Luxury Villa Umbria, Italy

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Elwin Cannon
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1 Luxury Villa Umbria, Italy

2 The splendor, tranquility and charming ambience of the Umbrian hills can be yours at Le Vigne. A former 12th century convent on 15+ acres, Le Vigne has been renovated to exacting modern standards. Conveniently located within twenty minutes of the Franciscan center of Assisi, twenty minutes from Tuscany and ninety minutes from Rome. Le Vigne is an ideal central Italian vacation base.

Le Vigne is a porzione di colonica (a separate residence and entrance within a larger building) that was divided in the 1700 s for family expansion.

3 Le Vigne is a porzione di colonica (a separate residence and entrance within a larger building) that was divided in the 1700 s for family expansion. The fully furnished and screened property comfortably sleeps seven. There are four bedrooms (three doubles, one single) that are air-conditioned and three bathrooms (two ensuite). All bathrooms have showers (one with tub as well), bidets, blow dryers, curling and flat irons. There is a spacious and fully equipped eat-in kitchen and large living area. The villa offers many opportunities to enjoy splendid surroundings. Swim in the oversize azure pool surrounded by an olive grove, play tennis or bocce on lighted clay courts or simply relax in a lounge chair at this hilltop haven and experience the spectacular views. Distances - Perugia 6mi, Assissi 10mi, Cortona 45mi, Gubbio 20mi, Siena 76mi, San Gimignano 98mi, Florence 105mi, Rome 112mi. Le Vigne

Our Trip Only six people (double occupancy) will have the opportunity to travel to Italy with David Lester and experience first-hand the culture and food of Umbria and Tuscany.

Everyone is invited to travel with David or make their own arrangements for earlier flights. Saturday Le Vigne Our personal driver will meet us outside customs at the Rome airport.

5 Our Trip Only six people (double occupancy) will have the opportunity to travel to Italy with David Lester and experience first-hand the culture and food of Umbria and Tuscany. Getting to Italy: David will depart for Rome s Leonardo di Vinci Int l airport (FCO) on Friday August 12 arriving early Saturday morning August 13. Everyone is invited to travel with David or make their own arrangements for earlier flights. Saturday Le Vigne Our personal driver will meet us outside customs at the Rome airport. If necessary we will then pick up others at a location in Rome should some decide to arrive earlier. Our driver will treat us to a driving tour of Ancient Rome and St Peter s Square before heading north to Le Vigne, a villa set on top of one of the hills surrounding Perugia. Le Vigne, our home for the week, is owned by Joan and Roger Arndt, friends of David. The Arndts are formerly from Atlanta where Joan worked in International Marketing with Coca-Cola and Roger was an International Captain with Delta. They moved to Italy in 2002 and have established one of the finest self-catering villas in the area, hosting over one-hundred guests each year. On arrival at Le Vigne we will select bedrooms, enjoy a light lunch, receive an orientation and perhaps indulge in a short nap before Joan and Roger provide a four course welcome dinner with wines.

Sunday August 14 Montefalco / Spello We ll leave Le Vigne around 9:30, bound for Montefalco, the heart of Italian linens: tablecloths, bedspreads, dishtowels, and more.

For lunch we ll enjoy a wine-tasting luncheon in an enoteca (wine bar) in Spello, our second medieval hilltop town.

6 Sunday August 14 Montefalco / Spello We ll leave Le Vigne around 9:30, bound for Montefalco, the heart of Italian linens: tablecloths, bedspreads, dishtowels, and more. Joan will translate and Paola, the shop manager, will convert all inches to centimeters and point everyone in the right direction with capable assistance. For lunch we ll enjoy a wine-tasting luncheon in an enoteca (wine bar) in Spello, our second medieval hilltop town. Our host, Maurizio, will let us generously sample four or five Umbrian wines while serving a typical Umbrian lunch. This is an all-out, no-rush, three-hour lunch after which we will engage in a bocce tournament (or nap) at Le Vigne and talk about how we re too full for dinner. Wine, cheese and meats poolside, typical Italian antipasta, will be sufficient.

Monday August 15 Perugia / cooking class After breakfast, Marco, our personal certified Umbrian guide, will then lead us to Perugia, the capital and largest city in Umbria and our third

Following lunch Joan and Roger will introduce us to ceramic shopping with Valentina, a local and talented artisan and to a cashmere and knitwear manufacturing outlet.

7 Monday August 15 Perugia / cooking class After breakfast, Marco, our personal certified Umbrian guide, will then lead us to Perugia, the capital and largest city in Umbria and our third medieval hilltop town. Marco will explain the wonders of this city of Etruscan roots and take us to lunch at the Caffé di Perugia. Following lunch Joan and Roger will introduce us to ceramic shopping with Valentina, a local and talented artisan and to a cashmere and knitwear manufacturing outlet. We ll return to Le Vigne for a cooking class with Clara: five courses with wines. Clara is a self-taught cook and her methods are most interesting. Valentina, her daughter, acts as sous chef. It s an entertaining mother-daughter show and always a weekly highlight.

Tuesday-Wednesday August 16-17 Cortona After breakfast we ll leave for a short drive for an overnight visit to Cortona.

8 Tuesday-Wednesday August Cortona After breakfast we ll leave for a short drive for an overnight visit to Cortona. We ll check into Hotel Italia and during our stay in Cortona we ll have the opportunity to shop, visit the UGA campus and enjoy another wonderful enoteca where we will have a presentation and tasting of Tuscan wines by Marco Molisini, formerly a UGA student. Lunch will be in town at La Grotta. Tuesday afternoon will be free and Tuesday dinner will be a tasting menu at Torinos. Wednesday morning we will tour the Etruscan Museum and follow that will lunch at Corys, a four-star restaurant overlooking the valley and a corner of Lago Trasimeno. Our host at Corys, owner and head-waiter Giuseppe, will pamper us with three hours of incredible tastes. A traditional light dinner of grilled sausages and salad will be at Le Vigne, followed by sunset and wine at the fire pit.

Thursday August 18 Outdoor market /Santa Maria /

degli Angeli and Assisi for private tours of the

9 Thursday August 18 Outdoor market /Santa Maria / Assisi / Cooking class II Roger and Joan will take us to the local weekly outdoor market. After the market Marco will take us to Santa Maria degli Angeli and Assisi for private tours of the city of Saint Francis and Saint Claire as well as lunch in Assisi. We ll return to Le Vigne for bocce before venturing to Trilogy, possibly the best pizzeria in Central Italy.

Friday August 19 Gubbio and farewell dinner With Marco we will visit Pasta Fresca, a

retail sales. We ll then tour Gubbio, an ancient Roman city north of Le Vigne.

Saturday August 20 Arrivederci Early good-byes to Joan, Roger and Le Vigne will ensure

10 Friday August 19 Gubbio and farewell dinner With Marco we will visit Pasta Fresca, a local fresh pasta shop where we will see how the staple of Italian cuisine is made for retail sales. We ll then tour Gubbio, an ancient Roman city north of Le Vigne. On the way home we ll stop at a local restaurant for a light lunch before returning to organize and pack. Our farewell dinner will be at Lo Spedalicchio, a fabulous 12th century restaurant. Saturday August 20 Arrivederci Early good-byes to Joan, Roger and Le Vigne will ensure that we arrive at the Rome airport in time to clear security and board our flight. Roger will assist those electing to remain in Italy with transportation arrangements.

11 This luxury trip includes all meals, wines, tips, ground transportation, two rental cars and fuel (driving in Umbria is quite tranquil), private guides, entrance fees, cooking classes, wireless internet, phone calls to land lines in the States and translations. David will be recording your visit with photography and video. Upon departure David will present each Guest with a photo alumn and DVD of their stay at Le Vigne. For more information about Le Vigne and photos of this beautiful property, go to www. levigne.net. Ground package per person based on double occupancy is $4,500, $500 will be a taxdeductible donation to The University of Georgia friends of Cortona Fund NOTES: Guests are advised to bring measurements of tables, windows, beds, etc. for use in Montefalco at the linen shop. All linens, as well as ceramics, wines and art, can easily be shipped back to the States. International driver s licenses are not required. Our vehicles are fully insured by USAA. Roger and Joan request notification of any food allergies or aversions in advance and any special requests for basic food items to be stocked in the kitchen would be helpful.. Computers, most phones, ipods, ebook readers and cameras require only adapters to connect to the house electricity. Certain other older devices require converters. Ask in advance for the latest information. Le Vigne has a cellphone for guest use to call worldwide. For Reservations please contact David Lester, tdl@lester-associates.com phone

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