Olive Harvest in Umbria

Celebrate the OLIVE in Umbria!

Participate in the Olive Harvest and enjoy the fruits of the Umbria region of Italy while cooking and eating local foods, drinking area wines, and soaking up the rural beauty of Umbria while staying in a beautiful farmhouse just five minutes from the historic center of Perugia.

The olive harvest is a unique opportunity to participate in an autumnal ritual that is essential to Italy's agrarian and culinary interests.

Olive harvest in Italy: Olive oil production, as wine production, has been an important economic resource since Etruscan times. The Umbrian region with its hills, grounds, and climate allow the olive trees to grow and produce superior quality olives with low acidity.

Olive harvest in Umbria: The extra virgin olive oil from this region suits the simple genuine and delicious Umbrian gastronomy.

Olive oil is obtained through a simple process of pressing chilled olives that are found in the foot hills of Umbria. The gathering of the olives is an entirely hands-on process so as to not bruise the precious olives.

Imagine a rich dense extra virgin olive oil with an intense green color and a soft olive fragrance that is filled with full rich flavors and you have imagined the olive oil of Umbria. The thick and delicious olive oil in this region is best used in the seasoning of breads, soups, vegetables, salads, meat and fish.

Description of the Four-Day OLIVE HARVEST Cooking Package

Day One

Arrival at the country farm "La volpe e l'uva". Check-in your apartment at 4:00 PM. Dinner reservations can be made at a restaurant of your choice in the historic centre of Perugia or in a country side cafe of your choosing (not included).

Day Two

In the morning, you will be engaged in the annual olive harvest on the farm and enjoy a lunch made of the typical products from Umbria.

At 5 PM, you will join your fellow students in the kitchen for your first hands-on cooking lesson. During your lesson, you will prepare a four course dinner that will be enjoyed by your group for dinner, along with a selection of Umbrian wines.

Day Three

In the morning, you will be engaged in the annual olive harvest on the farm and enjoy a lunch made of the typical products from Umbria. The afternoon is free and the hosts will be more than happy to make arrangements for you to take a tour of a local winery, market, etc. (not included)

At 5 pm, you will join your fellow students in the kitchen for your first hands-on cooking lesson. During your lesson, you will prepare a four course dinner that will be enjoyed by your group for dinner, along with a selection of Umbrian wines.

Day Four

Day-long excursion beginning with a visit to the Museum of Olive Oil and Wine in Torgiano. The Museum of Oil and Wine is of great interest, containing a precious collection of historical documents regarding various sectors: the art of wine-growing and wine-making and artistic, folkloristic and bibliographic documentation on the subject.

You may also view a very precious collection of majolica dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. An English-speaking guide will accompany you during the tour and you will be tempted and encouraged to partake in the wines and typical food of the area surrounding the "Osteria del Museo".

Upon return from your excursion, your hands-on cooking lesson will begin at 5:00 PM and you will join your fellow students in preparing a delicious four course dinner made from the fresh ingredients of the region. For dinner you will dine on your creations in your apartment accompanied by Umbrian wine.

Day Five - Departure

Olive Harvest in Umbria Package Includes the following:

• 4 Breakfasts*
• 2 Llunches
• 3 Dinners
• 3 Cooking lessons of approximately 4 hours each
• 2 Days of olive harvest
• 1 Daily excursion (with car and car driver)
• 4 nights accommodations

* in your apartment you will find coffee, milk, biscuits, jams, butter and sugar.

The excursions will occur in a minivan, with a licensed English-speaking tour guide who will provide you with information and suggestions during your excursion

Course is available November 1st through November 30th, 2008

Price per person (per apartment) based on Double Occupancy:

800 Euro per person

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