Visit Deruta, the city of majolica, and tour a ceramic factory. Admire Cortona, a quaint medieval village full of history and beauty, made famous after the book turned movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”, by Frances Mayes. Your journey will be in a fully-equipped car, where you will be accompanied by a knowledgeable English-speaking driver. Deruta is a picturesque hilltown near Perugia, in Italy's Umbria region. Long known as a center for making the beautiful majolica ware, Deruta is still famous for its ceramics, which are exported worldwide. The local clay was especially good for making pottery, and production began in the early Middle Ages. It reached an artistic peak in the 15th and early 16th century, with highly characteristic local styles, making Deruta the city where the finest Italian majolica is produced! Afterward head to Cortona, one of the oldest cities in Tuscany, founded by the Etruscans, whose work can still be seen in the foundations of the town's massive stone walls. The city was a major seat of power during the Middle Ages, able to hold its own against larger towns like Siena and Arezzo until it was sold to Florence and lost its autonomy. Today Cortona is also known as the setting for the book and movie written by Frances Mayes that she accurately describes how, here we really are under the beautiful Tuscan sun! During the tour we will stop off for a typical Tuscan lunch.