Food-Lover's Tour of Tuscany and Umbria

Photo courtesy of: Hotel Caruso © Belmond.

What to expect on this itinerary

Along with the rich culture and abundant historical sites, this 9-day tour of central Italy is designed to showcase the gastronomic greatness of the places you visit. From Umbria to Tuscany, the beating heart of Italian olive oil and wine production will be yours to enjoy along with the many other culinary delights. By the time you depart, you will have a better understanding of Italy's love affair with food.

Countries Visited

Italy

Places Visited

Perugia, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Montefalco, Assisi, Bevagna, Bagno Vignoni, Siena, Lucca, Pisa

Suggested Duration

9 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Perugia – An Olive Orientation

From olive orchards to vineyards that stretch to the horizon, Central Italy is known for being a gastronomic paradise. Into this tasty world you will step on your first day, which will be designed to bring you closer to the cuisine of this vibrant peninsula. After your arrival in Rome, you will make your way into Italy's Umbria region, where you will enjoy lunch at an authentic olive press and winery before an optional visit to the hilltop town of Orvieto. By the time you arrive at your rustic accommodations, you will already be well on your way to a mouthwatering Italian adventure.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Lunch
Day 2

Perugia – Strolling Through the Ages

Day 3

Perugia – Basking in Umbrian Hospitality

Day 4

Montepulciano – Authentic Olive Harvest

Day 5

Montepulciano – UNESCO World Heritage Site

Day 6

San Gimignano – Wine-Soaked Tuscany

Day 7

San Gimignano – From Lucca to Pisa

Day 8

San Gimignano – In Search of Tasty Truffles

Day 9

San Gimignano – The Final Course

Trip Highlights

  • Stroll through the cool shade of an authentic Italian olive orchard where farmers follow age-old techniques to harvest and produce some of the world finest oils
  • Wander the streets of Montefalco, where narrow alleys give way to brilliance plazas and the tables you pass are filled with an abundance of local ingredients
  • Enjoy a thrilling visit to a nearby winery where a jeep safari will ensure your proper introduction to the estate as well as the fine wine varieties they serve
  • Discover the Tuscan love affair with Chianti wines as you explore Montepulciano and the rocky caves where generations of wine are stored for future enjoyment
  • Immerse yourself in the rustic ambiance of a Tuscan, where Pecorino cheese is just one of the many tasty treasures awaiting your palette
  • Plunge into the vibrant atmosphere of Siena, where you survey the uncommonly shaped central plaza
  • Embark on a quest in search of the elusive white truffle with your seasoned guide, who will happily provide all the tips and tricks that help them find only the best truffles

Starting Price

$4,100 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 26 reviews

Luxury Italy Family Vacation Review: Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Pisa, Orvieto, Capri, Siena, Pompeii, San Gimignano

Our agent at this Italy travel company was very helpful at every step. She put together a wonderful itinerary for us that was very balanced. We stayed in Rome, Sorrento, Florence, and Orvieto. We had private guided tours in Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast and Florence, and group tours to Siena/San Giamagnano/Pisa and Capri. Everything was planned out perfectly. We were extremely happy with every accommodation. We did use the trains, and drivers met us at each destination so we did not need to worry about cabs. For the most part, we were able to avoid large groups. This was a wonderful way to see Italy. 

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Travel Review: Italy Tour, Milan, Tuscany, Venice, Siena, Lake Como, Lake Garda

Our agent, Lisa, did an excellent job of providing great accommodation throughout 4 cities in Italy, each one beautiful and unique, and exactly what we asked for. She listened to our requirements and quickly provided revisions to the plan to suit what we were looking for. On top of this, all of the connections were seamless and stress-free, allowing us to relax and enjoy the trip. Thank you.

We ate at some really lovely restaurants. Unfortunately I can not remember the names of them. We also stayed at amazing hotels. We especially loved our stay at Hotel Kriss at Lake Garda and Garden Hotel in Siena. Such great places to stay. Loved it.

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Travel Review: Family Tour of Italy, Rome, Florence, Sorrento, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast Tour, Cooking Lesson

The trip was wonderful. Our travel company did an excellent job of asking our needs and then meeting them. I really appreciated the fact that each day of the trip was planned out and sent to us in great detail so that we knew where we needed to be and at what time. Not only did this help us effectively see the things that we wanted to see, but also allowed us to know when our leisure time was and plan accordingly. This was our first trip to Italy and since we were travelling with our three children, including a seven year old, we needed a trip that was well arranged and thus low stress. In 8 days, we saw Rome, Sorrento, and Florence. Having pre-arranged transportation to pick us up from airports, train stations, and hotels was perfect. We had the same drivers in each location so we felt very relaxed. We arranged for at least one tour or activity each day not lasting more that 4 hours. This gave us time afterwards to explore the cities at our leisure.  We stayed in small hotels which were Bed and Breakfast places. It did take some time to understand the way these places work but overall, we enjoyed them. We had tour guides waiting for us when we toured places such as Pompeii and the heart of Florence.

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Travel Review: Anniversary Vacation in Italy, Rome, Sorrento, Puglia. Matera, Capri Boat Tour, Colosseum & Forum Tour, Wineries

My wife and I have wanted to travel to Italy for almost a decade, so picking the right travel agent was a very important step for us. Zicasso connected us with several agencies. We ultimately selected this company and worked with this travel agent to plan our trip. We could not have been more pleased with our experience.

One of the reasons we selected this travel agent was because she was based out of Italy. We felt more comfortable with someone living in the country as opposed to a travel agent who had simply visited Italy. Her expertise definitely improved many aspects of our trip. Our must-haves included a multi-night stay in Rome and Pompeii. Our agent crafted a 11-day vacation for us that included Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Matera, and Puglia. Each detail of our trip was planned perfectly.

We were picked up by private automobile transport at the airport and had private tours through almost our entire trip. Our tour groups ranged in size from just us to 10 people. The tour guides that our agent selected were incredibly knowledgeable and personable. They were enthusiastic and clearly very passionate about their tours. She also recommended a variety of restaurants and made reservations for us for every evening we were in Italy. She offered options for each day and we were able to select the tours that best suited our interests (Roman Catacombs, Food tour, Jewish Ghetto, etc.). We had 4-star accommodations throughout the trip. Not only were all the hotels great, they were in perfect locations in the center of the cities we visited.

When it was time to travel to Sorrento, our agent arranged travel by train and then private automobile pickup to our final destinations. We spent a day in Sorrento, another day in Capri, and our last day touring the Amalfi coast. We were able to take a boat tour around Capri and visit multiple cities along Amalfi. We tried our first ever Michelin rated restaurant and it was delicious. We couldn't believe that she arranged for a private driver to spend 12 hours with us along the Amalfi Coast (he dropped us off at designated cities and picked us up an hour or two later).

For our next step, our agent took us off the common tourist path and had us visit Matera and Puglia. It was a great cultural contrast to Rome and Sorrento. We slept in a Grotto (hotel) in Matera and had splendid views of the country and old city. In Puglia, we visited a winery and dined along the Adriatic Sea.

It was a memorable trip that we could not have been more thankful for. During multiple times on the trip, my wife and I remarked how lucky we were to have a travel agent so knowledgeable.

Our agent called us several times to check-in on us and immediately remedied a situation where our itinerary was forced to change. We had her number 24-7 for any needs. We had a stress-free trip. We could not have planned this trip on our own, so we are grateful to have had our agent's wisdom. We had contemplated doing our own research, but we could not have recreated the magic of this trip.

When we travel to Italy again, we will definitely be using this travel company!

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Italy Vacation Review: Castiglione del Lago, Barolo, Siena, Turin, History, Shops
Overall, the trip was a great success. The places we visited were very enjoyable and interesting. The restaurants recommended that we were able to go to had good food. The wineries we visited were awesome since some of them don't ship to the US so we got to try wines we would never taste. The pace of the trip was good. The accommodations were good, but there were a few issues with one of the hotels in Turin and while the hotel was very nice in Florence, I wish we had stayed in a more centralized location.

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Italy Travel Review: Rome, Florence, Venice, Pisa, Tuscany, Chianti, Siena, Cinque Terre, Vatican, Coliseum, Sistine Chapel

The overall experience in planning a trip with this Italy travel agency was exceptional. From the start our dedicated travel agent set a precedence to ensure we would have a trip of a lifetime.  We requested for her to plan an itinerary from Rome to Siena to Florence and Venice. The level of detail that she planned our trip was amazing! She went above and beyond to find the best (and cost effective) manner to travel between areas, to knowing when to coordinate private vs. group tours to even specifying what restaurants to go to. Our agent even provided us with a more detailed itinerary with contact information and addresses for everything we had planned. This was extremely helpful when asking for directions or taking a cab somewhere. Our agent really met all our needs and more. I have already recommended her to all my friends and family. If you want a memorable vacation to Italy with no worries, then our agent is the right person for you. 

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews