NOVEMBER 7-17, 2026

Fall in Umbria and Hidden Venice

HIGHLIGHTS

Spend three nights in a family-run hotel near St. Mark’s square

Tour Venice’s historic Jewish Ghetto

Enjoy an evening walking tour with cicchetti (Venetian tapas) dinner

Take the fast train to Florence for a city tour & lunch

Get a guided tour of Italy's most important archaeological site

PRICE FROM

$6,099

per person

$1,000 deposit

Payment plans available

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AVAILABILITY

📅 DATES

November 7-17, 2026

🗓 DURATION

11 Days/10 Nights

👤 GROUP SIZE

Max 12

🏅 ACTIVITY LEVEL

Daily walking, stairs, gentle hikes

📍 LOCATION

Begins in: Venice

Ends in: Rome

JUMP TO SECTION

About This Trip

Join us for a week in Umbria and a few days seeing Venice without the crowds, enjoying boat trips, a Florence mini tour, and foraging and cooking in the country.

It never gets too crowded in Allerona, but Venice is another story! That’s why we added this off-season pre-Allerona extension, which takes in La Serenissima after at least some of the crowds have gone home. This 11-day, 10-night tour starts in Venice with an itinerary that’s great for first-timers or Venice veterans alike, then follows with our Immersive Umbria experience — a study in contrasts, for sure!

Interested in adding a customized Venice experience to any of our other tours? No problem! Just send us a note.

What's Included?

Almost all meals, snacks, and ample wine included

Water taxis, gondolas, high speed train & airport transfers included

Stay in a charming hotel in Venice, & our own Six Keys Guesthouse in Allerona

We cover everything you'll do with us, from museum admissions to guided hikes, wine tastings & more

We partner with experienced local guides who aren't just reciting from a script

Make new friends and family connections that can't be faked

What’s not included:

Airfare or train fare to or within Italy (other than train from Venice), travel insurance (strongly recommended), tips for drivers and guides, optional meals and drinks not included in the tour itinerary, souvenirs and incidentals

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Welcome to the Lagoon City

Our tour convenes late morning in the lobby of our hotel. If you’re flying into Venice’s Marco Polo Airport on the first morning of the tour, a driver will meet you there for a group water taxi transfer to the dock closest to our hotel. If you’re already in Italy, you can arrive by train to Venice’s Santa Lucia Station and we’ll arrange a water taxi. If you’re already in Venice, make your way to the hotel.

We’ll drop our bags (if early check-in is not possible) and head right to lunch at a casual, locally owned restaurant.
After lunch, we’ll take a 2-hour Venice orientation tour that includes entry to Basilica San Marco. You’ll also have some free time to rest up from your flight or explore Venice on your own.
This evening, we’ll meet for a light dinner — or is it a heavy snack? — of authentic Venetian cicchetti, or tapas.
Afterwards, you can wander on your own, find more cicchetti, grab a gelato, and marvel at Venice’s nighttime glow.

Accommodations: Hotel Flora or similar

Meals: Welcome lunch, dinner

Day 2: The Jewish Ghetto and Artisans of Venice

Today, we’ll take an intimate look at a lesser-known aspect of Venice’s history — that of its Jewish community — and visit local artisans.

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll meet our guide and take a less tourist-trod path to the Venetian Ghetto, the historic Jewish district, for a tour that includes a sampling of kosher Venetian specialties.
We’ll enjoy a canalside lunch in Cannaregio, one of Venice’s more “lived-in” districts.
After lunch, we’ll visit an artisan’s bottega. Based on the group’s interest, this may be a leather maker, a gold leaf artisan, a mosaic artist or a gondola-maker’s studio.
Late afternoon and evening are yours to wander and explore.

Accommodations: Hotel Flora or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 3: The Lagoon Islands

On this day of adventure, we’ll head to the northern reaches of the Venetian Lagoon, learn about the origins of Venice and meet some of the people working to protect the lagoon’s fragile ecosystem.

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll travel by private water taxi to Burano, the technicolored island of fishermen and lacemakers, where we’ll get a private tour of the island.
From Burano, we’ll cross over to Torcello, traditionally regarded as the original settlement of the Venetians. After a tour of this small, sparsely populated area, we’ll have lunch at one of the few restaurants on the island.
After lunch, we’ll meet a local crabber and fisherman who will take us on a tour of the pristine outer reaches of the lagoon on a traditional bragozzo fishing boat.

After a late afternoon return to Venice, your last dinner in Venice is on your own.

Accommodations: Hotel Flora or similar

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 4: Goodbye, Venice, and Hello, Allerona

Today we’ll radically switch gears — from the watery cityscapes and touristy buzz of Venice to the hillscapes and quiet lanes of Allerona — with a quick peak at Florence along the way.

After early breakfast at the hotel, we’ll take a water taxi to Santa Lucia Station, from where we’ll travel first class on the fast train to Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station.
Our private van driver will meet us at the station to collect our luggage while we do a down-and-dirty 2-hour walking tour of Florence — hardly enough to do justice to this marvelous city, but we hate the idea of just passing through and not stopping to look around.
After lunch at a rustic Florentine trattoria, we’ll meet our driver and drive about 2 hours to Allerona.
Check into your rooms and find a snack waiting, and have a few hours to rest and chill. This is your home for the rest of your stay.
We’ll take an early evening tour of Allerona, where you’ll learn about the history of the village and some of its special places and hidden corners.
We’ll enjoy a welcome aperitivo and dinner in a private cantina.

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Orvieto

On this full day, we’ll get to know Orvieto, the beautiful medieval city with Etruscan roots and a magnificent 14th-century cathedral.

On the 20-minute ride to Orvieto, we’ll explain a little of the city’s history (and maybe a little about how Liz and Paolo met here!)
We’ll meet our guide for a tour of Orvieto’s centro storico (historic center) followed by a visit to the Duomo.
Lunch at our favorite trattoria in Orvieto
After lunch, we’ll visit one of Orvieto’s many underground caves, carved out over the millennia for storage, shelter and raw materials.
Return to Allerona for the evening and dinner at our lovely fine-dining restaurant

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: Foraging and Village Life

We’ll stay close to home and get a taste of rural life and traditional Umbrian cooking, family style:

If the olive gods shine on us, we’ll get an early start to olive picking. If it’s too late in the season for olives, we’ll sub this with mushroom hunting or some other outdoor activity, weather permitting.
Bring your appetites to a private lunch, prepared and hosted by Paolo’s mom, Franca, and sister, Anna Rita. Friends who’ve visited us recall “lunch with Franca” as the highlight of their stay. If we rounded up any truffles, mushrooms or asparagus, they’ll be on the menu!
Free time after lunch to rest and relax
Tour of a village palace, the ancestral home of a local family, followed by tasting of local olive oil, wine and other products, including a bruschetta-making lesson.

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, light dinner

Day 7: A Little Bit of Lazio

We’ll dip into Lazio, one of the region’s bordering Umbria, and visit one of the area’s most enigmatic sights.

Civita di Bagnoregio (la città che muore, or the dying city) sits on a dramatic tufa plateau just a short distance from Orvieto. We’ll walk across the long bridge — the only way to access the nearly-deserted town — and spend some time exploring and taking photos.
We’ll have lunch at Civita, then stop for a fantastic photo op of Orvieto.
On the way back to Allerona, we’ll stop for a wine tasting at a cantina with cellars built by the Etruscans.
This evening, those who still have some energy and appetite can join us at the bar just outside of town for drinks and snacks (walking, or transport provided). Otherwise, you can just rest and relax with snacks at your guesthouse.

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, optional light dinner

Day 8: Cooking with Franca

Today, we’ll stay close to home and spend the morning with Franca.

Mid-morning, we’ll head to Franca’s kitchen for a cooking lesson. Handmade pasta and tiramisu are on the menu.
At lunch, we’ll dine on the delicious food we prepared earlier, followed by a grappa tasting.
Your afternoon is free to rest and digest.
In the evening, we’ll provide snacks, or you can dine on your own at our restaurant in town.

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, light dinner

Day 9: Tuscany and the Umbrian Bosco

Weather permitting, we’ll spend most of the day outdoors, learning about the ancient Etruscans, thermal baths and foraged foods.

- Midmorning, we’ll head up to Parco di Villalba and meet our friend Adio for coffee, followed by a ~2-hour nature hike, where he’ll offer an informal lesson on edible wild plants and herbs.
- We’ll end our walk at a cozy, wooded osteria, for a lunch of traditional Umbrian specialties and local wine.
- After lunch, we’ll ride about 20 minutes to San Casciano dei Bagni for a tour of the major Etruscan and Roman archaeological site that’s come to light there. Then we’ll head up the hill to take a dip in the thermal pools of a luxury spa, where water bubbles from underground at a constant 104F.
- This evening, it’s pizza party time!

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10: Orvieto and Fond Farewells

On our last day in Umbria, you’ll have some free time to shop for souvenirs in Orvieto.

Mid-morning, our driver will take you to Orvieto, where you’ll have a few hours to explore and have lunch on your own.
Late afternoon, we’ll meet at Piazza Cahen and take the funicular — a one-of-a-kind experience — down to our waiting van. Then it’s on to a special surprise!
This evening, we’ll enjoy a festive cookout and get ready to say arrivederci Allerona…

Accommodations: A private room in our Six Keys Guesthouse

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Day 11: Arrivederci, Italy!

We’ll say our farewells and, depending on your onward schedule, we’ll get you transferred to Rome airport or Orvieto train station.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner