We're looking for ideas for our July Umbria trip. We've seen the major sights and want to dig a little deeper into the real Umbria. Any recommendations? Cooking schools? Wine tours? Day walks? Little festivals or folklife celebrations?

Tekla - Umbria has an annual 'Cantine Aperte' wine festival - but unfortunately this is in May

This link lists wine producers in Umbria (- with links to their websites) if you want to visit privately:

http://www.movimentoturismovino.it/regione.php?regio=11


This page lists various events in July in Umbria, including (- if music interests you) the famous Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and the Umbria Jazz festival

http://www.english.umbria2000.it/Def...=ricercaEventi


You might find other info of interest to help you plan on:

http://www.english.umbria2000.it/Def...mesezitinerari

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Tekla -- where in Umbria will you be? I know a nice cooking school near Umbertide if you are going to be in the area.

We'll be staying in Todi and looking for laid-back activities in the area --- walking, cooking, wine tasting.

Make sure that you visit Carsulae. South of Todi just off E45 before Terni. The largely unexcavated ruins of a Roman town with the Via Flamina disappearing through a massive arch. We had the place to ourselves when we went.

Sample the gelato in the shop down behind the Hotel Fonte Cesia. Yum. We found Todi a great place to just observe small town Italy. You will love it.

Ian

Re: wine

Sagrantino of Montefalco (just NW of Todi) & Lungarotti's Rubesco are the fabulous reds in the area - although his San Giorgio might be better. Lungarotti is just south of Perugia.

Ian

Oops. Montefalco is NE.

Further re Todi. Plan to hang around the piazza at night - especially on the weekend. We saw car shows & a religious parade - everybody comes to Todi's piazza. As the 19 yr old clerk at Fonte Cesia told us when we asked her if Todi was safe at night, she said wistfully "Too safe".

Ian

Ian