5 Days New Year’s Eve & Culinary Holidays in Umbria

Day 1, Thursday, December 28 - Arrival

• Arrival at the country farm “La volpe e l’uva” in Perugia, central Italy, Umbria, near Tuscany. Check-in at 16:00.

Day 2, Friday, December 29 - Cooking and excursion

• Hands-on cooking lesson starts around 10:00. You will prepare a four-course lunch. For lunch you will eat your creations in your apartment accompanied by Cook in Umbria's wines.
• Your afternoon excursion takes place from 15:00. Città della Pieve overlooks the Val di Chiana towards the western frontier of Umbria. Città della Pieve is an attractive, compact locality: its churches and the houses of its nobility were built of brick within a fairly short time span, from the late medieval period into the Renaissance, thus giving the town a happy unity of style. Pietro Vannucci, known as “Perugino“, was born in Città della Pieve and some of his works may be seen here. The monumental nativity scene has been a tradition in the area for many years now. It was begun in 1967 by the Terziere Castello and is now housed in the fascinating underground areas of Palazzo della Corgna. Apart from the main central nativity scene, there are other scenes depicting the life of Christ and various episodes from the Old and New TestamentsFrom that first edition, thanks to the skill and imagination of some able artisans, the nativity scene of Città della Pieve has become one of the major attractions in Italy with thousands of visitors each year.

Day 3, Saturday, December 30 - Cooking and excursion

• Hands-on cooking lesson starts around 10:00. You will prepare a four-course lunch. For lunch you will eat your creations in your apartment accompanied by Cook in Umbria's wines.
• At around 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 during Christmas time you can see the Christmas tree, which every year in the evening on December 7, 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. A professional guide will lead the excursion.

Day 4, Sunday, December 31 - Cooking and excursion

Hands-on cooking class starts around 10:00. You will prepare a four-course lunch that you will eat at the end of the class, accompanied by wines.

*In the afternoon 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 and 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 and the St. Damiano church. Professional guide will lead the excursion.

• In the evening you will go to the Perugia city center where you will have the New Year Eve dinner in a wonderful restaurant. Here you will see the spectacular and multi-colored fireworks explode across the city skyline at midnight!

Day 5, Monday, January 1 - Departure

• Departure after breakfast.

Emjoy tours in Città della Pieve, Assisi, Gubbio and Perugia.

The farmhouse La Volpe e l'Uva is located in central Italy, Umbria, north of Perugia, in a hilly position, very near to the main Umbrian towns and near to the Tuscany. It is only 4 kilometers far from the historic center of Perugia and it offers a suggestive view of the Umbrian hills. The proximity of Perugia makes the farm's position ideal for visiting other artistic towns in Umbria, such as Assisi, Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto, the Trasimeno Lake, and towns in Tuscany like Siena, Arezzo, and Cortona.

During your stay, Cook in Umbria will offer you daily breakfasts and lunches. In your apartment, you will find everything you need for your breakfast, such as coffee, milk, tea, cereals, bread, biscuits, eggs, jams made with fruits from the farm, fruits, and yogurt. You will prepare your breakfast in your apartment respecting your time. Send Raffaella a list of foods that you want to find in your apartment.

For lunch, you will dine on your creations from the cooking classes accompanied by local, delicious, organic, red wines completely made in the farm. The lunch will be in Raffaella's home or in the garden of the farm. Dinners are not included. The lunches from your cooking classes are very rich and the afternoon tours often include tastings, so you should enjoy light dinners in order to be ready for your next cooking class.

In the apartments, your well-equipped kitchen is at your disposal and, after each tour, your driver can make a stop at a supermarket from where you can buy anything you will need. You can also ask the driver to bring you in the historical center of Perugia and dine in a restaurant; the driver will come to pick up them after the dinner at no extra rate. During your classes you will be preparing a wide variety of dishes that include appetizers, first course, main course, and dessert.

Appetizer

Tasty and delicious, starters have evolved as a true course meal of the Italian cuisine. Cold or hot, it can open a tasty meal or a special buffet. Some of the dishes you can prepare are:

• Bruschette - tomatoes and mushrooms
• Cake with zucchini, potatoes, and Taleggio cheese
• Crostini with chicken liver
• Crostini with roasted peppers
• Focaccia with onion and sage
• Fry flower zucchini
• Millefoglie with eggplants
• Mixed grilled vegetable with bread and garlic
• Panzanella
• Parmigiana with eggplants
• Salad with fennels and orange
• Salad with melon and mint
• Small onions in balsamic vinegar
• Spelt salad
• Torta al testo with ham and rucola

First course

A journey into the preparation of the symbol of Italian diet: pasta. The dry and fresh versions will alternate with different fillings and combinations of sauces inspired both by tradition and fantasy. Pasta sauce is made of fresh and seasonal ingredients. Either fresh or egg pasta, adapt well to many cooking styles or as a basic ingredient of Italian-style soups. Some of the types of pasta that you can prepare are:

• Gnocchi
• Homemade cannelloni with ricotta, prosciutto, mozzarella
• Lasagne
• Lentil soup
• Pasta and beans
• Pasta and chickpeas
• Handmade pasta (tagliatelle, strangozzi, maltagliati, pappardelle)
• Pasta sauce
• Pizza and focaccia
• Polenta
• Ravioli
• Risotto
• Soup with spelt

Main course

You will discover the world of meat by focusing on the techniques of preparation and cooking of both white and red varieties, two parallel universes, which often meet. Some of the dishes that you can prepare are:

• Chicken in a rich herb, olive, and vegetable sauce
• Chicken roller with Umbrian ham
• Hearby roast beef
• Italian vegetable quiche
• Pork loin with grapes and juniper
• Pork with pears and pecorino cheese
• Rabbit all'arrabbiata
• Rabbit with wild herbs
• Salmi of guinea fowl
• Salted cod in a tomatoes sauce
• Stuffed artichokes
• Stuffed vegetables
• Umbrian meatloaf with pine-seeds and dry grapes

Dessert

You are invited to discover the many facets of pastry, the preparations, and cooking techniques. A journey through cakes, cookies, and cream to delight your days and those of your friends. Some of the desserts that you can prepare are:

• Cake with carrots and almonds
• Cake with chocolate and pears
• Castagnaccio
• Crostata (with cream, fresh fruits, and jams)
• Panpolenta with ice cream
• Rocciata
• Tiramisú
• Tozzetti with holy wine

Massage available on request.

• 3 cooking classes of approximately 4 hours each
• 3 four-course meals from the cooking lessons
• 3 tours as indicated in the itinerary
• 4 nights accommodation
• Apron of Let’s cook in Umbria
• Certificate of participation
• Daily breakfasts
• Dinner on the New Year Eve
• Folder with all the recipes
• Umbrian wines during meals, liquors for after dinner/lunch