Tuscia and the Gardens of the Calanchi

PRICE

Contact us for a quote.

The tour can be tailored to your group’s needs.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Two nights at a hotel, half board;
• One lunch (drinks included) at a selected venue;
• Italian-speaking guide for the whole tour;
• PromoTuscia assistance;
• Medical/baggage insurance.

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

• Flights;
• Drinks with meals;
• Hotel porterage;
• Hotel tourist tax;
• Extras, tips and anything not expressly listed under “what’s included”.

HOTEL

• 4-star hotel in Viterbo or Bolsena;
• Alternatively a 3-star hotel in Tuscia.

TUSCIA AND THE GARDENS OF THE CALANCHI

Afternoon arrival in Tuscia and hotel check-in. Free time for lunch. Meet the guide at the hotel and enjoy a guided tour of the city through its medieval quarters: the evocative charm of an intact old town, between history and legend.

We start with the Town Hall and the frescoes of the Sala Regia, then Piazza del Gesù (the city’s political centre until the mid-13th century), Piazza della Morte with its characteristic early-13th-century spindle fountain, Palazzo Farnese, the famous Piazza del Duomo with the cathedral of San Lorenzo, the splendid Papal Palace and the house of Valentino della Pagnotta. Then a visit to Santa Maria della Verità and its evocative cloister, and to the still-intact medieval quarter of San Pellegrino. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Guided visit of the Moutan Botanical Centre, founded in 1993, which over about 15 hectares holds the largest collection in the world of Chinese tree and herbaceous peonies (around 600 species, varieties and natural hybrids). Meeting with Emanuele Bortolotti, visionary garden and landscape architect; in his book “The Unexpected Garden” he champions the value of small and private green spaces, converting architectural limits into opportunities with green roofs, hanging gardens, patios, green walls, vertical forests and diffuse vegetable gardens. Born in Milan in 1955, he co-founded the AG&P studio in 1986 and the “Compagnia dei Giardini” in Milan. Lunch offered in the exclusive setting of the Botanical Centre or at a selected local venue.

In the afternoon, transfer to La Vigna, owned by the D’Amico family in the striking setting of the Calanchi — a varied, lush garden contrasting with the bare landscape, where countless shrubs and fragrant roses are scattered among the topiary and even in the vineyard. A tasting follows of the excellent wine produced in the family’s sumptuous cellars, created by architect Luca Brasini and dug beneath the vines to keep the ideal temperature of 16°C. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Bagnoregio in the heart of the Valle dei Calanchi and a visit to the Hortus Unicorni in Vetriolo with its eclectic owner — a splendid botanical garden overlooking the Calanchi valley. We continue with the small Garden of the Poor Clares in Bagnoregio, a little-known jewel: a riot of flowers and officinal herbs in the tradition of monastic gardens. Lunch at the Hostaria del Ponte in Bagnoregio, whose terrace offers a relaxing break with typical Tuscia dishes and a view of the Bagnoregio cliff. Departure and end of services.