Taste Perugia Food Tour Led by Local

This is a relatively long tour at four hours and provides a solid introduction to the gastronomy of beautiful Umbria, starting with a light breakfast and coffee before moving through the likes of fresh pasta with truffle, Perugia’s famous chocolate and more. There was also plenty of information about the illustrious past of this ancient city, notably its Etruscan history prior to the advent of Roman civilisation. That said, we were (to be completely honest) a bit disappointed that our guide was American: we would have preferred to hear about the city and its culture from someone that had been born, and grown up in, the vicinity. We would also give the constructive feedback to our guide, Richard, that he could lead the tour in a bit more of a relaxed way: many of us had the feeling that we were being told off for, say, stopping for a moment to take photos or conversing between ourselves. This harms the vibe a bit. I particularly did not appreciate him ending the tour by moaning about the commission levied by TripAdvisor: this was rather uncouth. It also felt a bit ungrateful — we paid more than £700 for tickets for our group of 8 (and there were 4 other guests, too, providing additional income) so I am sure he was able to make a handsome fee even after the commission. He might also consider that, had it not been for TripAdvisor, we may not have even come across this tour. So, to conclude, we basically enjoyed the tour and Perugia is a most wonderful city, but the guide could have taken himself a little less seriously.

Our first day in Umbria and the introduction couldn't have been better. Susan at Via del Vino was great to work with as we set up this visit - quick and helpful responses and even gave us recommendations of others to work with for tours elsewhere in Umbria. Her husband, Richard, led the tour. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Perugia and Umbria and also about the food scene in Perugia, having had his own restaurant. The food was delicious and plentiful, starting with espresso and pastry, ending with gelato, and enjoying several other treats in between (the strozzaprete with truffles and local olive oil was a standout). Highly recommended!

Richard was so patient, friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly has a passion for Perugia! He took us to many different food places, all smoothly coordinated ahead of time with a reserved table, food and drink prepped to come straight to our table, and friendly staff ready to welcome us. What an experience.