DESTINATIONS ITALY | MATURE TRAVEL


WHAT TO EAT


E Umbricelli pasta, described as ‘spaghetti on steroids’ by our tour director, along with strangozzi – or strangled – pasta. Other Umbrian and Tuscan delicacies include wild boar, truffles, pecorino cheese, soups and stews such as fagoli and rebolita, and cojoni di mulo, a sausage that translates as mule’s balls.


E Baci Perugina chocolates are made in Perugia, while many restaurants in Umbria and Tuscany offer the local bread made without salt, a legacy of medieval times when the pope tried to tax salt.


ABOVE: Gelato maker Sergio Dondoli, San Gimignano


worktop – all while wielding an enormous rolling pin. “It’s good for the triceps,” he quips. Lorenzo folds and cuts the pasta into different strips to


create tagliatelle, fettucine, pappardelle and more. All the while, he chats to diners, with culinary tips in


between the banter, inviting several to try his techniques – with rounds of applause for their efforts. It’s like watching a stand-up comedian presenting MasterChef. “This restaurant is my mission,” says Lorenzo, who has cooked for the likes of Barack Obama, Kofi Annan and Bruce Springsteen. “I like to meet people from different continents and create this ambience. It’s exciting.”


ICE KING Passion also drives world-champion gelato maker Sergio Dondoli, creator of quirky flavours with ingredients such as figs, ricotta, saffron, pine nuts, pink grapefruit and lavender. Like Lorenzo, he has welcomed celebrity customers at Gelateria Dondoli, set in the hilltop town of San Gimignano, counting the likes of Tony Blair, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Ulrika Jonsson as past patrons. His son, Stefano, tells us how gelato is made – and


how it differs from ice cream – and why staff start making fresh batches at 5am each morning. “I’ve been doing this since 1984. People see that I love what I do, it’s a passion,” Sergio tells me. “It’s seven days a week, and a 12-hour working day minimum for me and the staff of 20.” Our tour director, Mark de Cote, says meeting these


maestros adds extra dimensions to a guided tour that independent travellers would not experience.


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Mark is also a fascinating font of knowledge about Italian history, food, politics and culture. As we pass Lake Trasimeno, he tells us how


Hannibal’s Carthaginians ambushed Roman legions, killing more than 15,000 of their soldiers. Farmers still uncover remains and coins from that time, and place names such as Ossaia – land of bones – recall the blood-stained legacy of the massacre. The area’s many influences come to light gradually during the tour as we hear about the Etruscans, the mysterious people who lived in Italy before the Romans, and encounter tales of rebellion, medieval saints, popes, the unification of Italy in 1870 and modern politics. Mark also regales us with anecdotes about


vineyards, olive trees, truffle-hunting, wild boars, village festivals and sangiovese, the red wine grapes named after the blood of Roman god Jupiter. We meet local guides in Assisi, Cortona, Perugia and Siena, whose enthusiasm for their heritage is enchanting, while the artisans we’ve encountered along the way make for the most memorable moments. As Mark says: “It’s all about getting a unique insight and putting a ‘face to a place’.” TW


BOOK IT


Insight Vacations’ nine-day Country Roads of Umbria & Tuscany escorted tour is priced from £2,066 per person departing September 5, with eight nights’ accommodation with breakfast, four dinners and one lunch with wine, coach transport, VIP airport transfers and flights from London. insightvacations.com


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HOW TO SELL GUIDED TOURS


E Escorted tours are a popular option for older clients, particularly if they want the safety net of a guide and a group for their first experience of travelling since the pandemic.


E Reassure clients that each Insight Vacations departure includes a wellbeing director to maintain social distancing and sanitation standards.


E Guests listen to the tour guide’s commentary through headphones on a small radio, so they can remain distanced from other passengers.


E Clients need not worry about carrying luggage, navigating unfamiliar roads, facing unexpected tolls or finding toilets as this is taken care of.


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