Tuesday, June 28, 2011

What to See in Umbria

This small region of Italy is quite mountainous overall and towns tend to be located on the inclinations of these high hills or mountains. Therefore when you look at the map villages look like they are near each another, but in reality it may take some time to get from one to another. The best length of time to visit Umbria with calm is two weeks, however one week should be good enough to get an idea of the region. You will find people welcoming you in a region where hospitality is an important part of local customs.

You should definitely visit Perugia which is the capital of Umbria. It is a delicious medieval center also including a large university and hosting one of the largest chocolate fairs in Europe, the Eurochocolate Festival.

You should also visit Assisi, right where St. Francis was born and where the basil of Assisi constitutes one of the most important pilgrimage points, also featuring beautiful frescoes.

Orvieto is a very characteristic town located on a large plateau which can be seen from afar, chosen by its inhabitants as a natural defense system. It is a very small town also famous for its Duomo.

Spoleto is where the Festival of Two Worlds, with music and opera is run every year.

In Narni you will discover the largest Roman bridge you can find. It is a delicious medieval village located in the southwest corner of Umbria.

Foligno is the town where the first print of Dante's Divine comedy was made. You will find it towards the center of the region.

Spello is also near the center of Umbria, and it's a hilly town with a very characteristic historic center with buildings originally from the 11th centuries, also including monuments from the first century BC.

The Trasimeno Lake is the fourth largest lake in Italy and you can find it in the Northwest corner of Umbria. This is the seaside of Umbria, as the region is the only landlocked one in Italy.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Furniture Shopping


If you just moved to Umbria in Italy you might need to furnish your house with a style that suits your needs and your new home in Italy. While visiting the home of some friends that live in Umbria near the town of Po' Bandino, I saw that they had bought many modern and classic piece of furniture that mashed up pretty well in their house.

My friends just built, actually enlarged, a pre-existing farmhouse in Umbria, and here they spend large portions of the year when the season is nicer and during the Christmas holidays. However, last time I saw this house it lacked almost all comforts and it just had the very basics to stay a few days. Now they decided to go a step further and completely refurnished this house in Umbria to make it a very comfortable nest. It is nice to see that they found everything they needed. The kitchen is quite modern and kind of surprises in a farm house in Umbria to see very straight lines and cubic shapes. It is a very trendy kitchen indeed. However, the color and the details make it in tune with the brick walls and wood beam ceilings. From the kitchen you step in the living room and here you see old-fashioned sofas in front of the stone fireplace.
Bedrooms are also in tune with the most traditional Umbrian style, with wrought iron beds and antique chests and wardrobes.

They told me that they had found everything they needed in a large showroom near their house. The name of the show room is Casa Camil in between Po' Bandino and Città della Pieve. The strength of this shop is the dynamic and young owners that can combine the new trends with the ancient Umbrian style. Also they found many important design names there, as Italy is among the first in the world in this field, but they also could find less famous and expensive antique furniture and also contemporary furnishings.

If I ever can make it and build my house in Umbria, I will surely go to Casa Camil. My friend are so enthusiastic about their buy that I thought I would write about this and give some advice to those the need to furnish their new home in Umbria.
You can find the shop in Via Marche in Po' Bandino, and you can contact them by e-mail at info@casacamil.it or at their website at www.casacamil.it.
The showroom is closed on Sundays and it is open on normal hours with an afternoon break from 1 PM to 3 PM every other day.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Spiritual Umbria


Umbria is a very spiritual land that each year attracts millions of pilgrims from all over the world. Many of its towns are characterized by a profound religious sentiment, which of course deepens its roots in the Christian Catholic religion. However, the mysticism of Umbria goes beyond religion. This is the land where St. Francis of Assisi was born and that has remained under the power of the Vatican state up until the unity of Italy.

Therefore when you travel through Umbria you will see many signs of these religious signs. Of course a visit to Assisi is a must. And even though you may not be a person of faith, just to see the impressive abbey dedicated to the Saint will take your breath.

But of course the entire region abounds with wonderful churches and spiritual places. A famous place of such importance is Monteluco in the province of Perugia near Spoleto. St. Francis found this place to retire himself in prayer. He obtained to pray in the chapel of St. Catherine that used to belong to the hermit monks of Monteluco. Nowadays in this place you have a Franciscan sanctuary surrounded by a deep Oak woods that is called the "sacred woods" and covers up the Monteluco. You should really go and see the church dedicated to St. Francis and St. Catherine. The place is still preserving the tiny cells and the stone that the St. used as his bed. Also, still intact, are the caves where some of the Saints stayed for a period. Lastly you should enjoy the wonderful view of Spoleto from here.

Another important spiritual place to visit is the small Hermitage of Carceri, only 5 km away from Assisi, along the way that leads to mount Subasio. Here you will find a small chapel, some grottoes, and some refuge that the St. and his followers have used since 1205 to pray and contemplate.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Umbria Restaurant "L'Oca Bruciata"


Today I want to talk about the Umbria restaurant where I went to eat about two months ago with my friends from Paciano. They brought me to this little tavern in town which I really loved. I get to talk about this only today because I finally could remember the name of the restaurant that made me laugh when I first heard it, and was able to locate the contact information and the address so you can find it too.
The name of the restaurant is "L'Oca Bruciata", that means the burnt duck, which somehow makes me laugh because you might think this is not the best name for an eatery.

Despite the name the place is really good with homemade cooking, delicious meats and vegetables that the owners personally cultivate in their vegetable garden. Umbria doesn't have an access to the sea, therefore you might think that here the culinary tradition for fish is not well developed. On the contrary, the Trasimeno Lake, which is the fourth largest lake in Italy, throughout the centuries has provided enough fish for the entire region to make possible that delicious lake fish recipes would be developed. So is the case of this Umbria restaurant, which in addition to game also specializes in lake fish recipes.

The cook is a woman called Rossana, who loves to personally choose the ingredients of her homemade cooking. Everything here is homemade. As I said the vegetables are cultivated in the garden of the owners, pasta is also homemade and the pizza is cooked in the wood brick oven. In addition, the owners of this restaurant in Umbria really love fresh mushrooms of the Porcini kind and truffles. I personally had a first entry of fettuccine "Profumo di Bosco", or scents of the woods, a delicious combination of mushrooms and black truffles lightly mixed with cream. It was delicious!

The ambient is very pleasant and familial, quite typical of a rustic restaurant in Umbria, with the service that loves to keep things simple, straightforward and efficient, never forgetting to smile at your request. We had the wine of the house, and it was quite good, I believe it was a Sagrantino.

The restaurant is located in the province of Perugia, in the town of Paciano. The exact address is Viale Roma 7c, and the phone number is +390758307008. You will find the restaurant closed on Mondays and during the entire month of February.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Umbria is a Pleasure to Experience




The Umbria region of central-Italy is the lesser-known neighbor of Tuscany. It is an ancient land, rich in history and beautiful experiences for all of your five senses. Umbria is hilly, tranquil and sure to meet all of your passionate expectations of Italy.

The first sense you'll want to thrill in Umbria is your sense of taste. The wine and food offered here has a reputation that precedes itself. Umbria's food is known as being simple and original, built upon olive oil, pork and specialties to the region such as truffles (tartufos), which are highly coveted. Perugia, the capital city of Umbria, is famous for its chocolate. There are numerous restaurants to satisfy your tastes and many of them are family owned and operated.

Much of Umbria is rural, the landscape being filled with medieval castles, fortresses and cathedrals. Umbria was the home of Saint Francis of Assisi; therefore, it has many spiritual and religious sites. Visitors can see Saint Francis of Assisi's tomb at the grandiose Basilica of San Francesco. The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Spoleto, another stunning example of architecture with its famous rose window, is a must-see for visitors to Umbria.

Any history enthusiast will be elated to travel in Umbria. The mark of the ancient Roman empire remains on the land. Age-old walls and towers dating back to the time of Caesar Augustus still stand. The ancient ruins of Carsulae, which was a rest stop for Roman soldiers and travelers that developed into a town, was established around 300 B.C. The area originally flourished because of its location along the ancient Roman road called the via Flaminia. Visitors to Carsulae will see the amphitheatre, two temples to unknown Roman gods, public baths and more.

Umbria is also home to Lake Trasimeno, which also has much historical value. It is the site of a battle between Hannibal and two Roman legions. Castiglione del Lago is a ruined medieval castle on the lake built by Emperor Frederick II. Lake Trasimeno is breathtakingly beautiful. There are many campsites around the lake from which to embark on explorations of the surrounding area.

Travelers to Umbria will find many different kinds of places to stay during their trip. There is something for every type of traveler, from rustic villas to hotels to family-run bed and breakfasts. Many accommodations offer a restaurant on-site or a fully equipped kitchen to allow you to create your own Umbrian feast. Even while enjoying the relaxation of a country-side retreat, modern amenities are available to allow the best of both worlds, old and new.

The Umbria region of Italy is captivatingly charming and warmly welcoming. Any traveler will simply fall in love with this beautiful and lush part of Italy.

Scott Rivers lives in Costa Rica and is also a lead writer for Costa Rica Sunsets, an adventurous travel agency in the country.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Il Piratello, My Next Apartment in Umbria


I found another great place where to stay in Umbria. This time it wasn't by chance, I really wanted to rent apartments in Umbria in a beautiful farm house or agritourism, as it is very much en vogue to call this type of accommodations these days.

Of course I looked for my property in Umbria near the Lake Trasimeno, as this is a great area where to sojourn since you will be feeling like you're near the seaside with many water sports to carry out during your holiday. In addition all the towns around the lake are very much lively and filled with nice restaurants, especially fish restaurants. I know what you're thinking: lake fish is not that good to eat, but you're actually wrong as with the summer season the fish comes towards the surface of the lake eating the yearly insect offspring, thus becoming tasty and losing its murky flavor.

So, getting back to these apartments in Umbria, the name of the farmhouse is Il Piratello, and it is located in Tuoro sul Trasimeno. It includes six apartments with no breakfast, for self catering holidays in Umbria. The outdoors of the farm house are the typical Umbrian stone walls intertwined with red bricks with nice roses and jasmine bushes crawling up and decorating portions of these sun baked stone surfaces.

The indoors of each apartment in Umbria at Il Piratello is a very nice rustic accommodation equipped with all the necessary modern comforts for your holiday. I'm sure I will have a great time cooking the typical Umbrian dishes while staying here. The kitchen has enough space to cook every meal and includes an electric oven and gas range, so I'll make sure to prepare a different dish every day. Even the bedrooms look very comfortable. I will let you know how comfortable beds are after I slept in mine the first night!

The agritourism is surrounded by a green lawn, many olive trees and orchards. The house itself is very pleasant to look at, with nice finishings and details that bind this place to its rural origins. The landscape all around is fantastic, sweeping over the territory across Umbria and Tuscany.

I am spending €400 for a week at this apartment in Umbria, and I think the money is well worth my sojourn, but of course I will let you know after my return from Umbria.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Shopping in Castiglione del Lago: La Botteghina


During one of my peregrinations around the lake, i.e. the Trasimeno Lake, I discovered a very small and pleasant little shop selling old weapons. Of course these are just reproductions of old weapons such as crossbows, axes, gun powder guns, many kinds of swords, old gun powder rifles, daggers, knives, and the very medieval sledgehammer.

It is a very fun small little shop to be in, and the owner is a very nice person. His name is Andrea and he is very enthusiastic of his little shop. He is the only one selling this kind of things in the area. He doesn't only sell reproductions of old weapons, but also miniatures of sailing boats, and other little paraphernalia that might make a very nice memory and a gift for those home.
There are some fantasy little dolls arranged to make a nice fantasy setting, while on the walls you could see heart-shaped, or other shapes, messages with fabrics, buttons and nice decorations with messages in Italian on about love, friendship, good luck, and other sayings or quotes. These are especially nice to decorate the walls of your house and therefore a nice gift from your travel to Umbria.

The shop is in Castiglione del Lago, in Umbria in Via Vittorio Emanuele 54 and is open and from 9:30 AM until 1 PM and from 3:30 PM until 8 PM. During wintertime you would find it close on Thursday afternoon, while in summertime it is always open. If you're around the lake and near the nice town of Castiglione, I really suggest you visit this little shop for your gifts to bring back home.