Our tour begins in Vitorchiano at the Mutan Botanical Centre. This is the world’s largest peony nursery, where we will admire the extraordinary spectacle of these lush flowers in full bloom. In Vignanello we visit the magnificent formal garden of Palazzo Ruspoli, where we are treated to a private lunch in the castle. This is one of the finest residences in Italy and still in the hands of the ancient aristocratic Ruspoli family. After lunch, we make the short journey to the town of Caprarola. Here we visit the spectacular Villa Farnese, a bizarre pentagonal palace commissioned by the powerful Farnese family in the sixteenth-century. (B, L, D)

Today we travel to the lakeside town of Bolsena, to visit the Church of Saint Christine, famous for the thirteenth-century ‘Miracle of Bolsena’. After a lunch beside the water, we continue to Bagnoregio. This picturesque village, founded by the Etruscans two and a half thousand years ago, is perched atop a tufa rock, and reachable only across a narrow pedestrian bridge. (B, L)

Our day begins with a visit to a private garden near the delightful Lake Trasimeno. The garden was designed by its current owner, and is testament to her lifelong passion for plant collecting. After lunch in a private villa nearby, we continue to Perugia for the first of three nights in a specially selected 5-star hotel.

Hugged by the gentle Umbrian hills, Perugia is filled with ornate architecture and works of art. After settling in to our new hotel, in the afternoon we visit the National Gallery of Umbria, home to an outstanding array of Medieval and Renaissance artworks, including Piero della Francesca’s Annunciation. (B, L, D)

Following in the footsteps of Piero della Francesca, we cross the border into Tuscany. The small town of Sansepolcro holds many of his masterpieces, including his Resurrection, one of the artist’s best known works. Following lunch in an idyllic agriturismo near Monterchi, we return to the hotel for some free time, or a visit to the Perugina Chocolate Factory, one of Italy’s most popular chocolate makers.

We begin our day in Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis. Its basilica is dedicated to the saint and boasts a wonderful fresco series by Giotto, the first of the great Italian masters. Just outside of Assisi sits the wonderfully named Quando fioriranno le Rose, an exceptional rose garden designed by Michael Marriott and Richard Stubbs. Following a restaurant lunch, we travel to Foligno to visit a garden specialising in David Austin roses, where we will be given a private tour by the owner.

Before returning to Perugia, we stop at Spello to visit the Capella Baglioni. The chapel is decorated with a fresco series on the life of Christ by Pinturicchio at the turn of the sixteenth-century. We return for a farewell dinner in the hotel. (B, L, D)

We leave Perugia to Rome airport for our return flights.

Alternatively, upon request, possible extension to Val d’Orcia and Chianti in Tuscany:

On route to our 4-star relais in Castelnuovo Berardenga, we take the opportunity to visit the Church of San Biagio. This masterpiece of Tuscan Renaissance architecture is home to the anonymous Madonna and Child Enthroned, an exceptional fresco that dates back to the fourteenth-century.

We continue to Villa La Foce. The fifteenth-century villa is surrounded by a beautifully manicured garden, designed in the 1920s for the writer Iris Origo by the great Cecil Pinsent. After enjoying an al fresco lunch in a restaurant near La Foce, we visit Pienza, a model Renaissance town created by Pope Pius II. Here we visit the magnificent hanging gardens of Palazzo Piccolomini.

Our evening will be spent settling into our beautiful relais and enjoying the views of the Chianti countryside, surrounding the city of Siena in the distance. (B, D)

Our penultimate day is spent in the walled city of Siena. A busy morning includes a visit to the lavishly ornate duomo and its jewel of a museum, as well as dropping in on the Raphael paintings in the Piccolomini library. In the Palazzo Pubblico we enjoy Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s iconic fresco cycle Allegory of Good and Bad Government. After an independent lunch, we have time to explore, before returning to the relais.

Today we spend the morning strolling around the peaceful monastic gardens of Badia di Coltibuono. Lunch is prepared in front of us using only local produce, which we will enjoy with the abbey’s excellent organic wines.
A relaxed afternoon at the relais allows time for packing, and is followed by a grand farewell dinner combined with a Brunello wine tasting.

Leave by coach to Pisa airport for our return flights.