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Ultimate Umbria in 4 Weeks
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Olive trees, grapevines and mountains in Umbria In the last two years, we cancelled two trips to Italy, one due to a house move and the other due to Covid. Although Delta changed our latest flight multiple times, this time nothing would stop us. Our travel style in the past has included such trip reports as 16 countries in 30 days, but, apprehensive about Covid, we decided to hunker down this time in one place. And what better place than Umbria with its dozens of hill towns. Mom and Dad introduced us to Umbria 21 years ago when they rented a villa outside of Spoleto. Our grandson had his first gelato in Spello, and we had never been there. We booked an apartment in the center of Spello for 30 days, and Covid would not contain us. During the month, we drove 2500 miles (4000km), walked close to 200 miles; rode on six trains, four taxis and two round trips on different funiculars. We visited more than 40 towns and cities, nearly 3 dozen of them in Umbria. To count for us as a “visit”, we needed at least to walk through most of the village, maybe stop in a church or museum, and possibly grab a bite to eat. We drove through many other towns not included in these totals. This report will include our arrival and departure days in Rome, a few unplanned days on the Mediterranean and, of course, our four weeks based in Umbria, with some day trips into Tuscany and Marche. This is a work in progress, but we will try to share a few of the thousands of photos we took along the way. We flew to Italy August 22 and returned to US on September 27. Umbria towns and locations to be included in this report: Spello Trevi Montefalco Bevagna Todi Assisi Castiglione del Lago Isola Maggiore Passignano sul Trasimeno Deruta Bettona Gubbio Collepino Nocera Foligno Orvieto Cesi Spoleto Norcia Casteluccio Perugia Pale di Foligno Cerreto Borgo Cerreto di Spoleto Triponzo Sellano Rasiglia Cannara Corciano Montone Citta di Castello Citerna Umbertide Marmore Falls Citta della Pieve |
Holy cow, whitehall! I'm all in for this trip.
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Looking forward to your report: we stayed in Spello for 5 days (in an apartment in the center) in 2016 and loved it.
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Arrival/Departure
We kept reviewing cancellation policies for our airfare and lodging places prior to travel. We had a lot of anxiety about traveling with Covid still circling us. But as cancellation deadlines passed, we knew we were going. We travel light, never check baggage, but for the first time we had to go to the ticket counter. No online check-in allowed for this trip. It turned out to be simple: show your QR code for the EU contact tracing form (PLF) and show our CDC vaccination records (we traveled during a period when vaccinated passengers did not have to also show a negative Covid test result to go to Italy). We were at our gate in 15 minutes, kicking ourselves for coming three hours early as Delta had warned.
In Atlanta, at the gate, we were met by a team and had to again show them all our documents, and get a temperature check. Unvaccinated people needed negative Covid tests, and just around the corner from our gate was a huge testing center, with no wait, allowing anyone who showed up without the proper stuff to get tested and get on the plane, even if they came as the plane was boarding. The plane was about 90% full, and before we knew it we were looking at August ice and snow in the Alps. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d6c7326c17.jpg Delta personnel prepared us all for rigorous document checks once in Rome, but, to our amazement, for the first time ever, there was little human interaction there. Passport control was all automated. You put your passport in a machine, have your photo taken and that was it. The only human encountered was a lady, who, without a word, stamped passports one after the next so you have a record or a souvenir. No document checks. No vaccination or Covid test checks.They simply relied on Delta to make sure everyone had everything in order. |
I am looking forward to reading all about your adventures in Italy.
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Food
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b43875b5c.jpgOur food tastes are simple, often tilted in Italy toward pizza, pasta, bruschetta (and, as my Italian Dad always implored, please pronounce this “ch” with a “k” not a “sh”) and gelato. We had planned to do a lot of cooking at home, but, of course, Italian food is wonderful and cheap, so we ate out more than expected. And, we did have more meat than we usually eat and some fish along the way.
We do start every day in our apartment with a fresh bowl of homemade fruit, 8-12 different types. It is difficult for us to pass up the beautiful fruits in weekly markets or at the local fruit and veggie shops. We sometimes ruin the health benefits of that morning treat with a pastry, hopefully full of “crema”. |
Lodging
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This beautiful two-story apartment in the center of Spello, with all taxes and fees, was less than $100 per day. We stayed in four separate places on this trip, a well-located apartment in Rome that we stayed in both upon arrival and departure; another apartment in Rome when we went to pick up our daughter, who made a surprise decision to pop in; an apartment with a sweeping water view on the Med toward the end of our trip; and our apartment in Spello where we stayed four weeks. Three were rented on airbnb and the fourth on booking.com. |
Car Lease
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Auto Europe/Renault Lease Perhaps the most amazing part of this trip was the car leasing experience. When we booked in the spring, car rentals were beginning to soar due to global auto shortages. Through AutoEurope, we were able to lease a brand new car (we wanted the smallest car possible, but that ended up as a “small SUV”, a Romanian built Dacia from Renault). Prior to the rental, we had to supply drivers license info to Renault so that the car could be registered in France in our name. The pick-up, other than a quick new car intro, and return in Rome were quick (as in minutes) and much more efficient than a normal car rental. The part that was most surprising was the price. $1,040 total (comparable base rentals ranged from $2-4,000 prior to our trip). Our lease included full insurance, unlimited mileage and GPS. Five star experience all around. We have a Romanian daughter-in-law, who as a child won a Dacia in a national lottery, but, at the time, they were junky cars. Much nicer today. (And, on the subject of Romania, we had a Romanian taxi driver we used four times in Rome who simply was the best we have ever had there.) |
Whitehall, I am so impressed with the care you are taking in this trip report. It is just fascinating and I was especially interested to see photos of the booking-in process. Along for the ride!
Lavandula |
Looking forward to more! Thanks!!!
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A very cool apartment and a nice way of arranging your experiences. More soon, per favore.
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I am so excited to read your report! We spent two weeks in a house in top section of Spello. Loved the town and whole area. We kept our car in lot at the very top of town and explored the surrounding area too. It was one of our very favorite stays in Italy. We found the house offered in a charity fund raiser. No one else bid on it either which surprised us. It is not normally rented.
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What a fabulous trip, looking forward to more.
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Following along and looking forward to more of your trip !
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@Jackie44 Our son and grandson were in Spello in 2017, and nothing has changed. At their home in New York, they have two large canvas prints on the wall of our grandson in Spello at age one. We posed in the same spots and all was the same.
@TDudette I appreciate your comments, and yes it was a cool apartment. @lavandula Hoping I can make the report of the ride worth your while @walkingarchive @joannycn@Adelaidean @NE Thank you @HappyTrvlr You were in the right place at the right time to score that apartment in Spello; hope your experience there was as wonderful as ours. We are taking an unplanned fall trip to the North Carolina mountains to catch what might be the last gasp of summer, but the report will continue tomorrow. |
GPS & Cell Service
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Initially, we gave the big screen GPS system that was included in our lease a try. It got us to our first destination. We especially liked the warning system for the plentiful speed cameras we passed. As we began our travels to small Umbrian towns, we found that the system just did not include many of them We decided to use our cell phone instead. It was an easy switch (although there was no “carplay” capability to allow us to connect our IPhone to the car’s screen). On our last pre-Covid trip to Italy, we relied on pre-downloaded google maps for our GPS. It worked well and kept our cell phone data to a minimum. With a newly available AT&T international plan, we splurged a bit and paid the $10/day (or maximum $100 per billing period) for the same unlimited internet and data we are used to at home. For $200 for our five weeks away, it worked like a charm, and we always had phone, internet, data, wifi hotspot. And, our Apple Maps also usually provided the same speed warnings. Not that we have ever had a ticket after lots of driving in Italy, but speed changes seem to come more often in Italy. |
Days 1 and 2: Rome
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We have an upcoming wedding, and our plan was to do some shopping in Rome. Italy dictates when merchants can have sales, and this year, the summer sales period was extended (due to Covid) into late August (perfect for us). But, for the most part, we explored, people watched, enjoyed food we have dreamed of, saw some new things and walked over 10 miles each of the two days we were there including the day we should have been jet lagged. Yes, we walked 10 miles after a sleepless flight from Atlanta to Rome and an arrival at our apartment very early afternoon. Not to brag (although we are both on Medicare), but it showed our enthusiasm for being back to Italy. The first thing we noticed was how empty the streets were. No traffic between the airport and the city. Our first time in Rome was 21 years ago, and we likened the vibe to that time. Few crowds anywhere. Vatican Square nearly empty. Same for Spanish Steps, the Coliseum, and Piazza del Popolo. Small crowd at Trevi Fountain, but nothing like the last few times we were there. The biggest lines were the green pass checkpoints at places like the Forum and even McDonald’s. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6108bf292.jpeg Green Pass required even at McDonalds Some businesses were permanently closed; others had signs providing some final dates of their August vacations. We were told many Romans were at the beach for the rest of the week. Even our favorite pizza place was on vacation. But almost everyone we saw were Italians, probably from other regions, on their own summer vacations. Ours were almost the only English voices we heard in our two days in Rome. While there, we saw someone’s online list, where Rome was on top as one of the world’s filthiest cities. And, yes, it is still filthy, with trash nearly everywhere, but, for those of us who love the grit and chaos, along with the history and the food, we keep coming back. Added to the garbage now are Covid masks, lots of them, and electric scooters that are left everywhere. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2155ba45d.jpeg The busiest and most lively area was Trastevere, where we went to a packed Tonnarello’s and had one of the best “flatbread” style pizzas ever. Again, all Italians. We had a 20 minute downpour while walking in Trastevere, purchased a decent large umbrella from a street vendor after haggling it down from $10 to $7. We thought it would come in handy during the next five weeks, but, miraculously, this was the only time we needed it before giving it to our taxi driver at the Rome airport more than a month later. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...782b58960.jpeg Chicory and sausage flatbread at Tonnarello's with a perfect crust. We always talk about how safe we feel in Rome, walking everywhere, never looking over our shoulders, day and night, but, while in Trastevere, a car was cordoned off by lots of police including a bomb disposal squad. We were amused at how the police used an electric scooter to attach their crime scene tape. (In fairness to Italians, the car that was the subject of whatever was going on, was registered in Sweden). https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c993fe094.jpg Bomb squad at entrance to Trastevere. We had never spent much time on the Tiber riverwalk, but for the first time visited the many shops, restaurants, bars, and arcades especially in the Trastevere area. There was even a Jamaican reggae duo on one side of a bridge and a country singer, with cowboy boots, on the other side. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3e2be7201.jpeg Tiber Riverwalk near Trastevere It has been a couple years since we had good gelato, so we indulged two favorites and added two more. We highly recommend all: Giolitti, Frigidarium, Gelateria del Teatro, Fatamorgana, and we had all of them with “panna” (whipped cream on top). Six years ago, we encountered what seemed like the entire college of cardinals at the Palazzo Venezia (where Mussolini gave his many speeches). The dozens of cardinals were blessing tourists, some of whom were falling to their knees, but we noticed some of the cardinals were chain smoking, others were on cell phones and at least one was snuggled up with a very attractive young woman. Turns out they were actors in an HBO series, having some fun with their costumes. This time, we came across an entrance to the Homeless World Cup and a soccer stadium of sorts behind Castel san Angelo. We googled it, and yes, there is a Homeless World Cup, played in various international locations, but this one wasn’t it. We saw lines of trailers for actors, one even a full laundry, all for an upcoming film “A Beautiful Game” (starring English actor Bill Nighy). They created a mini-soccer filed and grandstands with the typical fans (colored hair and all), all of this ironically only yards away from a real homeless encampment that will still be there when the film crews depart. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3e90ae3c91.jpg Homeless, real and fiction, behind Castel San Angelo Aside from Covid changes and many more outside dining tables, there were some new things, such as what seemed to us to be more streets turned into pedestrian only. And, a large and beautiful salute to refugees with a bronze sculpture in Vatican Square. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ac2b602c5.jpeg Vatican Square |
what a wonderful report.. I am so looking forward to the rest..
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millie2112 Thank you.
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Day 3: Spello
It was close to noon before we were on our way out of Rome in our brand spanking new car. Fortunately, there was not a lot of traffic as we adjusted our driving style to the narrow roads, large trucks and lots of speed cameras. Not bad compared to say our driving in southern Italy, where the narrow two lanes need to accommodate a third middle lane for fast moving cars (for both directions), no matter if there are bicyclists also jockeying for room.
On the way, we stopped at a Lidl grocery store. We have purchased many housewares, tools and mostly clothes, even jackets and boots, at their US stores. We are amazed at the department store merchandise, some of it decent, that they fit in next to the frozen food aisle and change out every week. You have to remember to have one euro with you to free up a grocery cart, and this time, the inside doors to the store would not open unless you stood in front of an automated machine that made sure your temperature was normal. On this trip, we bought some groceries, including some wine there. You can’t beat Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOP for $1.69 (euro) a bottle. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9661f702c2.jpg By mid-afternoon, we were in Spello, a hill town in the sense that it started at the bottom of Mount Subasio and worked its way up. Some “hill towns” are all at the top of a hill or small mount, but they can be relatively flat from end to end. Spello is all uphill. Unlike Rome, it is also impeccable in every way. The medieval buildings are all restored, and there are signs of Roman days, most notably at a couple of the gates. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d0353e5dc8.jpg We had a little trouble finding a parking space in the middle of our first day, as we soon learned that tiny Spello, every day, gets more than its share of tourists. And, these were all Italians, mostly enjoying the late stages of their summer vacations. Nearly all the tourist traffic is confined to the main road that runs from top to bottom and includes most of the bars, restaurants, shops and churches. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...24f83cc76.jpeg Before our arrival, we weren’t sure what impact Covid concerns would have on our daily life here for the next four weeks. We had entertained the idea of simply staying put, living like a local, shopping the markets, cooking all our meals at home and just hanging out. Although we love to cook at home (and did many times), once we realized that Covid in Italy wasn’t much different than Covid at home, we knew that masks would be the only real difference between past trips to Italy and this one. And, there are only a few masks in these crowds, although it was 100% indoors. There is one little Spello grocer, a very busy one, and a good source for those big bottles of water, since the store was only a short walk from our apartment. This tiny market had some produce, and we bought some fruit, including grapes, there, even though the cost was double the bigger supermarket outside the town walls. It seemed that a lot of their business was shaving prosciutto and other cold cuts and making sandwiches. But, it is sad to see the larger "supermercatos" slowly putting the butchers, the fruit and veggie vendors and other small family retailers out of business. In some villages, these are remnants of a past that long ago disappeared in the US. Evenings bring people to town for the many restaurants, but, by then, the bus trips have ended. There are a couple of streets that are lined by homeowners with pots of beautiful flowers, and it would be an under-statement to say these streets are well-photographed. At times, a tour group of 30 or 40 people jockey for position with their smart phones and cameras to take the same picture. The same one in my collage above. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c84dfa507.jpg Before we found a free parking lot closer to our apartment, we used a small one at the top of he village. Few people venture all the way up, and the only person we saw the first day was a nun. We later learned that an unmarked building nearby houses a cloistered order of nuns, who rarely leave their home. The Pope heard about these nuns, and two years ago he reportedly "drove up" (maybe as a passenger) from Rome to Spello (a really big deal for this small town) and, without notice, knocked on their door. Obviously, he knew they would be home, and undoubtedly there was lots of security. Last year, the Pope got headlines writing an encyclical in Assisi, addressed to “all brothers” to make social commitments aimed at world peace. Little notice, except here, was paid to his stop-over in Spello on the way to again visit the sisters. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f2a3d5618.jpeg There are flowers everywhere in Spello, often referred to as one of Italy’s most beautiful villages. Never as beautiful, we have heard, as “L’infiorata” or Spello’s annual spring flower festival. This is not like flower shows we have all seen. Rather, hundreds of millions of fresh flower petals are assembled by 2,000 volunteers, who, in one night, make a carpet of flowers for various sections of the main street of Spello. They are arranged to create beautiful and colorful pictures, designs and religious symbols. There are many photos on the internet, but someday we hope to return just for this. In this short day, we put our clothes and other things into a new house, food in the refrigerator, got our bearings and talked for the first time about what we might do on Day 4 or even Day 5 or 6. This was a trip without a plan. *All photos in this trip report were taken with our iPhone. We took the one of the Pope at the Vatican in 2015. |
Continued WOWs.
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Originally Posted by TDudette
(Post 17296335)
Continued WOWs.
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Originally Posted by TDudette
(Post 17296335)
Continued WOWs.
I might use this as a reading assignment for my ESL adult students. |
kleeblatt Thank you for that. I hope that doesn't mean that I have to write in full sentences. One of my many careers included doing some TV news, and I learned to write conversationally, and that often finds its way into things I do now.
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Day 4: Trevi, Montefalco & Todi
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We started the morning in Spello directly across from our apartment at this little “bar", largely a coffee shop with light lunches. (And it started after the trash was collected) https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d5115adcad.jpg It is easy to miss the fact that this in-town place has a “secret garden” out back, perfect for those preferring outdoor seating during Covid. A spectacular and unusual addition to this little coffee shop. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3f5c00297.jpeg Trevi Twenty-one years ago, when we made our first trip to Italy, our train from Florence to Spoleto passed very close to Trevi, the perfect looking hill town from the window. We took videos, and, although we didn’t get there, I often dreamed of Trevi, perusing many real estate ads over the years. As a symbol of my quick fascination with hill towns, I briefly owned the web domain: italyhilltowns.com. Having 10 or 12 careers in my life, why not do the ultimate coffee table book on these towns or perhaps create a travel company focused on these places. Little did I realize at the time, it would take a lifetime to cover even some of the hundreds of such places (maybe more since they say there are 2400 ghost towns in Italy). One of our sons heard me talk so much about Trevi, he stopped there four years ago, and reported back that “there isn’t much there.” Perhaps to prove him wrong and keep my dream alive, we looked at staying in Trevi instead of Spello but couldn’t find the right place. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...63695c026.jpeg View from Trevi Spello is located midway between Assisi (to the north) and Trevi (to the south). We saw an online listing of weekly markets, and it said that today was the day for Trevi, and we needed to stock up our apartment with fruits and veggies. A perfect day to prove my son wrong. First, upon arrival, things looked very quiet, a bit different from the tourist crowds in Spello. Then, we were told market day was the next day. A few people were having coffee in the main square. We walked nearly every beautiful street, hoping to find something magical. Anything. But, no, my son was right. There simply wasn’t much here. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e05b1245d2.jpgMain square in Trevi https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9fa2d1040.jpeg Typical street in Trevi I felt disappointed that I even felt this way as we walked this beautifully restored medieval village. In fairness to fans of Trevi, there are events during the year including a Palio and even a "celery and sausage" festival. And, although things were closed up, there is reportedly an olive oil museum and churches with the usual unbelievable art. But that eluded us this day. There is a beautiful old theatre building that got our interest, but, like most of them in Italy, it was all locked up. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f84cfcf6b.jpeg We had planned to spend the day in Trevi, but it was time to move on, so we quickly picked two towns we visited in the year 2000. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bf3a78812.jpeg Montefalco https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d28dd80a37.jpg Montefalco First stop: Montefalco, which is known for its wines, and we decided to try some for lunch. We elected to eat on a porch of a funky looking restaurant, and when we went inside to pay, we realized how much we were missing out on, due to Covid. Most of us are eating on decks, porches, and even in alleyways, while some of the prettiest, and, in this case, most interesting, restaurant interiors are steps away (and empty). https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e629fea683.jpg As shown above, there are spectacular views from Montefalco back to our temporary home on Mt. Subasio. It is a small village, easy to navigate most of the streets, and the several view spots. After lunch we had a gelato, and were happy to wait five minutes while they switched out all the old stuff with new. We would have preferred knowing they made it out back, but their delivery clearly came from a good manufacturer. We can usually tell by the dull colors (good) vs. the bright green, and even blue, colors (awful). https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e3b04c1e0c.jpg Main square Montefalco We have a photo sharing album of each of our trips with family members, and one of the most commented ones by our grandchildren was the one of the body of a Spanish wayfarer behind glass on a side altar at an old church. The story we shared was that this man, a pilgrim, was taken in by friars hundreds of years ago and during the night returned to the church, where he was found dead next to a confessional. He was buried in a sepulchre, but somehow his body got out. They buried him again, only to find his body out again. The third time, they placed him in the bell tower for a hundred years, but his body did not de-compose. And, there he is with his original clothes, still in decent shape for his age. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8627dc9232.jpg Next stop: Todi. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...01768c5b41.jpg Todi All around Montefalco, there were grapevines loaded with grapes. And, we even stopped along the road and picked a few handfuls of very sweet blackberries. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c1862fe591.jpg There are several ways to access Todi. We took the little automated funicular, all by ourselves going up. And, there were some buttons we had to push. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b506b3bd26.jpg Funicular Todi A bigger town than Montefalco, there are many more shops and larger squares and churches in Todi. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4b2e4d5c23.jpg Main Square Todi We walked so many streets, we soon found ourselves at the lowest part. Just outside the walls of the town is the magnificent Santa Maria della Consolazione that attracts pilgrims who want to see an icon of the Madonna on its altar. Legend has it that a construction worked, blind in one eye, rubbed that eye with a cloth he had used to clean the Madonna, and, of course, had his sight restored. We returned to the town center, walking uphill and on stairs through beautiful park-like surroundings. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aab3043eaa.jpg Santa Maria della Consolazione, Todi https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3fc1f85e05.jpg Path back to town We visited several churches that, although old, were fairly simple in design and decoration., https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...51362fe82.jpeg We normally would deny this, but our photos suggest we had a second gelato in two towns, but this one was definitely “piccolo” (small) cones with no “panna” (whipped cream). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5f46434bb.jpeg Back to Spello for a light snack and some wine at home. We did takeout at a little panini place our son frequented when staying here. We had one with a simple tomato, cheese, arugula and sautéed pepper combination. The proprietor apologized for the 10-minute wait while she rolled the dough and cooked the bread. Nice. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb8b49622.jpeg |
Fabulous TR! thanks for taking the time to write this. We are planning somewhere in Italy next fall so reading your TR will help us pick places to visit. Did you give a site for your Rome apt?
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What yestravel wrote.
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I am so loving this trip report. Photos are wonderful.
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Me too, so nice to read about Italy!
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Day 5: Trevi (again) & Bevagna
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There is a gas station/garage at the base of Spello that every morning puts out this beautiful pink VW bus, presumably to get attention for their business. It got our attention every day, so we wanted to share it. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...98f99b240.jpeg Trevi We missed the weekly market in Spello, so we decided to head back to Trevi for their market. And, I still can’t get enough of what a good looking hill town it is. Therefore another photo, this one from our second visit there. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...600d444db6.jpg Trevi weekly market The market was much smaller than we expected. One of the two produce companies there even had their truck wrapped with a Trevi photo. We appreciated the quality of the fruits and veggies and split our business between the two vendors. All items were fresh, and we especially enjoyed the juicy and sweet peaches. Often by September in the US, it gets risky to buy peaches that often are mealy. The produce cost about half or less the amount of comparable items at home. We looked at the couple of other vendors and don’t see how this sparsely attended market was worth their while. We did notice a couple of olive oil retail stores in the otherwise quiet central square. We tried to communicate with the proprietor of one. He was very proud of his oil, speaking only Italian but showing us photos of his family and his farm where it is produced. We considered ordering some oil to be shipped in the late Fall after the harvest, since EVO loses its health benefits after 12-18 months. We noticed his inventory had 2019-2020 harvest dates, which suggested that the oil might be from two seasons ago, but he did not provide any explanation we could understand. He just repeated that his oil and Trevi were "numero uno." We were anxious to get our market food home and cook our first dinner at home. But we needed to go somewhere new and picked Bevagna, only 15 minutes from Spello. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...21a1986f9.jpeg Vineyard On the way to Bevagna, we passed several vineyards, including one that looked nice enough to photograph. Although we only recently noticed we had taken this photo, we did not realize that, based on an unrelated recommendation later in our trip, we would do a wine tasting there in a couple of weeks with our daughter from Florida. We also did not know at that point that we would be seeing our daughter in the next week. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2fd1f83d06.jpg Bevagnahttps://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ecf2c86f4a.jpg Bevagna Bevagna has a history with the Romans that pre-dates Christ. When the Romans became an established power in Umbria, Bevagna was an important link to the area’s agricultural interests. And, it is still surrounded by large farms with lots of olive trees and grapevines. Even on the edge of the walled town, there are signs of farming. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7ae3986eb.jpeg As we understood, the current medieval village is on top of the remnants of an extensive Roman city including an amphitheater. Bevagna is not a hill town but it is a walled village that is a favorite with many Umbrians. Several times when we met people they recommended we visit Bevagna. Our attention first went to a little fresh pasta shop. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...10a9e6d675.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...08c984a6d5.jpg In other areas of Italy, we have found shops that make and sell pastas, sauces, pestos, and it makes for a nice and easy Italian dinner at home. The young lady behind the counter embraced our business and offered us lemon ravioli (always a favorite for us) and a thicker pasta to try that she said was a local favorite. We also went across the street to a nice looking butcher shop and purchased some homemade pesto. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...219abedae.jpeg There were other merchants in this town worth noting. Of particular interest was a nice shop that served as a cashmere outlet for a local business. This room was what seemed to be the manufacturing part of this business, which had a nice retail area in the next room. We wondered if all their beautiful sweaters could be made on this tiny weaving machine. Or maybe this was like the rug sellers we have encountered in Tunisia and Turkey who show someone hand weaving rugs when they are actually selling machine created ones. Only kidding. We are certain this is a very reputable business, probably manufacturing their cashmere in a different spot. We fully realized that they need a fair amount of manufacturing capacity when, later in Rome, we came across another Bevagna cashmere outlet, full of beautiful sweaters. (My wife purchased some beautiful rings from a newer jeweler in Spello, with beautiful low and moderate priced goods, that she said her daughter manufactured in Bevagna). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b71ff9a85.jpeg Dinner was all set for later at home. But for lunch, near one of the town gates, we had a lycopene overload, with pizza and a tomato salad. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7943f29cb.jpeg Speed Camera We headed home to create our first at-home menu from our shopping. On the way, we noticed a number of Autovelox speed cameras and read that Italy has 8,000 of them (compared to only 2400 in all of France). The average speeding fine on motorways in Italy is 143E, but that is puny compared to the 711E in Norway. Speed limits change a lot but mostly seem reasonable, except on motorways in construction zones, and there were a lot of them in Umbria. In these zones, traffic often was routed into one lane with the regular limits of 90-110 kph dropping to 40 kph (that is 25 mph, which is ridiculous for sometimes miles of highway driving). And, unless you want to be responsible for a major traffic tie-up, you need to go at least 70 kph in these zones (and still keeping most drivers behind you frustrated). We may have to wait and see, a year or two from now from the past experience of many, if these speeds result in any tickets. If so, every car on the road should get one, maybe a dozen for each of us per day. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6aca0b585c.jpg And then, from today's shopping, our simple but quick dinner. Veggies that you often don’t find on Italian restaurant menus and that thicker pasta with pesto. |
yestravel We booked our Rome apartment on airbnb. It was a studio (fairly small), which has a kitchen that we prefer when we travel. We normally try to hit a daily lodging budget of $100, but this one was closer to $120 with all taxes and fees.Its best attribute was its location. To give you an idea of location, walking distances are: 5 minutes to Rome's best (our bias) pizza (Pizzeria di Baffetto), 10 minutes to Piazza Navona or Castel Sant Angelo, and 12 minutes to Vatican City. Private message me if you want the airbnb link.
Adelaidean Thank you. |
Day 6: Spello Day
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...11cf8f38b0.jpg Our apartment Spello We decided to relax a bit on this Saturday. We took some photos in our neighborhood, including the outside of our apartment (the two floors above the ladies clothing store). https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3c1fe68100.jpg We watched locals (most who were not invited) crowd near a church and another group outside city hall as two weddings grabbed their attention. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b93527dc26.jpg We missed playing tennis, something we try to do twice a week at home. On google earth, we saw what looked like a tennis court down below Spello village. We walked down there and found a soccer practice field and what looked like an ice rink behind it. No tennis court. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9b58b303d.jpeg Spello Station Our daughter, who has joined us on many prior trips and is getting married in November, called us on Face Time and told us she planned to come to Italy the following week for 5-6 days. She is a great travel companion and would synch perfectly with whatever we might do in our unplanned time here. And, our apartment came with an unused second bedroom. So, we timed a walk to the Spello train station since we planned to go by rail to Rome and meet her. The station was an easy 15 minute walk from our apartment, so we decided we did not need to bring a car to the train station. We also noticed that the station was closed as a result of Covid, and that tickets needed to be purchased online or in a machine on the platform. As we traveled, this seemed true of most rail stations except the largest ones. Even the bigger ones had some shops and restaurants closed. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fc4279b4b3.jpg We hadn’t seen any local police, although there was a sign for a local police station in the village. On the way back from the railroad, we watched two officers set up their car at a busy intersection leading into Spello. We stood and watched them meticulously and slowly put on bulletproof vests and then their gloves, and then set up a computer and got it up and running, in their hatchback area. One strapped a long gun over his shoulder. Eventually, they raised their paddle to a passing car, presumably for a random document check. We walked around the corner, and it seems only a few minutes later, the officers were cruising by. Law enforcement Italian style. |
I prefer staying in apartments, too, as your home cooked meals remind me.
Visiting a market and preparing dinner seems much more fun when I’m in Europe! I’ve enjoyed seeing all those towns, we stayed in Volterra for 2 nights and it was wonderful. |
Originally Posted by Adelaidean
(Post 17296849)
I prefer staying in apartments, too, as your home cooked meals remind me.
Visiting a market and preparing dinner seems much more fun when I’m in Europe! I’ve enjoyed seeing all those towns, we stayed in Volterra for 2 nights and it was wonderful. |
Day 7: Spoleto & Foligno
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Spoleto Mom and Dad rented a villa outside Spoleto in 2000, and we joined them there for a few days. We tried unsuccessfully to find that villa, but we returned to the castle that looms above the large village. The last time we were there, our family arrived at the end of the day and got what turned out to be a private tour, with two tour guides, of this massive fortress that was home to Popes, and the legendary and controversial Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of a Pope. The castle in the 1800’s up to the 1970’s also served as a prison, and there was lots of graffiti left by prisoners. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...686c74c0a.jpegWe recall our family being brought to the castle in a small mini-bus, but today there is an extensive underground area full of displays, elevators and long stairways that bring you to exterior areas of the castle. The views from the castle ramparts are exceptional. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56ed2ccef7.jpg Spoleto Castle The castle property is connected to a dramatic old Roman aqueduct, rebuilt with a bridge in Medieval times. The bridge, said to be the highest ancient bridge in Europe, is currently closed for safety reasons after suffering some damage from the 2016 earthquake.. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...30a1b0647d.jpg Aqueduct In the early part of this latest trip, our Covid anxiety had largely kept us from going inside buildings including museums. We had gone inside a few churches, and added the duomo in Spoleto. It was Sunday and, shortly after our arrival, they were scooting tourists from some of the more interesting areas. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4d8fd2f51b.jpg Spoleto Duomo Our prior Umbria visit was quick, and we didn’t get a chance to explore much of the old town in Spoleto, so our goal this day was to walk the many streets and squares and window shop. Although tourism most of the year is less here than in some of the much smaller towns, there is an elegance with many of the shops here. The city does get packed in summer for its internationally famous music, theatre and dance “Two World Festival.” https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a328980f8e.jpg Spoleto As part of our scaled back week-end, we decided to head back in the direction of Spello, with one more stop. Foligno is the closest large city to Spello, parts of it only 5 minutes away by car. It is even larger city than Spoleto but also much less touristy. And, on a Sunday, it was like a ghost town And, frankly, although we saw many of its streets and large squares, our visit did not do it justice. (It also has two Lidl supermarkets and allowed us a stop to pick up a few more grocery items.) https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d443de304.jpeg Foligno We found a massive, but nearly empty, parking lot and had to cross a small water canal to enter the city. This area had numerous large bars along the canal, and it looked like a lively nighttime place. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6fc7339836.jpg We noticed flags, lots of them, on many of the streets in the city. Different colors, apparently representing the different districts in the city. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0b066396c6.jpg There are many impressive buildings and several major squares. On this Sunday, this is where you find most of the few restaurants that were open but all were busy. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9bb8b2f0bb.jpg The cutest place was this bicycle themed restaurant with a typical Umbrian menu, but there were no available outside seats. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5f560d49a9.jpg As with much of Italy, aside from the many cathedrals and other impressive churches, sometimes you find a church behind a fairly non-descript facade. A church we once attended had an African priest, who combined chants from Africa with sounds more familiar to us. From the street, we heard something similar, and took a peek to find not only an African Mass but a church full of beautiful marble, artwork and sculptures. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...213923b8b.jpeg And, as with most Italian towns, there were quirky things like this board for lost gloves. And the Olympic Rings? Perhaps a salute to a silver medalist in fencing at the 2019 Olympics. He was born in Foligno. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed63522b3.jpeg We decided to eat at home, but had a gelato appetizer. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...77fdc6bfa.jpeg And, that parking lot where we left our car. It was a gated lot that offered free parking on Sundays. When we got back there, two other Italian families were unsuccessful in getting the gate to open. So, we were locked in. All of us tried to make a payment, with cash and with credit cards, but the machine would not accept them. Thankfully, one of the locals managed to reach someone by phone and the gate opened, and they signaled for us to drive quickly behind them, apparently fearing the gate would close again. Next up is Monday. Looks like a beautiful day. Time to check out that mountain behind us in Spello. |
Continued thanks for a wonderful TR and photos, whitehall. We based in Spoleto before the earthquake. I'm grateful that we had the chance to walk on the aquaduct. That such structures were built pre- power tools is striking indeed. Your market meal was so pretty. I'm looking forward to the rest of this TR.
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Spoleto is a wonderful city, one we also seriously considered as our base. Before this trip report is finished, we will return two more times for lunch. It has a nice feel, without the tourists.
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In Spoleto, we stayed at Hotel Clitunno,
http://www.hotelclitunno.com/ and had some wonderful dinners there. I don't know if they served lunch though. |
Am having a very enjoyable morning coffee travelling with you, many thanks!
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Day 8: Mount Subasio, Assisi, & Cannara
There are two ways to go to Assisi, the first town north of Spello. Drive 15 minutes or so on the motorway or drive over Mt. Subasio. The second choice seemed like the scenic alternative (a huge under-statement). And, as it turned out a rather challengng route.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56d6ef9ea6.jpg Spello Both Spello and Assisi are placed on the lower side of the mountain, which reaches a height of 4,200 feet above sea level. Much of the mountain is part of a national park. Our drive up started out on a rural road running through olive trees, and soon we were well above Spello. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bf8951cf9.jpeg There are a few private homes off the lower portions of what turns into a gravel road. We didn’t see anyone, but there are signs of logging operations. The higher we got, the narrower the road, and one that is in bad shape. Lots of pot holes and signs of some washouts. And, the gravel includes many large and sharp pieces of rock. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...918632c0a.jpeg We are glad we leased our car; that makes us in essence the owner and subject to fewer restrictions. If this were a simple car rental, typically we would be prohibited from driving on a gravel road. But we mused about making that call to Renault to get roadside service in case of a flat tire. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3751c9bd0.jpeg It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny (like most days on this trip), and we expected that this would be a perfect day in the mountains and park. So, we were surprised not to see any other cars, coming or going. None. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8fdff00eb.jpeg Near the top, we got a glimpse of a paraglider. We also passed what looked like a newer lodge-style building that appeared to be abandoned or possibly closed. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...91ec506397.jpg At this point, we were above the tree line and saw acres and acres of fields. And the views simply were the best we have seen in Umbria. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9b17af3a.jpeg To our right were a bunch of horses (we aren’t sure who owns them; we have seen them described as “semi-wild” whatever than means). These horses may not be wild, but they are free range. The few fences are all open. Most of the horses ignored us, except for one in the pack, who had a bell jingling around his neck, and he quickly trotted toward us. And, even startled my wife when he tried to stick his head into our open window. Just checking us out, it seemed. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...99a94f4ec.jpeg After a short distance, we came upon a sizable empty parking area, with a wide expanse of open fields on both sides of the road, from where we could see a monument that presumably marked the top of the mountain. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d58a18acb.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...86016a93f.jpeg And, there were two women standing near the monument. There was no path to the top as such; you simply walk through the field, trying to avoid ample amounts of doo-doo. The two women were hikers from Germany, explaining why we didn’t see their car. The top of the mountain had a stone monument and several placards indicating other mountains you can see in the distance. This is a large mountain, but we didn’t see signs of any quarrying, although we have read that pink rocks from this mountain were used in the construction of many landmarks in Assisi, including the prominent castle. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b0635370d.jpeg As we returned to our car, we saw a couple on a motorcycle come up the road from Assisi and head into the fields. It still seemed odd that not one car had come up the mountain from the much busier town of Assisi. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e49f8be0f.jpeg We did pass another open pasture full of cows. We had seen lots and lots of cow patties and horse dung when walking in the fields near the top; it was difficult to avoid. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1ef5b54e01.jpg As we headed down, we got our answer why there were no other cars on this day of superb weather, in the form of another group of horses blocking the road. They were hemmed in on the one side by a fence and the other by a steep drop off. without much room for them to get out of the way. We honked and honked and edged toward them a few inches at a time. Eventually, we managed a narrow passage alongside them. We stopped at a lower parking area used by paragliders, who hike from there to their launch site. From there, we watched two cars try to ascend the mountain, only to be turned away by those horses. Once we reached the village, we remembered that parking has always been tight in Assisi, but we found a nearby parking garage. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9dd7b1c5a6.jpg Assisi We visited Assisi on our first trip to Umbria with a focus that time on St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare, touring the woodlands area outside of town where Francis lived and prayed in a cave and visiting two spectacular churches built to honor those saints at opposite ends of the town. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c60e367f8.jpg Although we visited the Basilica of St. Francis again this time, our focus was on the town itself and the castle perched above the town. The last time we were at the Basilica, it was three years after the 1997 earthquake that killed 11 people, including two friars and two government inspectors in the church when the vaulted ceiling with Giotto frescoes came crashing down. In 2000, we watched a crew still going through rubble in a painstaking effort to replace tiny tiles that provided art behind the altar, but the many missing pieces are evident today. We were surprised at how few people were at the rambling Basilica complex on this day, and, in fact, there were only a handful of people in the upper church when we were there. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c8046ab84.jpeg At the opposite end of town is another Basilica to Saint Clare, a founder like St. Francis of a major religious order, and his follower and friend. We skipped it this time because of a long line that seemed to be Covid related. Although museums were supposed to see green passes, churches are exempt, except perhaps when they have separate museum facilities within. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88e7a35aab.jpg The town has always been a major tourist destination, perhaps number one in Umbria. It is a pilgrimage site for Catholics and others. Members of religious orders flock here. And, churches from all over the world sponsor bus trips to this city. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4411fad4a0.jpg The town was relatively busy. Not with the large numbers of bus trips we remember in the past. And, even here, at the end of August, we didn’t notice any other Americans, who often are in great numbers. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3b11a1e89.jpg As a significant tourist destination, Assisi had a few street buskers including a great St. Francis "statue", with his trusted dog, and a street artist. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ba4e1d119.jpeg The Italian military has a presence at many popular tourist sites in Italy, most notably all over Rome. These two guys, with their long guns, were the first ones we saw in rural Umbria. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62dbd937cc.jpg While Deruta is the center of ceramics in Umbria, and Italy for that matter, Assisi has it share of shops selling ceramics. One merchant explained that they are busier here than in Deruta, where most ceramics are made, based on the sheer number of tourists. One shopkeeper showed us how ceramic plates are hand painted, but, having already driven through Deruta and seen many large industrial buildings for ceramic manufacturing, we were skeptical that anyone is hand painting anything. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3b00c5514e.jpg We wanted a pizza for lunch but preferred an out of the way place and found Las Lanterna on a secluded street. We convinced ourselves that a little salad, some fresh firm broccoli, and arugula on the pizza would offset the cheese and the gelato on a stick dessert. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e353b427dc.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2d68bf389d.jpg The castle overlooking the village, or Rocca Maggiore, was the first place that required us to show a green pass, or, in our case, our CDC vaccination record. The castle is in great shape, and the views from there are awesome. Worth the visit. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3ce46224fe.jpg On the way home, we made a quick walking tour of nearby Cannara. It is a town well known for its onion production and onion festival. Much like the Georgia Vidalia onion, their sweet onions require a specific soil type that is unique to this area. It is a protected product in Italy. Like many places in Umbria, Cannara claims a connection to St. Francis, this one an important one, and we didn’t find it. It is a shrine claiming a spot where the saint preached and talk to the birds, one of the most famous images of him. We were told a similar story when we visited the woodland Assisi park years ago. Perhaps St. Francis repeated his best sermons, or just that, after 900 years, people in this region are showing pride in someone with his well-known values and love of ecology and animals. Again not much in Cannara, and the only activity we saw was a painter in his studio and a group waiting, all with papers in hand, for the pharmacy to open in 10 minutes (and we side-stepped them in case they were waiting for Covid tests). |
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