Advice on visiting Umbria, please?

We are planning to rent a country cottage between Orvieto and Lago di Bolsena in early October.

We will be travelling by car so there will be room to bring back some olive oil, wine and other goodies.

We would welcome advice on wineries, markets, food shops, restaurants, places to visit and so on.

On a previous trip passing through towards Rome, we discovered the Montefalco producer Adanti, wonderful QPR Grecchetto and Rosso and a surprisingly elegant Sagrantino (TN in pipeline), and will certainly return but are also looking out for new experiences.

(The rudest waiter in Italy served us at a wine-bar in the Montefalco main square!! Pity, because the wine choice and glass serving equipment were excellent. )

Besides visiting Paolo Bea, which would be no. 1 on my list, I highly recommend, on the non-oenological front, a visit to the Frasassi Caves, unforgettable.

Tim
Sorry, no personal experience in Umbria.

However I have a couple of good books I can scan for specifics in places you'll be staying - let me know where (and what appeals most) and I'm happy to send some listings.

- Golosario di Paolo Massobrio, which covers all manner of food shops / producers and from past experience has a pretty good depth of coverage. Occasionally it throws up the odd place which I think is underwhelming, but rarely misses something I find exciting myself. Written in Italian, but easily translatable as it's laid out nicely with good use of symbols. Worth having a browse of it if you find yourself in a bookshop whilst over there.

- Italy for the Gourmet Traveller, a nice book in English and widely available. Whilst lacking the depth of the above, I do particularly enjoy his 'food walks' where you're steered to a nice foodie part of town.

As you'll no doubt guess, I'm somewhat a 'food tourist', preferring self-catering these days for the flexibility it offers for food shopping (whilst still having one meal out a day typically).

regards

Ian

Tim
Another thought... did you see the recent comment about a new book on Central Italy by Nicholas Belfrage (my recollection prompted by Oswaldo's mention of Bea, on which comments were made IIRC over it's surprising omission). Might be a timely purchase?
regards
Ian

Ian, thanks for those reccos. I'll go onto Amazon to see it I can pick up the Belfrage book as well as Italy for Gourmet Travellers.

It would be great if you could scan me the pages re Orvieto, Bolsena and Baschi from the Glossario di Paolo Massobrio if they are not too many. I'll PM my Email address.

Oswaldo, Bea is a funny case. Many people enthuse over his wines but when I asked for some at the Montefalco enoteca (within 50m from the rude waiter's wine bar), they told me they didn't stock it (they had most of the others) because it was vinegar. I am keen to pick some up but I do not approve of the Bea estate's introducing the American practice of charging visitors; Fonterutoli does too but I hope that the practice spreads no further into Europe.

Found this for you Tim......>

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions- ... mbria.html

We were in Montepulciano last month and visited Castiglione del Lago on Lake Trasimeno in Umbria. While there, I had a chance to sample several wines from the Colli di Trasimeno appellation. Interestingly, most of them were blends of Gamay and Sangiovese -- I had no idea anyone grew Gamay in Italy anywhere outside of Valle d'Aosta. These were richer and fruitier than anything from France, but brighter and, in some ways, more food-friendly than many younger Tuscan and Umbrian 90 percent-plus Sangioveses. (For example, a great match with carp in porchetta from the lake.) Not earth-shattering wines and a far cry from Sagrantino, but worth trying for the novelty and simple enjoyment with the wonderful local food.

By the way, if you haven't been to Montepulciano, it's well worth a day trip or more, and it's less than an hour's drive from Orvieto.

Of course, the other essential thing to do is visit the frescoes by Piero della Francesca in Sansepolcro, Monterchi and Arezzo.

Tim
I've emailed you details - also some reccos from duemilavini book
regards
Ian

I was in Tuscany earlier this year, and took one day to visit Orvieto in Umbria. Lovely little town with a garishly decorated church. The sculptures on the front of the church are worth the visit alone! The images of those who just realized they will be going to hell (literally) are incredible. Several wineries in the area as well, of course. Definitely worth a visit. Sorry, that's the only Umbria village I visited...

Hi,
I'm a long-time lurker on this board.....originally from Boston but have been living in NYC for the past five years. Anyways, I've been to Umbria a couple of times (May 2007 and May 2009) and this post prompted me to register. I stayed in Spoleto both times and have visited Spello, Montefalco, Bevagna, Orvieto, Todi, Perugia, Assisi, Norcia, Trevi, Foligno and a few others. I traveled strictly by public transporatation (trains and buses), so I can't give you any recs for the countryside. And all of my market experience is from Spoleto. Here are a few dining recs:
Spoleto - La Torretta (great little trattoria), Osteria del Trivio (great pasta)
Spello - Entoca Properzio (great little wine bar with friendly staff), La Bastiglia (high-end restaurant with an adventurous kitchen)
Orvieto - I Sette Consoli (high-end restaurant that gets much praise)
Montefalco - Antico Frantoio Brizi (great little trattoria, the owners have a B&B and an olive oil press a couple doors down which they took us on a tour of)
Perugia - Antica Trattoria delle Volte (been twice...excellent both times)
If you have any questions, ask away and I'll do my best.
John

Here are some of my notes during a trip last March where we based ourselves in Perugia for a week:

Wineries

Wineries require that you make advanced appointment to visit. Note that the 2 different maps of Montefalco showing the wineries that we picked up from our hotel were totally useless. In addition, the directions within Montefalco, showing the wineries, are not as clear-cut as I had hoped them to be.

Paolo Bea in Montefalco – deeply rooted in the natural process of winemaking; terrific sagrantino-based wines; tasting conducted by his son Gianpietro in the kitchen in the old part of the residence; 7 bottles tasted, plus a special blend that he is experimenting with straight from a cask right in the kitchen. A must visit for any wine geek for the excellent wines amidst the simplicity of the atmosphere. Paolo, himself, came by to greet.

Arnaldo Caprai in Montefalco – complete contrast to Paolo Bea, in style, process, and facility. Very modern, with lot’s of experimentation on grape-growing and winemaking processes; a tasting facility that blows away some of the most modern ones that I’ve come upon; very charming and welcoming hostess and guide, also very knowledgeable of all 13, yes 13, wines that she poured for me – different glasses for each wine.


Restaurants:

We chose Umbrian restaurants that are rooted in preparing and serving local and traditional dishes during our trip. All the restaurants that we went to proudly feature Umbrian producers, which, as you may well be aware are sagrantino-based. Lot’s of gems abound at prices that seems to be just above retail.

Il Padrino in Perugia – a restaurant that we came upon by chance as we got lost in one of the narrow side streets. Cozily tucked in a tiny quiet street, it’s a beautiful restaurant serving terrific Umbrian dishes – the seafood dishes were the standouts. but the thick steaks with truffle-based sauce was quite unforgettable.

Da Cesarino in Perugia – right by the main square overlooking the cathedral; cozy white-cloth restaurant; simply prepared Umbrian dishes of grilled meats and pasta. Good, if you’re in the area and in need of a quick meal of good quality.

Il Falchetto in Perugia – as regional as can be in terms of cooking, ambiance and everything else. The owner proudly displayed freshly-butchered huge slabs of porterhouse in a large table in the restaurant where they will saw and slice off and show you the portion that they will grill upon ordering. I opted for a pork dish slathered in some tomato-truffle-jerb sauce, very good. A plate of assorted Umbrian appetizer is a must.

Il Mio Vinaio in Spoleto – a wine bar serving top notch local cured meats and cheeses, fresh and tasty breads and various olive oils. The assorted crostini and truffle-based pate are simply delicious and very memorable. The wine list, by the bottle or by the glass, is quite robust with local Umbrian wines as the highlights. Family-run, where the sons take care of the wait and busboy duties; the dad with slicing the meats; while the mom handle the kitchen duties. A very small, but relaxing place that’s popular with locals. It’s right by the main street leading to the town square.

Urbino (in the Marches) – we drove up 3 hours to the Marches region to the town of Urbino to see the imposing Palazzo Ducale, which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marches containing one of the most important collection of Renaissance art in the world.

Ristorante de la Fornarina in Urbino – local dishes, creaky wooden and old brick structure all around, good local comfort dishes; a good lunch stop.

Enjoy Umbria.

Ramon

Hi,
I'm a long-time lurker on this board.....originally from Boston but have been living in NYC for the past five years. Anyways, I've been to Umbria a couple of times (May 2007 and May 2009) and this post prompted me to register. I stayed in Spoleto both times and have visited Spello, Montefalco, Bevagna, Orvieto, Todi, Perugia, Assisi, Norcia, Trevi, Foligno and a few others. I traveled strictly by public transporatation (trains and buses), so I can't give you any recs for the countryside. And all of my market experience is from Spoleto. Here are a few dining recs:
Spoleto - La Torretta (great little trattoria), Osteria del Trivio (great pasta)
Spello - Entoca Properzio (great little wine bar with friendly staff), La Bastiglia (high-end restaurant with an adventurous kitchen)
Orvieto - I Sette Consoli (high-end restaurant that gets much praise)
Montefalco - Antico Frantoio Brizi (great little trattoria, the owners have a B&B and an olive oil press a couple doors down which they took us on a tour of)
Perugia - Antica Trattoria delle Volte (been twice...excellent both times)
If you have any questions, ask away and I'll do my best.
John

OK, John - now you've done it! Your lurker status is officially over.
Welcome to the board - we'd love to hear more about the food and wine you've encountered in your travels (or anywhere else for that matter)!


On the Umbria front, I have no specifics to offer except to say that we stayed in an agriturismo place called Torre Burchio that was way up in the hills back about 8 years ago. The restaurant there was marvelous and ridiculously inexpensive (at least back then).

I was in Tuscany earlier this year, and took one day to visit Orvieto in Umbria. Lovely little town with a garishly decorated church. The sculptures on the front of the church are worth the visit alone!

And at the risk of sounding like any tourist brochure, don't forget to go inside the church (cathedral actually) to see the Signorelli "Last Judgement" frescoes. I think even someone who is feeling a bit frescoed-out would be impressed.

Thanks all for those helpful suggestions.