For more details please call me at 650-520-4664
Spring:
April 25 – May 4 Exploring Textiles Arts
We will visit a number of small hill cities and explore their individual rich culture of hand textiles, ranging from weaving, to bobbin lace, Irish lace, hemp production, natural dye making, museums of color, customs, and others. Of course we will also do lots of Italian food, wine, olive oil and truffle tasting! If the group is interested, we can organize a two day workshop at our home in an area of the groups interest, such as natural dyes, felting, or spinning.
May 9 – May 18 Food, Wine and Culture
What is Italy but food and wine! There are many distinct regions of wine and food within an hour drive from home base. Depending upon the group we can explore several of these regions or focus on one region. We will organize cooking with local Nonni (Grandmothers), as well as organized tasting of truffles, olive oils, honey, sausages, and more. We will visit local farmers markets and bio-dynamic farms resorting ancient grains. There is also a number of very distinct grape regions within an hours drive from our home base. Depending upon the group, we can choose a number of wineries to visit and meet with the winemakers for a guided tasting. All the locations we visit are family owned and operated, a give us a special view of Italian families and life. Of course we will eat and drink our way through the tour as that is the culture of Italy!
May 23 – June 1 La Dolce Vita and Yoga Retreat
with Zohra Campbell
La Dolce Vita is the Sweet Life and that is what we will do with Zohra! We will marry the graceful practice of morning stretching and yoga with visiting the medieval hill cities of the region. We will return home each evening with plenty of time for an evening relaxation session with Zohra. Natural this tour will include lots of healthy local foods, wines and olive oil and truffles. Zohra Campbell is a Chiropractor and yoga instructor, Director and Owner of Indigo Wellness Center, Salem, OR.
Chiropractor in Salem Oregon – Dr. Zohra Campbell from Indigo …
Fall:
August 29 – September 7 Textiles – Felting Workshop
This tour will begin with a two day workshop at our hill side alpaca farm with a local felting expert. We will start the first day with basics and on the second we will design our own bag or hat to take home to prove we really did more than just eat and drink! On following days we will visit a number of small hill cities and explore their individual rich culture of hand textiles, ranging from weaving, to bobbin lace, Irish lace, hemp production, natural dye making, museums of color, customs, and others. Of course we will also enjoy lots of Italian food, wine, olive oil and truffle tasting!
September 12 – September 21 Food, Wine and Culture
What is Italy but food and wine! There are many distinct regions of wine and food within an hour drive from home base. Depending upon the group we can explore several of these regions or focus on one region. We will organize cooking with local Nonna, as well as organized tasting of truffles, olive oils, honey, sausages, and more. We will visit local farmers markets and bio-dynamic farms resorting ancient grains. All the locations we visit are family owned and operated, a give us a special view of Italian families and life. Of course we will eat our way through the tour as that is the culture of Italy!
September 27 – October 6 Open for a custom group
Organize a group of your friends and/or family (4-6 people) and we can customize a tour to everyones special interests. We have had groups interested in architecture, art, history, wine, cooking, ancient foods, woodworking, antiques, fishing. You name it and we will find it! It is part of the fun for me to seek out new adventures!
First time offered!
July to be set according to festival dates Tour of the Arts!
Each July Umbria host three fabulous festivals; The Umbrian Film Festival, The Umbrian Jazz Festival, and the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds. If we plan carefully we can organize a week where we can overlap all three events! It’s been a dream of mine for years, and next year is the one to do it! Please let me know if you are interested and I will start to work out the details. These festivals typically do not publish their details until after January each year.
http://www.umbriafilmfestival.com/programma/
November 21 – November 30 Olive Oil Harvest and Fall Festivals
I know many of you cannot travel during the spring and fall months because you are tending to your own crops and vineyards or teaching our children, so, let’s go in the off season! The end of November will let us taste fresh pressed olives and we will find the wine markers after their harvest rush. There are also wonderful fall festivals at this time of year, especially the chestnuts, truffles and vini novella (new wines). Personally, the fall foods might be my favorites! I am also open to working this out over the Christmas, New Years period, except we will not see the harvest festivals, but we will get the Christmas music and nativity exhibits.
Also keep in mind, this fall we are exploring Piedmont, Parma and Modena in the hopes of become cheese and vinegar experts. Let me know if you are interested a forming a group to explore these regions.