Autumn in Italy: A Taste of slow living and Agritourismo in Umbria

Umbia is Italy's real green agricultural heart, and it is often overlooked in favour of it's more famous and illustrious neighbour -Tuscany. Umbria is the only Italian region that doesn't have a coastline or share any borders with anther European country. It has faithfully kept alive many of Italy's old-world traditions and it contrasts wild, in-your-face beauty with the gentle fall and rise of overlapping emerald hills and meadows.

The Etruscans, The Romans and many medieval feuding families have left their indelible imprint on its pretty hill towns, where history seems to creep up on you at every corner. Inspired by another fantastic episode of the BBC Programme "Italy Unpacked", We were here to explore the beautiful old medieval towns of Spello, Asissi, Castiglione Del Largo, Gubbio and Perugia. We were looking foward to tasting some of the best local artisan food and wines, and enjoying all the ancient history and culture that the area has to offer.

Foodies like me are in their element here, with the rich earthiness of the tartufo (truffle), fine cured meats from Norcia and many good full-bodied local wines finding their way onto the menus. The fare is mainly rich gamey meats, home-made pasta, creamy sauces and fine cheeses, Roast Pork or "Porchetta" is the local street food, and Perugia is also the chocolate producing capital of Italy.

Ripa Relais Colle Sole

Agritourism - where visitors stay on a farm - is very a very popular concept in Italy, and we had booked 5 nights at the exclusive Ripa Relais Colle Del Sole. This small working farm has it's own superb dinning room restaurant which attracts hungry Italians from all over the region, as well as many worldwide tourists. The chef prepares the best traditional Umbrian and Tuscan cuisine, which is accompanied by great wines of the region - including some that are produced from ther own vineyard. Bread, pasta and desserts are hand-prepared every day, because that is how the old traditions have been taught here over the years. All the Meat, vegetables and extra virgin olive oil comes direct from the farm - this truly is real Fork to Table eating. The staff are all incredibly helpful and friendly - especially Carlos the head Waiter, who will let you know exactly whats on the menu each day, and who can explain in very good English, where everything comes from and just how it is cooked. The half board rates are very reasonable and guests can choose from the 3 course set dinner menu each evening or go A La Carte - the choice is yours and you'll never go hungry here or have far to walk back to your homely, clean room. The full continental breakfast, will get your day off to a good start. The accomodation is also tradional yet stylish. Guests can stay in one of the converted stone farm buidlings that now house very comfortable four poster beds, seperate living areas, and jacuzzi baths for the ultimate slow living experience, There is also a fantastic outdoor swimming pool where guest can relax after sightseeing, and a communal lounge area with a TV and a bar if you fancy chilling out indoors. The farmhouse is only a short driving distance from the local airport, the large well-stocked Ipa Co-Up Supermarket and the local indoor shopping mall. There is car hire available from the airport -, we picked up our natty little Fiat 500 which was going to be our Italian mode of transport for the duration of our stay. Ryanair flies direct from London Stansted (STN) four to six days a week into the newly renamed San Francesco d'Assisi airport (PEG), located halfway between Perugia and Assisi.

Spello

The first stop we visited on our tour was Spello. This quaint old walled town lies on a sloping ridge that eventually meets the plain. From the top of the ridge, Spello commands a good view of Umbria towards Perugia. At the bottom of the ridge, the town spills out of its walls into a small modern section (or Borgo) served by the rail line from Rome to Florence via Perugia. although it is off the usual tourist circuit, Spello is filled with interest and charm and is one of the most beautiful villiages in Umbria - especially in the summer, when basket upon basket of colourful blooming flowers adorn all the houses and shops that are nestled in it's winding cobbled streets and courtyards, There are also many little restaurants and artisan food shops to satisfy your need for food and drink whilst you do some serious mooching around.

We had come to Spello specifically to see some beautiful paintings that we had dicovered though watching the Italy Unpacked episode from Umbria. The Baglioni Chapel in The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Spello, houses three wonderful religious frescoes painted by the Perugian artist Bernardino di Betto - or "Pinturicchio" (The Little Painter) as he was nicknamed, because of his very small stature. The pint-sized Umbrian artist was commissioned to paint them in the 1500's by Troilo Baglioni, after he had just finished the Borgia Apartment's decoration in the Vatican. The cycle includes the Annunciation, the Nativity and the Dispute with the Doctors - which just have to be seen in real life to be fully appreciated. The colours are still amazingliy vivid, the almost 3D effects truly come alive as you stand infront of each of the three paintings, and look at all the wonderful stories and messages depicted in the art.

Assisi

Our next stop was the world-famous town of Assisi - not only the birthplace of St. Francis. who founded the Franciscan religious order in 1208, but also of St. Clare (Chiara d'Offreducci), the founder of the Poor Sisters, which later became the Order of Poor Clares after her death. The 19th-century Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was also born in Assisi.

The main attraction in Assisi is The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church - Basilica inferiore and Basilica superiore - were begun immediately after the canonization of St. Francis in 1228, but were only completed in 1253. The lower church has frescoes by the late-medieval artists Cimabue and Giotto; the upper church houses frescoes of scenes in the life of St. Francis previously ascribed to Giotto, but now thought to be by artists of the circle of Pietro Cavallini from Rome. The Basilica was badly damaged by an earthquake on 26 September 1997, during which part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside the church and carrying with it a fresco by Cimabue. The edifice was closed for two years for restoration.

Historical Assisi is very small and easily explored on foot. But go slowly, or the steep hilly streets will put you out of breath before you know it. During the hotter summer months take an occasional rest in one of the cool churches or enjoy an ice-cream break (or two). It is advisable to begin your tour at the top of the town (which is the oldest part), so you can enjoy the city going down the hill. Definitely take the time to walk among Assisi's medieval houses and shops. Most of the cobblestone streets and alleys will take you to the basilica of St. Francis.

Assisi attracts many millions of tourists and pilgrims every year - therefore prices in all the shops, hotels and restaurants tend to be a lot higher than average and it can get very busy and crowded during the main holdiay season. Unless you are really enamoured of all things religious and Fransiscan, it is much better and cheaper to visit for a day trip or two out of season, rather than opting to stay or eat in the town during it's peak visitor time.

Castiglione Del Largo

Another couple of Umbrian towns well worth visiting are Castiglione Del Largo and Gubbio. Casiglione Del Largo is situated on the banks of Lake Trasimeno. The Fortress of the Lion was built by Emperor Frederick II. The pentagonal-shaped castle, was completed in 1247 by the monk-architect Elia from Cortona. The castle features square towers in four of its corners and a triangular shaped bastion, or donjon, known as the Mastio in the other. The castle was designed to give its owners strategic control over all of Lake Trasimeno. The castle has withstood a number of sieges over the subsequent centuries.

The Palazzo della Corgna which serves as the Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall) was built by Ascanio della Corgna in Renaissance style, designed by the architect Vignola. It is now a civic museum and gallery. The palazzo has by a long, covered corridor connecting to the castle. On the main floor, late Renaissance era frescoes were painted by the Pescaro-born artist Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi and the Florentine artist Salvio Savini. In 1574, the artist Niccolò Circignani, known as "Il Pomarancio", added paintings and other decorations to one of the most interesting rooms in the palazzo, the so-called Room of the Exploits of the overlord Ascanio della Corgna. The only other building of particular note is the finely stucco-ed Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, done on a Greek-cross plan. The church has a neo-classical pronaos and, inside, a panel painted in 1580 by Eusebio da San Giorgio.

There are plenty of restaurants and Trattoria's in Castiglione Del Largo serving many local dishes and the views over the Lake are breathtaking and well worth stopping for. This is the perfect place to stop for Lunch and watch the world go by with a cool glass of Prosecco.

Gubbio

The town of Gubbio is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. The city's origins are very ancient. The hills above the town were already occupied in the Bronze Age. As Ikuvium, it was an important town of the ancient Umbrian people in pre-Roman times, made famous for the discovery there of the Eugubine (or Iguvine) Tables in 1444, a set of bronze tablets that together constitute the largest surviving text in ancient Umbrian. After the Roman conquest in the 2nd century BC — it kept its name as Iguvium — the city remained important, as attested by its Roman theatre, the second-largest surviving in the world.

The historical centre of Gubbio has a decidedly medieval aspect: the town can appear austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture. Many houses in central Gubbio date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and were originally the dwellings of wealthy merchants. They often have a second door fronting on the street, usually just a few inches from the main entrance. This secondary entrance is narrower, and a foot or so above the actual street level. This type of door is called a porta dei morti (door of the dead) because it was proposed that they were used to remove the bodies of any who might have died inside the house. This is almost certainly false, but there is no agreement as to the purpose of the secondary doors. A more likely theory is that the door was used by the owners to protect themselves when opening to unknown persons, leaving them in a dominating position.

Gubbio has long been known for its ceramics and there are still a number of shops selling beautiful hand-painted plates and vases. There are several good shops on Via dei Consoli. Other handicrafts include wrought iron work and lace, as well as many food items. Market day is on Tuesday. Places to see include

The Piazza Grande, or Piazza della Signoria, is Gubbio's main square. From the piazza there are spectacular views over the countryside. It's at the top of Via Piccardi, the street leading up from Piazza Quaranta Martiri.
Palazzo dei Consoli is a huge 14th century Gothic building made of limestone. Inside is an art gallery, archeology museum, and civic museum. Here you'll find the prized Eugubine tablets, seven bronze plaques from over 2000 years ago, written in the ancient Umbrian language. The palazzo, on Piazza della Signoria, dominates the town.
Palazzo Ducale, built for the Duke of Urbino in 1476, is across from the Duomo. It has a nice Renaissance courtyard and the palazzo is open to visitors.

If you want to experience the very best views of Gubbio and the surrounding area, then take a ride in the The Colle Eletto Cable Car. Completely modernised in 1999, the cable car is great fun and takes about six minutes from the starting station to the top of the Mount Ingino (about 900 mt.). .It was originally built in honour of the eight hundredth anniversary of the death of St. Ubaldo, the patron saint of Gubbio, and gives visitors a thrilling journey and a great reward when you get to the top - there is small cafe where you can sip a cappucino or grab a snack, whilst admiring the endless rollng views of the sourrounding Umbrian countryside.

Perugia

Perugia is the municiple centre of Umbria. Lifted by a hill above a valley patterned with fields, where the River Tiber runs swift and clear, Perugia is Umbria's petite and immediately likeable capital. Its centro storico (historic centre) rises in a helter-skelter of cobbled alleys, arched stairways and piazzas framed by magnificent palazzi (mansions). History seeps through every shadowy corner of these streets and an aimless wander through them can really feel like you've travelled back in timel. Back in the 21st century, Perugia is a university city, with many international students pepping up the nightlife and filling cafe terraces. Perugia also hosts one of Europe's best jazz festivals and along with Assisi, is a candidate for European Capital of Culture 2019. There are quite a few stylish shops selling quality clothing, leather handbags and expensive Italian shoes for those into designer fashion.

There are many small artisan shops where you can try samples of the locally produced Chocolate and you really must stop off for a Coffee and cake at the historic Pasticceria Sandi in the very centre of the city. You can also sample lunch with great scenery at one of the cafes which are situated near the main viewing terrace area and the lifts. You can find many shops selling local Truffle Oil, and other foodie souvenirs. If you are till hungry, you can stop by a Porchetta stall to try some delicious regional Italian streetfood. There are also the museum and the Medieval counting house to explore.

Umbria has so much to offer the more mature traveller who wants to discover the REAL Italy. Whislt Rome may have its magnificent Colosseum, Venice excels with its Gondolas and canals, and Tuscany is famed for its artistic masterpieces, Umbria truly excels at slow food and slow travel. It really is the true Italophile's Italy, the green heart that rolls up its sleeves and really gets to grips with remaining more authentically Italian than any other region in the Country. Tourism marketing is refreshingly still quite low key here compared to some other places in italy - but that is only because the Umbrians are far too busy lingering over dinner with friends and family, growing organic lentils or strolling through the piazza during the evening's passeggiata, to worry too much about letting the world know that they are there.

We bought home many little foodie treats from our trip - Truffle Oil, Dried Porcini Mushroooms, Lentils and Wild Boar Sausages just to name a few. We had lots of fun cooking up the various recipes we had seen and tasted with our authentic local produce, once we got back home. There were a few other places in Umbria - like Orvieto and Montefalco - which we didn't get to explore this time around, so hopefully, this will ensure that we do another short trip to Umbria sometime in the near future, for some more agriurismo and some much needed slow living!

Watch our latest Video below to see all the highlights of our trip to Umbria.