Umbria Tips
 

Hello! I was hoping for advice on the following points:
1. Restaurant suggestions in Todi, Bevagna, Montefalco, Spello, Assisi

2. Map suggestions...mainly, we'll be driving from Rome to a small town near Todi, and have no idea how to get around.

3. Driving into towns...does one always park outside of town and walk in? Is it self explanatory or are there any great tips from people who've driven to any of the aforementioned towns?

Thanks so much!

Hi Jacquie,

I stayed in Spello and thought Il Mulino was outstanding. In Assisi, I really enjoyed Il Paradiso de la Terme, a short ways outside the Porto Nuovo gate.

On 2 trips where I was the only driver, I used Michelin maps. They worked for me!

Hilltown parking - important to watch for the square, blue signs with the white P. That's where you want to park! Sometimes, but not always, there is more than one. Don't chance it, just park in the first one you find. Walking up to town is better than getting funneled into the tiny, steep, one way streets. I speak from personal experience.....

Buon viaggio!

We drive in Umbria frequently and use the Touring Club Italiano regional map for Umbria. Very detailed. Restaurants: I like Coccorone in Montefalco. Parking: Assisi has many lots. We always drive all the way up the hill and park in the large public lot near Santa Rufina church. There is parking inside the walls of Bevagna. There is a large lot at the bottom of the hill in Todi but also some smaller lots at the top of the town, saving you a long walk upstairs or uphill or a bus ride. There is a good sized lot next to the walls of both Montefalco and Spello.

Hi Jacquie,

We rented a house near Todi three years ago and loved our time in Umbria. The people were warm, welcoming, and helpful. We parked in the lot at the base of the funicular (think it was the Orvieto gate) for Todi, parked in one of the many lots at Assisi, and drove inside the walls to park in Spello. Generally, the bigger the town and the more known a tourist attraction, the more likely there will be lots of parking outside the walls. If you've not seen Orvieto, it would be a worthwhile daytrip and an easy one from Todi; we also really enjoyed Perugia. The driving is easy (at least compared to southern California)--you will have your choice of the fast and direct E45 and the slower and more scenic country roads. Navigating through the sprawl outside the larger towns can be a bit challenging, and a sharp-eyed navigator or two is a big help. I recall the area between Bevagna/Montefalco and Todi as being particularly lovely. We used the Touring Club Italiano Map for Umbria.

I must mention my Umbria favorites almost daily, but here thy are:

Bevagna: Inoteca Piazza Onofri in the center of town and always parking nearby. Many wine selections and good local Umbrian food.

Spello: La Bastiglia at the top of town
with a big parking lot. An adventurous kitchen.

A km or so south of the Trevi turnoff is Taverna del Pescatori. Great for lunch on a good day because they have a big tent alongside a stream with swans and a tiny waterfall. New management that is trying hard.

And, of course, my favorite restaurant in all of Italy is I Sette Consoli in Orvieto. In the center of town a few blocks from the top of the funicular. Just the best. Lunch under their tent (on a good day) is a real experience.

Touring Club maps are excellent.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the wonderful tips!

I just posted this the other day, but my favorite meal in Umbria was at the Hotel Ristaurante Ringhiera Umbra in Montefalco right off the main street leading up to the square.

Tracy

Also try the pasta with Umbrian saffron cheese at l'Alchimista in the piazza in Montefalco.

In Bevagna, we liked our meal at Osteria Podesta, but as much for the nice owners (the restaurant was a recommendation from the place we were staying) as for the food.

If you are cooking any of your meals, by the way, Bevagna has a great fresh pasta shop and a pastry shop as well.

It was easy to park in Bevagna (see above poster's comment) and in Montefalco we just drove until we saw parking and then walked into the center of town.

In Assisi twice we have parked at the aboveground/underground pay lot on the far end of town from the Basilica (it is the parking recommended in Rick Steves' guidebook, if that helps). Then we walked all the way through town, which is what we wanted to do.

Also, if you are interested in the hike up to St Francis' hermitage (a mystical, spiritual place, with the tiny caves where he meditated and the little 'cell' where he lived) the trailhead is by this parking lot.

FYI you can drive to the hermitage as well, if you are not a hiker.

This is all such great information! Thanks so much!

Ristorante Umbria in Todi is unforgetable !! Try the Etruscan soup
and the wild boar ragu. I recall the
place filling up quickly. Enjoy.

I love Umbria!

Others have given you good tips on parking. We also like the Italian Touring Club maps for their good town maps showing parking and elevation changes (so as to see which were the less steep ways to walk).

Now some recommendations:

Ristorante Umbria in Todi
via S. Bonaventura, 13
(off Piazza del Popolo)
ph. 011-39-75-8942737
Beautiful terrace with wonderful views of the countryside; excellent Umbrian fare.

Enoteca Osteria Antiche Sere in Bevagna
Piazza Garibaldi, 10
(Just inside Garibaldi Gate, parking lot just outside Garibaldi Gate.)
Very small; eat outside on tiny "sidewalk" for a lovely place to watch the daily life in Bevagna.

You didn't mention Gubbio, but I highly recommend the town if you have the time. The drive there from Perugia is beautiful, a bit less charming from Foligno. Look for signs for the Roman amphiteatre and park there; easy walk into town. If you get there:

Ristorante Picchio Verde [the local endangered green woodpecker]
via Savelli della Porta, 65
ph. 011-39-75-9276649
Not much English spoken but very welcoming; good food at reasonable prices enjoyed by mostly locals.

Have a great trip!

bookmarking for some great info. thanks

bookmarking

Assisi -- I liked La Fortressa restaurant.

Add:

Osteria Trivio in Spoleto

I'm at work without my notes, but this restaurant would not be hard to find. Just ask any local.

This is a mom-and-pop operation, the husband and his younger (wink-wink) wife. He works the front, and she does the cooking. The food is very good and an excellent value, and we particularly enjoy the many-plates sampler of Umbrian antipasti. We left the wine selection to the husband, and he did a great job without padding the bill. (He has several varieties in the half-bottle size.)

Each time we've eaten at Trivio, there is an almost 50/50 balance of tourists and locals. At our last mail, we met an American who bought a fixer nearby and had great stories to tell of his contracting "adventures."

Very friendly and warm place.

Our last "meal" not mail. Sorry.

bookmarking

We had a wonderful in Spello at La Cantina. I mean great. I had a sort of Italian stir fry with bits of lamb, garlic, and artichoke. Roasted potatoes were served with this dish. Oh, it was great.

I did find that year that restaurants in Spello filled quickly and couldn't get in to one or two. Reservations, made even that day, help.