• Three- night accommodation in Hotel  and Full breakfast;All dinners;Lunch at the Moutan Centre;Lunch in Orsini Castle ;Aperitif in the Drago Palace in Bolsena;Professional Tour guide;Coach ;Guided Tours  and Admissions to Gardens and Monuments in the tour;

• Flights;
• Drinks during meals ;Hotel Service porterage;Local taxes;Tips.

• Mini Palace Hotel – Viterbo

ITINERARY

PALACES AND GARDENS IN TUSCIA

A unique trip to discover the historic gardens and palaces of this beautiful land.

Breakfast in hotel.

Guided tour of Moutan Botanic Centre. It is named after a type of  tree peony  from China, and was built in 1993.  This name was  chosen for the centre out of a deep desire to know all the species and varieties of Chinese trees peony, find them in the remotest regions of Asia, import them to Europe, bring them together in a single place, and acknowledge their existence. The centre is located in the north part of Lazio, covering an area of 15 hectares, and houses  the world’s largest collection of trees and herbaceous peony. It includes around 600 different varieties and natural hybrids belonging to well-known botanical species. Meeting with garden designer Emanuele Bortolotti. In his book “Unexpected Garden” , he  deals with landscape design and external green arrangements at different scales, where it is possible to change the image of the city. Bortolotti was born in Milan in 1955, and  is one of the founders of the Firm AG&P, and today is one of the  Managers together with Paolo Villa. Lunch offered by the centre. In the afternoon, transfer to La Vigna , owned by D Amico family, located in the Calanchi Valley.  The garden features  countless shrubs and roses scattered in the garden, bushes, and even in the vineyard: based on ancient  countryside  tradition, a plant is at the top of each line.

After the visit, tasting of the wine produced by the D Amico Family, in cellars designed  by the architect  Luca Brasini, underneath the gardens,  with an ideal temperature of 16°. The idea came from an existing Etruscan cellar in the garden. The cellar is divided into two parts: In the  older one, in tuff  with huge arches, the wine is left brewing in wooden durmast barrels, and in the other, characterized by big columns,  the wine is bottled and labelled.

Dinner at the Zaffera restaurant in Viterbo. It is situated  in a monastery of the VX century, in the medieval quarter of San Pellegrino. Return to the hotel.

Breakfast in Hotel.

Departure for Bagnoregio in the heart of Calanchi Valley, to visit,  along with the owner , Hortus Unicorni in Vetriolo. It is  a botanical private garden rich in Magnolias, Liliums, Peonies, Irises, hedges of box, Ceanothus,  and plants  from different countries. Time for lunch. Afterwards, transfer to Civitella d’Agliano to visit the garden of Paul  Wiedmer , “La Serpara”. It is part of  a roman park, and features some examples of baroque art. It was created for visitors in order to  be discovered little by little. There are not boundaries  which mark the owner’s private area from the garden. Visitors are accompanied by the artist in this itinerary full of artworks. Every year,  contemporary  artists, friends of the owner,  come here to embellish the garden with their works.  Return to the hotel. Dinner in hotel.

Breakfast in hotel.

Departure for Vasanello, to visit Orsini Misciattelli Castle. Its construction began in  1278  by Orso Orsini, who also owned the nearby Palazzolo and  Colle Casale. Other aristocratic  families such  as The Rovere and Colonna, made the history of the castle. The latter, known as the Dukes of Vasanello, used to be the owners until the XVII century. After a succession of marriages based on interests , the castle was handed down to the Barberini, and in 1787 to Urbano, a member of the same  family, who  inherited  both the castle and Principality of Carbognano. The Barberini Colonna di Sciarra owned the castle until  the end of the nineteenth century, when was given to Banca Dì Italia, and then sold to Monsignor Luigi Misciattelli, who began the restoration works. Lunch in the castle. After lunch, departure for Vignanello to visit Ruspoli Castle.  For centuries,  the  Vico, Aldobrandini, Orsini and Naldini families, fought over the  territory and its castle. After 1530,  the fief  was taken by the Marescotti, and Sforza became the first Count of Vignanello.   The count  began the construction the castle up to 1538, the year of his death. The son of Ortensia Vico Sforza,  carried on  the work of his late father, and after the wedding with Vittoria Ruspoli,  gave rise to a new family under the name of Marescotti Ruspoli. Because of that, Vignanello for centuries was ruled by the members of the family until 1816, when  they left the fief, although keeping many proprieties up to now. At the end of the visit, transfer to Roma Termini Train Station or Rome Fiumicino Airport.

End of the Tour