Our Location

The Epicurean institute is located in Perugia, Italy, the regional capital within the Province of Umbria.

The Institute is based at a beautiful villa on the outskirts of Perugia - a central location that makes every town in the region easy to reach. The villa is utilized not only for teaching but also serves as a residential accommodation for students, offering both convenience and a serene, homey environment that provides an enriching and truly experience in the Italian countryside.

Umbria, also called the “green heart of Italy,” is known for its picturesque landscapes, vineyards, olive oil, truffles, and most notably the chocolate produced at the Perugia Chocolate Factory, making this an ideal setting for culinary comprehension.

Although it is a hilly region, it is also home to Italy's second largest fresh water lake, Lake Trasimeno. Locals and tourists frequent the lake for its boating and water activities, but also to view its serene beauty.

Within a 30-minute drive is the beautiful town of Cortona, made famous by Frances Mayes’ book “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

Also within a short drive is Assisi - one of the most distinguished cities in Umbria due to its stunning views of the countryside and its excellent preservation of the medieval historic center. Most importantly, it is the birthplace of St. Francis, the creator of the Order of Friars Minor. The city of Assisi not only attracts thousands of visitors each year but it is also the second most popular religious destination in Italy next to the Vatican.

Orvieto is another significant town in the southwestern part of Umbria that is noted for its position atop volcanic cliffs. It's most famous for its astonishing Duomo and the ancient underground 'city' that lies beneath it.

Aside from the numerous charming towns in Umbria, the region is also well-noted worldwide for its ceramic and cashmere production. Ceramic and cashmere factories line the streets of many towns close to Perugia, including Deruta- a small city within 10 minutes of the Insitute's villa. Renowned ceramic and cashmere companies such as Domiziani Ceramics and Della Ciana Cashmere invite visitors each day to tour production facilities and enjoy discount prices at the factory stores.

The Villa

The villa where Epicurean conducts most of its courses and where students reside as well is called “Poggio Turchino,” a complex of five villas located in Collepepe, a small town in the Umbria countryside.

Each house is 250 sq.mtrs. (approx. 2,500 sq. ft.) and has a wide private garden. The complex is stylistically homogeneous both in the architecture and in the furnishings, accordingly to the sensibility of the owners who live in one of the villas and who wanted to give to this little “Borgo” a feeling of warmth and relax.

The pool is in an area of the park with a common access and it has an equipped solarium.

In the central green area there is a circular marble gazebo, which hints to the ancient temple of Priapo that once was on the ground of “Poggio Turchino”.

Any villa can host up to ten persons in the four bedrooms, each one with its own bathroom, or in the wide living room which has a typical loft with a comfortable double sofa bed.

An equipped kitchen, a nice dining room with an extending table, a veranda and an internal patio complete the villa.

Each villa has beautiful views of the surrounding area and the complex is within a 10 minute walk to shopping centers consisting of grocery stores, bars, restaurants/pizzerias, tanning and nail salons, and beauty shops. The villa is also within walking distance to a nature preserve and a well-known Umbrian vineyard, Baldassari.

The villa is 15 minutes outside of Perugia, 20 minutes outside of Assisi and Montefalco, and 1 1/2 hours from Rome. Its central location makes it ideal for traveling anywhere in Umbria while maintaining a picturesque and modern home environment.

 

“Combine your Italian Vacation with a Culinary Education” 888.983.3948