Taste of Italy Food Tour to Chianti and Umbria from Rome

• Get picked up at your hotel in Rome or meet your guide in the center of the city to begin this tasty tour of Tuscany and Umbria. During the drive in the comfortable air-conditioned coach, learn about the food and wine of the regions you'll be visiting and drink in the views of the rolling hills of northern Lazio and, eventually, Tuscany and Umbria.  Hop off the coach in Cortona, the setting for the best-selling travel memoir, 'Under the Tuscan Sun' by Francis Mayes, and stroll the cobblestone lanes, lingering in squares, taking in the medieval ambiance of the place. Take some free time here to enjoy the town and visit the Cathedral of St. Margaret.  Along the banks of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, tuck into an authentic farmhouse lunch, indulging in a lavish 4-course meal of regional delights, washed down with some locally made wine (at own expense). See itinerary for a sample menu.  Then board the bus again to drive through the rolling hills of Chianti stopping in the medieval hill town, Montepulciano. In one of the town's oldest wine cellars, sample some of Montepulciano's ruby-red wines and learn about the chief characteristics of what you are imbibing.  After the wine sampling, head back to Rome where the tour concluded with a drop-off at your hotel.

Get picked up at your hotel in Rome or meet your guide in the center of the city to begin this tasty tour of Tuscany and Umbria. During the drive in the comfortable air-conditioned coach, learn about the food and wine of the regions you'll be visiting and drink in the views of the rolling hills of northern Lazio and, eventually, Tuscany and Umbria.  Hop off the coach in Cortona, the setting for the best-selling travel memoir, 'Under the Tuscan Sun' by Francis Mayes, and stroll the cobblestone lanes, lingering in squares, taking in the medieval ambiance of the place. Take some free time here to enjoy the town and visit the Cathedral of St. Margaret.  Along the banks of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, tuck into an authentic farmhouse lunch, indulging in a lavish 4-course meal of regional delights, washed down with some locally made wine (at own expense). See itinerary for a sample menu.  Then board the bus again to drive through the rolling hills of Chianti stopping in the medieval hill town, Montepulciano. In one of the town's oldest wine cellars, sample some of Montepulciano's ruby-red wines and learn about the chief characteristics of what you are imbibing.  After the wine sampling, head back to Rome where the tour concluded with a drop-off at your hotel.

• 4-course lunch

• Local guide

• Transport by air-conditioned coach (maximum 50 people)

• Hotel pick-up (only for certain hotels located in central Rome - to be reconfirmed by the supplier after booking)

• Gratuities

• Drinks with lunch (available to purchase)