It’s Finally Here!

Umbria: Food, Wine and Words

Eat, drink and find your voice in the green heart of Italy
May 23 – May 31 or May 30 – June 7, 2014

Join acclaimed travel writer and blogger Linda Dini Jenkins (that’s me!) for a week-long adventure under the glorious skies of one of Italy’s most beautiful regions.

This small group adventure includes lodging at the spacious and inviting Villa Fattoria del Gelso in Cannara, in the shadow of historic Assisi.

Linda is the author of Up at the Villa: Travels with my Husband — praised as one of the “Ten travel books I’d give my girlfriends” by www.journeywoman.com — and is the creator of the entertaining and informative travel blog, Travel the Write Way (www.travelthewriteway.com). Her writing also appears in Dream of Italy, Richmond Times-Dispatch, HealthCare Traveler and AAA’s Home and Away.

During our week in the sun, Linda will share some of her secrets to effective travel journaling in a series of low-key optional writing workshops, using exercises that are sure to help participants capture their Umbrian experiences to the fullest.

Participants will travel to several of Umbria’s storied hill towns; will eat and drink well; will write sparkling journal entries; will experience L’Infiorata (Umbria’s incredible flower art festival); and will still have plenty of time for exploring and relaxation.

This package includes seven nights in the fully restored 17th century Villa Fattoria Del Gelso, located on a 40-hectare working farm that is literally walking distance from colorful shops and restaurants and centrally located in the village of Cannara. The trip is designed for relaxed learning and sightseeing via foot, bicycle and van. Not every moment has been scheduled — if there are other things that you’d like to do, the possibility exists.

Fee includes villa accommodations, all breakfasts, welcome and farewell dinners, pizza-making party and cooking class on premises, a winery tour with lunch and transportation to Assisi, Spello and Montefalco by private van. Both writers and non-writers are welcome. Bring your swimsuit, camera and journal. You’ll find your voice — and your smile — in Umbria. Andiamo!

Just the Facts . . .

 May 30 – June 7, 2014

Price per person: $2,300

Package includes:

• seven nights in the private Villa Fattoria del Gelso
• welcome and farewell dinners with wine
• all breakfasts
• daily Umbrian “aperitivo” with local wines, meats and cheeses
• vineyard tour, wine tasting and private lunch in Montefalco, home to one of Italy’s great wines
• private guided full-day walking tour of Assisi (including lunch) with Anne Robichaud
• guided tour of Perugia, the chocolate capital of Italy
• cooking class led by Simone Proietti-Pesci, chef-owner of Bevagna’s ristorante le Delizie del Borgo
• half-day self-guided walking tour of Spello during the amazing festa L’Infiorata
• pizza-making party at the villa
• ground transportation throughout your stay
• total of 7 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners and 7 relaxing Umbrian “aperitivi”

Package Details:

Package is for seven nights for two people sharing a double-occupancy room.

Pricing:

Price quoted is per person, double-occupancy sharing a double bedroom. A single room supplement of $400 will be charged to guests not wishing to share a room. Packages are land packages only. Air travel is not included. Transfers to and from La Fattoria del Gelso can be arranged for an additional fee.

Accommodations:

Accommodations are included in the package price. Guests will stay at the Villa Fattoria del Gelso, a private villa outside the village of Cannara in the Umbrian countryside. Most rooms have private baths, but several rooms will share a bath and we will fill these rooms last (a good incentive to book early, no?). For more information, including a photo tour of the villa, please visit the Experience Umbria website: www.experienceumbria.com. Inquiries about the villa can be directed to tours@experienceumbria.com.

Meals:

Meals include a welcome and farewell dinner, as well as daily continental breakfast served at La Fattoria del Gelso. The package also includes a pizza-making dinner party at the villa, a private vineyard tour and lunch, cooking class and a tour and lunch in Assisi. The villa also will provide a daily Umbrian aperitivo that will include local wines, meats and cheeses.

Transportation:

Ground transportation to and from events and excursions is included and will be provided by private coach. Tim and I will have a car. Free parking is available at the Villa, and you are welcome to provide your own transportation if you would like more flexibility to go off on your own.

Deposit:

(subject to slight changes, as weather & availabilities dictate)

Friday, May 23/30

• Fly from your home cities to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Dinner onboard flight.

 Saturday, May 24/31

• Arrive in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO) around 10:00 a.m.
• Watch for details about sharing van costs to the villa as we get closer to the date.
• Van cost is shared by guests and may include a stop in Rome or Orvieto on the way.
• Otherwise, you can rent cars at FCO and drive to Cannara (about a two-hour drive) or take the train from FCO to Foligno and then get a taxi to the villa or rent a car from Foligno. Details to follow.
• You can get into the villa at 4:00 and swim, relax or walk into town.
• Enjoy your first Umbrian Aperitivo with introductions and welcome dinner around 6:00 p.m. (early because we’re all jet-lagged!)

Sunday, May 25/June 1

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• Short optional writing instruction and daily exercise given, 9:15 – 10:15.
• Take time to relax at the villa, swim, ride bikes, walk into town or visit the cemetery across the street. Yes: Italian cemeteries are amazing!
• An optional self-guided bike ride to Bevagna can be arranged (and is encouraged!).
• Enjoy lunch on your own in Cannara or Bevagna — we’ll make recommendations.
• Special visit from Simone Proietti-Pesci, chef-owner of Bevagna’s ristorante le Delizie del Borgo, who will lead us in a cooking class starting around 3:00.
• Aperitivi around 6:00.
• Dinner will be what we cook in the class.
• June 1: Optional walk into Cannara tonight to see the set-up for L’Infiorata (the flower festival) dell Corpus Domini.

 Monday, May 26/June 2

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• Short writing instruction and daily exercise, 9:15 – 10:15.
• We’ll be picked up for a trip to Montefalco (Sagrantino country) for our wine tour, tasting and lunch.
• After lunch we’ll go into the classic hill town of Spello to see L’Infiorata (June 2 only) and have time to explore on our own.
• Back to the villa for Aperitivi.
• Dinner on your own in Cannara.

 Tuesday, May 27/June 3

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• We’ll be picked up for our full-day trip to Assisi with American ex-pat guide Anne Robichaud.
• Anne will arrange for lunch at a local eatery in Assisi (included).
• Back to villa for Aperitivi.
• Dinner on your own in Cannara if you’re still hungry and/or awake.

 Wednesday, May 28/June 4

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• Short writing instruction and daily exercise given, 9:15 – 10:15.
• Time to relax at the villa, swim, ride bikes, walk into town, visit the cemetery across the street.
• An optional self-guided trip to Deruta (the ceramic capital of Italy) can be arranged and costs will be shared.
• Lunch on your own in either Cannara or Deruta.
• Assignment: bring something from Cannara or Deruta to share with the group for the potluck dinner tonight following the Aperitivo.
• We’ll meet back at the villa in the afternoon for more relaxing and writing time.
• Aperitivi & then Potluck Dinner.

Thursday, May 29/June 5

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• We’ll be picked up for a trip to Perugia, the chocolate capital of Italy. We’ll have a guided tour and then lunch on our own in this classic city that is also the capital of Umbria.
• Back to the villa for Aperitivi.
• Pizza-making party at the villa tonight.
• Writers share their journal stories, observations or other stories about Italy during/after pizza time. All are encouraged to participate!

Friday, May 30/June 6

• Breakfast served at the villa from 8:00 – 9:00.
• Time to relax at the villa, swim, ride bikes, walk into town, visit the cemetery across the street.
• Enjoy lunch on your own — last chance to walk into Cannara!
• Time for packing, relaxing and preparing for departure tomorrow.
• Aperitivi, farewell dinner and trip reflections will begin around 7:00 p.m.

 Saturday, May 31/June 7

• Breakfast served at the villa, timing to be determined by your departure times.
• The group leaves the villa in the morning as their flights require.
• Villa must be vacated by 10:00 a.m. Boo-hoo.
• Van to Fiumicino can be arranged at your own shared expense.
• Memories begin . . .

Ci vediamo in Umbria!

Linda Dini Jenkins

Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…