Cook in the Garden of the Angels
Bevagna, Umbria

About the location: Umbria is the quintessence of Italy—rolling countryside sprinkled with picturesque villages rife with charm (not to mention ancient ruins, medieval and renaissance art, and stunning churches); friendly, laid-back inhabitants who have lived for many generations in the same small towns; incredible cuisine rich with local flavors—all wrapped in one of the most pristine and least touristy parts of the country. Your home for your three-night Umbrian culinary vacation will be Bevagna, one of the most charming villages of Italy. Bevagna not only boasts many of its own sites (an ancient Roman theater and baths, several important churches, a traditional and picturesque main square), but also affords you easy access to other jewels of central Italy: Assisi, Cortona, Deruta, Foligno, Norcia, Orvieto, Spoleto, to name but a few. What is best about Bevagna, and about Umbria in general, is that you will be welcomed like a family friend. Here you can enjoy a relaxing vacation exploring the allure of everyday Italian life and the beauty of its cultural and historical heritage.

Your home in Bevagna will be a gorgeous 17th-century complex overlooking 1st-century AD Roman ruins and ingeniously rennovated for an important Roman family at the beginning of the 18th-century. Your hosts’ family has owned the property since 1788 and has lovingly continued to improve the complex of palazzi while retaining its original beauty, and recently executed an impressive series of restorations and renovations that have resulted in its designation as a “Historical Residence.” Named the “Garden of the Angels” due to the amazing hanging garden inserted among the stone, your home will bewitch you with its welcoming splendor!

The residence has 14 rooms and apartments, each charmingly outfitted with antique furniture and paintings. The elegant 18th-century Palazzo Andreozzi boasts nine stylishly decorated rooms named after the angels portrayed in the exquisite frescoes. The beautifully restored Palazzo Alberti features five unique apartments where Roman ruins form part of the architectural structure. All the rooms have air conditioning, fridge bar, colour TV, Internet connection, safe for valuables, and of course en suite bathrooms.

About the cooking lessons: Chef Antonio and his team will teach you to utilize the best local ingredients in preparing some of the most authentic recipes of the Umbrian and Italian culinary traditions, while also exploring the latest methods of cooking and preserving. A renovated, well-equipped kitchen in a two thousand-year-old building will make this experience even more unique. Each season will feature its own ingredients: for example, ‘black celery’, mushrooms, and chestnuts in autumn; winter truffles, turnips and catalogna chicory in winter; wild asparagus, nettles and artichokes in the spring; and all manner of fruits and vegetables in the summer. Seasonal special events (such as the grape harvest, olive pressing, Carnevale, threshing) will round out your experience and enable you to participate in the culture and traditions of Umbrian cuisine.