Historic Sites and Hilltop Towns - A Luxury Holiday to Rome and Umbria

Eight days split between a city and the countryside behind it, which is a sensible shape: three nights in Rome without a car, then four in Umbria with one.

Rome comes first, and the private tour covers the Roman Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum, which held fifty thousand people and is now one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Going with a guide is the difference between queueing and understanding what you are looking at. The Vatican and Sistine Chapel can be added, or Trastevere for an evening instead.

The car is collected after that and the pace changes completely. Umbria is Tuscany’s quieter neighbour, hillier and less visited, and the four nights there are built around two things worth doing properly. The first is a truffle hunt with an expert and his dogs on a family farm, followed by a demonstration of fresh tagliatelle to eat them with. Truffles are found rather than grown, which is why the dogs matter.

The second is a wine and olive oil tour at Castello di Monte Vibiano near Perugia, a family-run organic estate. Assisi completes the trip, a medieval hill town and the birthplace of St Francis, with a private tour of the Basilica and its fresco cycles by Giotto and Cimabue. Original Travel include the hire car for the Umbrian leg, accommodation throughout, all the private tours and activities, concierge access, a 24-hour helpline and carbon absorption. Flights and most meals are separate. Prices run from 4,850 to 7,800 pounds per person, which is a wide band and depends heavily on season and hotel choice.