St. Valentines gourmet Rugby weekend

Consuming passions ~ Why not combine the perfect romantic Weekend with your passion for Rugby , fine italian food and Wine , in the Idyllic setting of a Medieval hilltop village in the beautiful rolling hills of the Italian countryside.

A 4 Day 3 Night ' gourmet long Weekend ' staying in beautiful restored Palazzos with Welcome dinner , visits to a Wine Yard . Wine and Olive tasting , gourmet ' tasting ' lunch . Visit to Orvieto . Transfer to the stadium with an official match ticket for the game followed by a farewell italian feast.









ITINERARY

FRIDAY Once we are settled into the beautiful La Torretta , we will meet in Johnny's Wine bar for a long cool glass of Prosecco before we head off for the Welcome dinner and a wonderful introduction to fine rustic food of Sabina.





SATURDAY After breakfast morning visit to one of Orvieto's finest Vinyards . The family owned and run Custodi estate , lies on 70 hectares of carefully cultivated land , producing some of Umbrias best DOCG & DOC Orvieto Classico , Sangiovese and other high qaulity wines , all of which we will be putting to the ' Taste test '.




Lunch is at the Il Boccone del Prete, which is listed in Italy's renowned restaurant guide , 'Gambero Rosso '. This is truly gourmet heaven. Typical Umbrian dishes from Anti Pasti , Primi , Secondi and if you stomach allows, Dolci . Each course accompanied by Wines that compliment the flavours , perfectly.



After lunch and such indulgence some free time to savour the beautiful hill town of Orvieto. The visual impact on seeing the stunning Cathedral set in the beautiful Duomo Piazza is something that will stay with you forever. Sit and watch the world go by in the lovely Cafes and Piazzas or seek out that designer number in the many interesting shops . Wander the alley ways and marvel at the architecture of the Palazzos and houses , all built in the local ' Tuffo ' volcanic rock.



Evening back in Casperia for Pre match supper with Slow Food expert Johnny Madge . We cap the day with Olive oil and Cheese tastings , the Craic and a good old sing song. All of course accompanied by Italy's best Wines.





SUNDAY After a hearty breakfast that would fortify a Roman Legion , we head for Rome and the Stadio Flaminio to take our seats for the match , but not before savoring the wonderful atmosphere that can only be ' Sei Nazioni ' in Rome. So take your seats , choose you Gladiators and let the game begin.




For those that want to continue to indulge mind and body , as an alternative to the match in Rome, we will take you to the Chatauex Relais Hotel and Spa , Borgo Paraelios , where you can spend the afternoon being pampered.




So together again back in Casperia , what better way to enjoy our last night together than to relax and unwind with a glass of wine in hand , a farewell feast , stories to be told , songs to be sung and hopefully lasting memories of A Taste of Rome and a great Weekend.




LA TORRETTA CASPERIA

The La Torretta is a beautifully restored 15c Palazzo in the historic center of the Medieval hilltop village of Casperia . Originally a Roman noble family house , it was completely restored 14 years ago back to its former glory

All the beautiful rooms are en-suite and lead onto the Frescoed private guest lounge on the first floor , here guests can relax and feel immediately at home in very comfortable surroundings. You can spend your days relaxing on the wonderful terrace and enjoying the views, and soaking up the atmosphere of Casperia and the unspoilt local hilltowns and mountains which make up the Sabina area. Breakfast is served on the terrace or in the beautiful dining room .

The La Torretta is listed in Alisdair Sawday's ' Special places to stay in Italy '




CASPERIA

CASPERIA , a traffic free medieval hilltop village of winding cobbled alley ways , is set in Sabina, an undiscovered rural corner of Lazio, just south of Tuscany and Umbria and North of Rome. Towns like Orvieto , Assisi, Perugia, Viterbo and Rome are all within a comfortable driving distance, or accessible by train.

The virgin hilltop village's of Sabina continue to preserve traditions, , popular festivals include the "sagra dei stringozzi" (a rustic pasta), held in august, "andare per olio" tasting the newly harvested extra virgin olive oil in November, and also the "medieval centro storico "and the polenta festivals. During these festivities, which all the locals attend, tables are set outdoors in the little piazzas and local Sabine specialities are served and everybody joins in both the cooking and of course the eating .


A Taste of Rome gives you the chance to be part of the fabric of village life where the local people, especially the children, have a certain curiosity about 'stranieri', a charming encounter not experienced in many other parts of Italy and something we'd like to preserve.