sellPremium Golden Week in Umbria & Rome - For Women Only

Board your overnight flight to Rome and you're off to your exciting Premium Golden Week in Umbria and Rome!

*Flights are not included in the price of this package.  We are happy to arrange them for you.

Benvenuta! Your driver will transport you from Rome’s airport to your hotel, in the heart of the historic center. Whether it’s your first time, or you’re returning, the Eternal City will overwhelm you with its Great Beauty.

You’ll check into the Hotel Ponte Sisto, a property that dates back to the Renaissance, perfectly located next to Rome’s Tiber River. There will be time to relax and explore the fascinating neighborhood, before a welcoming aperitivo in the hotel’s garden to toast the week ahead. Susan will give you tips about keeping a travel journal, so you can create a treasured souvenir of your week through journaling. We’ll dine nearby, enjoying the city’s vibrant nighttime atmosphere and bold flavors – the first of many memorable meals.

Meals Included: Dinner

You’ll have time this morning to enjoy Rome’s famous Campo dei Fiori market, (or you may sleep in), before departing by private mini-vans, through the countryside of dreamy rolling hills to Umbria – a region of breathtaking enchantment.

On the way, we’ll stop in Bomarzo, to see The Park of the Monsters, an amazing Renaissance sculpture garden, that was created by a prince, to honor his wife.

By afternoon, you’ll arrive in the medieval hill town of Perugia and settle into the Hotel Brufani. You’ll immediately be charmed by this 5-star property that’s been welcoming guests since 1884, with its warmth, elegance, and splendid location, perched above green valleys, for panoramic views.

We’ll have an aperitivo and dine in the hotel’s Collins’ restaurant, where chefs transform the best local ingredients into delicious traditional dishes.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After enjoying your morning cappuccino and abundant hotel breakfast buffet, we’ll take a drive to a family run farm to immerse ourselves in the flavors of Umbria.

Cooking Class will begin with a truffle hunt in the surrounding woods, where we’ll follow trained dogs as they sniff out these fragrant tubular treasures. We’ll bring our findings back to the farm kitchen, where Nonna and her daughters will lead us in a hands-on pasta making class, and teach us other favorite family recipes.

Lunch, feasting on the fruits of our labors, will follow.

Back in Perugia, the afternoon and evening are yours to stroll and dine on your own, with Susan’s suggestions. Choices range from rustic trattorias to sophisticated ristorantes.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we’ll discover treasures of Perugia—stunning stained glass, delicious chocolate, and rich history.  

We’ll begin at a family run workshop where stained glass has been crafted for over a century, producing masterpiece windows for churches and private villas all over the world. Our welcoming guide will lead us through his family’s workshop history, as we admire rooms filled with colorful glass creations and watch an artisan at work.

We’ll continue our Perugia discovery day with our local guide, for a fascinating walk through the historic center, including a visit to the Duomo. As Perugia is nicknamed City of Chocolate, we’ll also stop at a shop for a chocolate tasting, for an immersive experience of this delicious treat.

There will be free time for lunch on your own and shopping with our recommendations, or relaxing at our nearby hotel.

In the afternoon, we are off to Assisi, City of Saint Francis. The highlight here is the Basilica di San Francisco, where we’ll be guided through masterpiece frescoes that tell the story of the saint, painted by Giotto, Father of the Renaissance. Assisi also has a great history of worshipping females, so strolling through the historic center we’ll admire remains of the Roman Temple of Minerva and the Gothic Basilica of Santa Chiara, a follower of Saint Francis.

There will be free time at the magic sunset hour for shopping and aperitivo on our own. Then we’ll regroup for a cozy dinner at one of Assisi’s most beloved restaurants.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we are off with our guide to Italy’s most famous ceramic town: Deruta. Artisans have been working here since the Renaissance, and we’ll visit a family-run store/workshop that began in the sixteenth century and continues to create beauties sold internationally. We’ll watch painters at work and have free time in this unique hilltop spot for a caffe break and to browse other colorful shops.

We’ll move on to Spello, that’s been praised as “One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”, beloved for its charming alleyways, Roman gates, and rosy-stone buildings. We’ll have an olive oil tasting, with an expert who will guide us to learn more about one of Umbria’s most prized products.

Then we’ll have free time for lunch and to enjoy Spello’s lovely shops, followed by a visit to its greatest treasure: Cappella Baglioni in the Santa Maria Maggiore church, that’s adorned with masterpiece Renaissance frescoes by Pinturicchio.

Back in Perugia, the rest of the day is at your leisure—to enjoy the hotel spa, shopping, and dinner on your own.

Meals Included: Breakfast

This morning we’ll go to Gubbio, a town that’s a perfect set for a fairytale—topped by a Gothic palazzo, backed by a mountainous forest. We’ll be guided through its medieval center, imagining knights on horseback at the majestic Piazza Grande, and discover bronze tablets from the first century BC, (aka Umbria’s “Rosetta Stone”) in the Palazzo dei Consoli.

We’ll have lunch together in an elegant, historic restaurant, followed by free time to stroll and enjoy Gubbio’s churches, architecture, and shops, where antiques, jewelry, and ceramics, painted with a distinctive gold and ruby red lustre are sold.

Back in Perugia we’ll be treated to a private tour of a weaving workshop, located in what was formerly The Women’s Church of Saint Francis. Perugia’s weaving tradition began in the Middle Ages and was passed down from women to women through generations. When the industrial age threatened its demise, the tradition was saved by Giuditta Brozzetti, a schoolteacher-entrepreneur, who created this workshop in 1921 to employ local women. The founder’s great-granddaughter Marta carries on the workshop today, and we will watch her weaving on antique looms, hear her fascinating stories, and admire magnificent creations that range from copies of Medieval patterns to contemporary designs.

After this inspiring day, the evening is at your leisure, to enjoy the sunset and have dinner on your own in Perugia.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we’ll say arrivederci to Perugia and head off to Rome.  

On the way, we’ll stop in a place that delivers the most dazzling Umbrian experience: the hilltop town of Orvieto. The highlight here is Orvieto’s Duomo, adorned with glittering mosaics, shimmering marble, and statuary. With our local guide, we’ll be guided inside to be awestruck by Luca Signorelli’s frescoes that inspired Michelangelo.

As you will be in Orvieto on Market Day, the historic center will be extra colorful with stalls selling produce, clothing, and crafts. You’ll enjoy free time exploring Orvieto’s vias and alleyways, and have lunch on your own, with our recommendations.

We’ll arrive in Rome in the early evening, check back into the Hotel Ponte Sisto, and have dinner together nearby in Trastevere, a charming neighborhood, beloved by artists.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After a delicious breakfast in the hotel’s courtyard, our Roman guide will lead us on a walking tour of Rome’s historic center. Among many highlights and gorgeous fountains, we’ll see the Piazza Farnese, the Spanish Steps and have a break at Rome’s oldest and most elegant caffe—Antico Caffe Greco. The walk will end at lunch time in Trastevere, where there are many great eateries you can enjoy on your own, with our suggestions.

You’ll have the afternoon on your own, with our suggestions. If you wish to do a tour of the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel or Colosseum, we can easily arrange that for you.

In the evening, we’ll gather for a short ride outside the city walls to the Appian Way, aka The Queen of Roads. It’s a stunning experience to walk there at sunset, on stones where Roman Emperors marched thousands of years ago. We’ll dine nearby in a beautiful setting.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we’ll enjoy a private tour of a Roman treasure: the Palazzo Colonna. This is a Baroque masterpiece of the Colonna Family, nobles who still live here. They generously open part of their palazzo to visitors on Saturday mornings, so we’ll have the chance to admire amazing frescoes, artwork, and decor, and hear from the “friend of the family” guide about amazing Colonna women.

The afternoon is free for you to enjoy at leisure, with Susan’s suggestions, or we can arrange a guided visit to the Colosseum or Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel.

We’ll meet as a group in the early evening to see the Roman Forum at sunset, when it is at its glowing best. Among this site’s great stories, our local guide will be sure to include those which involve women – such as the Basilica Julia and the Temple of the Vestal Virgins.

After sunset, we’ll have our final celebration of our week – an elegant farewell with a view of the Pantheon.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Your driver will transport you to the airport or train station, where you’ll depart with joyful memories of your Golden Week.

Meals included: Breakfast