UMBRIA

This region is frequently referred to as the “Green heart of Italy,” which is a fitting name considering the characteristics of the area. Located at the centre of the peninsula without outlets to the sea, it is mainly a hilly territory with an exuberant and charming dose of nature. Just like Tuscany, Umbria has a long-standing consolidated agritourism tradition thanks to the warm reception, the beauty and charm of the facilities surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Few areas are able to offer spiritual involvement, artistic testimony and environmental elegance blended as harmonically as they are here. Visitors cannot help being overcome by emotion and touched by the human and cultural values that Umbria represents.

Visiting the sites of beloved Saint Francis will take you to the splendid Basilica in Assisi, where you will find a masterpiece by Giotto, the Porziuncola, which is located inside Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi and the enchanting church San Damiano, which St. Francis devoted himself to. In the province of Terni you will find the Cascata delle Marmore waterfall with the waters of the Velino falling into the Nera River with an impressive triple waterfall that has a 165 metre drop. Going in the opposite direction you will pass through Narni and Amelia before reaching the city of Rovieto. Here it is obligatory to visit the famous Cathedral, a masterpiece of Italian gothic architecture.

DON’T MISS THE FESTIVAL

Calendimaggio in Assisi (PG)

This May festival has long roots that reach back to a meeting of ancient Roman and traditional Christian events dedicated to the Madonna during the month of May. Today in Assisi they celebrate Calendimaggio, which is a fascinating event. This celebration was resumed in 1954 and is strongly supported with a great deal of involvement by the local people. The event is tied to the ancient rivalry between the two parts of the historic centre, "de Sopra" and "de Sotto" uptown and downtown.

During the three day event, which runs from the first Thursday in May to the following Saturday, the two parts of the city put on plays, parades in ancient costumes, authentic re-enactments,  games of skill, singing contests and dances. The quality level of all these performances is really quite extraordinary considering that the performers are not professionals, but simply the town’s inhabitants. They work on the show with dedication throughout the entire year.

The authentic settings are amazing: realistic enactments of medieval life are displayed inside settings that are accurate down to the tiniest details. You will find taverns, shops and artisan workshops with local artisans actually performing their trade including: papermaking, weaving, bookbinding, and cooking traditional foods. On Friday afternoon they hold a contest between five crossbow or traditional archers per side, each archer represents a young girl designated as "Primavera," which means Spring. The Primavera representing the winning athlete is chosen as Madonna Primavera, the queen of the festival. She is also an ace up the sleeve for her athlete in case of a tie, as she will compete to help her champion win.

On Saturday afternoon they hold majestic parades with over five hundred participants in floats and carriages decorated in honour of love and spring. In the evening there are singing competitions with medieval and early Renaissance music before the magnificent closing parade in honour of the fire.

The jury to select the winners is composed of experts and scholars: during the evening they choose the winners who break into jubilant celebration with dances and banquets in every corner of the neighbourhood.

THE WINES IN UMBRIA

There is no difficulty drawing up a wine itinerary in the “green heart of Italy”: Umbria has 23 thousand hectares of cultivated vineyards. Its fertile hills are furrowed by the Tiber River and its tributaries offer orderly expanses of grape vines. Here there is spectacular nature and peace where history, religion, environment and traditions seem to reconcile in utter harmony.

The province of Terni has at least six important wines. In Castelgiorgio, which is just a short drive from Orivieto on the SS 71 motorway, they make Castelgiorgio wine in a ruby red. Another great red for enthusiasts can be found there as well, Scacciadiavoli is made from barbera and montepulciano grapes.

Continue north another 3 KM towards Castelviscardo where you can try a great white wine that has a strong bouquet and slightly acidic flavour or the Castelviscardo rosso, a full-bodied red with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste.

If you want to get to know the province of Terni, you cannot leave without trying the Monte Giove di Orvieto, which is a rounded and velvety red with a bouquet of ripe strawberries and the famous Orvieto, the precious fruit of the enchanting hills surrounding the city.

If you are on a classic religious itinerary in Umbria following along the Franciscan path, the province of Perugia undoubtedly offers great possibilities to choose its many varied and popular wines. The white wines include San Giustino, which is a clear white with golden reflections that is divine with fish, Tevere Bianco, is pleasant and light with a strong grape taste. Another pair of great whites are Trebbiano, which is full bodied with an astringent taste, and Montecastelli.

Moving on to reds Sacrantino is an intensely red wine with a strong flavour of ripe grapes, which is produced in the Montefalco zone. Its can trace its origins back to the medieval period when the Franciscan brethren began the production of Sacrantino wine to use with the Mass. North of Perugia on the hills of Città di Castello, which can be reached via motorway SS 3b, they make a great dry red that is slightly bubbly called Tiferno, which was the name of the city in ancient Roman times. In the Perugia area you should definitely try Panicale, a pleasantly strong red and the dry, slightly tannic Montecastelli rosso.

THE FLAVOURS OF UMBRIA

“Green Umbria” is the only region in central Italy without an outlet to the sea. Thanks to the many fresh water outlets there is a wide choice of tasty fish dishes on the menu and for that  reason the people of Umbria are frequently nicknamed “mangialische,” which translates to something like fishbone eaters. All of the food in Umbria is inspired by the area’s traditions, which are still deeply felt and widely cultivated.

THE SPECIALTIES.  One of the tastiest Umbrian specialties, is always present among the lists of appetizers, that is the norcineria pork products. Throughout Italy, the many processed pork specialties are referred to as norcineria, which refers to a tiny city in Umbria called Norcia. Here this tradition is still actively cultivated with details that go down to the animal feed which should be made up of grains (wheat and corn) and acorns. Another product from Norcia is the black truffle, which is used to flavour crostini umbri, pieces of toasted bread covered in a simple mix of anchovies and oil (extra virgin olive oil from Umbria) and then covered with slivers of this delicious delicacy.

FIRST COURSES.  As in Tuscany, here you can dine on tasty pappardelle al sugo di lepre, pasta and wild hare, though the Umbrian version does vary some: instead of tomato sauce they use a mix of lemon juice, capers, black olives, sage and rosemary. With typical Umbrian simplicity strengozzi alla spoletina, are thick narrow tagliolini pasta made from a water and flour dough topped with a sauce made from garlic, oil, tomato, hot pepper and parsley. The minestra di lenticchie e di farro is a hearty soup starring another of the protagonists of Umbrian agriculture and gastronomy – lentils from Castelluccio. They are tiny in size with an extremely thin skin that is frequently combined with spelt, a grain used by the ancient Romans primarily for soups with legumes. This dish was considered poor man's food for centuries and it has recently been resurrected  – in part thanks to agritourism.

SECOND COURSES. Meat dishes are generally cooked simply on the grill or on a spit; there is no lack of more complex preparations, which are always based on fresh ingredients such as the faraona ripiena, stuffed guinea hen filled with sausage and flavoured with sage, rosemary, juniper and wine and baked in the oven. Fish dishes are popular with the “mangialische” Umbrians and favourites include carpa in porchetta from Trasimeno, which is carp stuffed with ham, garlic, wild fennel seeds and rosemary then baked in the oven.

THE DESSERTS.  The Perugina chocolate company has surpassed the ancient traditions of Umbrian desserts. Though it has grown into an alimentary industry (it is one of the oldest in Italy) it has retained the accuracy of artisan style production. It actually plays a fundamental role in the city identity as can be demonstrated by the varied array of citizen groups named Chocolate Associations.