll have time to browse, snack, and get lost in a good way. Lunch is at your leisure, with recommendations that skip the tourist traps and go straight to the truffle.
• Back at the villa, take the afternoon off — swim in the pool, nap, read, or all three.
• Dinner is another Umbrian feast at the villa courtesy of Chef Kevin, served with sunset views and regional wine.
• Enjoy a lazy morning at the villa.
• Before lunch is served, join local Chef Daniele in the villa kitchen for a hands-on cooking lesson in Umbrian essentials: making pasta and classic tiramisu from scratch (and a few tricks you’ll smugly use forever).
• After a siesta (highly encouraged), we pop into Perugia, Umbria’s hilltop capital known for its chocolatiers, for private chocolate tastings.
• Back at the villa, it’s pizza night — gather round the outdoor oven with our chef and create your own pizza masterpiece under the stars. No delivery required.
• After a morning at leisure, set off for Spoleto, an ancient city famed for its window boxes and streets cascading with flowers.
• Enjoy lunch at leisure or join us at one of our favorite fine dining restaurants (own account).
• Then it’s off to the Umbrian woods in the Montefalco area, where you’ll follow a local truffle hunter and his dog through the forest in search of the region’s prized fungi.
• Later, dig into a well-deserved truffle-laced dinner in a unique spot in Montefalco.
• Start with a visit to a family-run farm in the Montefalco area, where animals graze and the pace of life hasn’t changed much in generations.
• Then it's off to meet the local makers in Montefalco town: artisans who weave linen and press olive oil.
• Next, we visit another idyllic farm in the Montefalco area, this time to taste and learn about Umbrian cheese, followed by lunch.
• The rest of the day if yours to enjoy, with dinner prepared by Chef Kevin back at the villa.
• After breakfast, we head west for a day in Tuscany — because when you’re this close, it would be rude not to.
• First stop: Siena, where our private guide peels back the layers of this medieval beauty on a short walking tour — revealing the Piazza del Campo and a striped cathedral that makes zebras seem restrained.
• After lunch (own account), we wind our way to Montepulciano, home of big red wines and small cobbled lanes.
• Tonight, we dine in style in the wine cellar of a 14th-century Tuscan palace.
• Today is yours. Stay horizontal by the pool with a good book, or let us tempt you into something more active — horseback riding, a boat ride across Lake Trasimeno, or a little Umbrian cashmere and ceramics shopping (purely cultural, of course).
• If you’re at the villa, lunch is included, and involves all the things you’ll miss when you get home.
• As the sun starts to slip, we gather for a final dinner — Umbrian and Tuscan flavors, a few of our favorite bottles, and just the right amount of sentimentality.
Your luxury airport transfer will be ready to take you to Rome… unless you want to take in more of Italy’s exceptional sights. Why not extend your stay with a few days in Florence, a roam around Rome, or a week under the Tuscan sun? Your Art In Voyage travel concierge is here to make it happen. We’ll design the perfect extension to your Italian trip, just say the word.
Note: Your airport/city center transfer back to Rome is included. Transfers to other cities can also be arranged for a small supplement.
We’ve just returned home from an amazing trip to Umbria, Italy!! We had a fantastic time, the villa and its grounds were breathtaking!! Mikael & Kevin went above and beyond to make sure we had a memorable vacation… and they succeeded!! Already booked our next trip with Art In Voyage!!
Wonderful week in Umbria. The food and wine were fabulous! Our daily tours were fun, and we learned a lot. It would be impossible to say what I liked the most, because everything was great! Our hosts went out of their way to make sure that all our needs were met. It was perfect!
Thank you so much for our amazing trip to Umbria! Your team truly catered to our personal preferences on every level; with both of us being foodies, it made a difference! Our favorites were the fantastic dinners by Chef Jennifer and her AIV touches? Her culinary creations were arts themselves! The truffle hunt with Bruno was a wonderful experience as well as the visits to the various local towns! Looking through the pictures they were each different and very charming! Memories for a lifetime for sure!
Art in voyage exceeded every expectation I had. Each day I thought well they can’t do better than this and the next day they did. you didn’t even know they were paying attention to our conversations but then they would adjust the schedule and you realized it was because they were paying attention to what we wanted. You can’t ask for better than that
Our day-to-day itinerary may, from time to time and prior to departure, need to be altered or slightly modified to address possible unforeseen logistical and weather challenges. In such rare instances, Art In Voyage guarantees delivery of the content of the itinerary yet, in a different order.
All listed retreats (hotels, villas, and barges) are, at times, subject to changes. In such rare instances, similar or higher standards will be upheld.
Travel insurance, once purchased, goes into effect upon payment of the premium. You have 15 days from that date to cancel it (providing no claims have been filed or initiated during that period). Beyond 15 days, it becomes non-refundable/non-changeable/non-transferrable.
In case of a cancelation at more than 90 days prior to departure, your deposit will be returned minus a $500 per person administrative fee.
In case of a cancelation within the penalty period: Find a replacement at least 30 days prior to departure and your journey will be fully refunded, minus a $500 per person administrative fee.
