Umbria Untour, Fall of 2004
by Ann Meaders, Atlanta, GA
We knew very little about Umbria when we signed up for this Untour. We had loved Tuscany and Provence, but were ready for a new experience. Umbria was everything we hoped for and more, from beginning to end.Using Frequent Flier miles, we had a nice overnight flight on Delta from Atlanta to Rome, via Cincinnati. Since our flight arrived in Rome prior to the time Jo-Anne, the Idyll representative was to meet the Untourists, we were able to get together with them and ride in the nice, comfortable bus to Spoleto, where we picked up our car, a Fiat station wagon which served us well and got good mileage.
Our home for the next two weeks was the Maria apartment on the I Mandorli property, a working olive farm within about a mile of Trevi. Alessandra, one of the landlady’s daughters met us at Avis and led us to the farm where we were greeted by Mamma Wanda, our gracious landlady and shown around the property. There were two other couples from Washington State in another apartment, and we enjoyed having them nearby and being able to exchange pleasantries with them.
The apartment was spacious and clean, and had been furnished with pasta, homemade sauce and bread, salad makings, as well as eggs, ham, cheese, coffee, and all the necessities, plenty to last us until we could make a grocery trip to the City Per. We unpacked, had a nice dinner, and managed to stay up until about 9:00 p.m. before we crashed. Ann had taken the “No Jet Lag” tablets, available at travel stores, and only had a couple of sinking spells before calling it quits.
After a hot shower and a nice breakfast the next morning, we were off to Orientation at Castello di Poreta, now a very nice country house with eight rooms and a wonderful restaurant, high on a hill, with a spectacular view. Jo-Anne’s presentation was very thorough and we felt well ready to tackle our new adventure. Lunch was outstanding, and we also enjoyed seeing the chapel with Luca, one of the managers.
Trevi, perched high on a hill and known for its olive oil production, was our nearest town. We would go there several times to visit the church, dine, or visit the ATM, but most of our grocery buying was done at the City Per at the mall since the hours were so much more convenient than smaller markets. We did purchase table wine at the coop in La Bruna and also found the bakery there, with Oleanna at the helm, to be quite good.
We particularly enjoyed seeing the rolling hills covered in olive trees and vines on the drive to Montefalco, and found the deconsecrated Church of San Francesco, which is now the town museum, to be most interesting. This town is known for its Sagrantino wines which can be purchased in several stores in and around the piazza. Bavagna is a nice town which can be visited on the same trip, and the restaurant, Enoteca Piazza Onofri was very good. The cheese stuffed ravioli with cherry tomatoes and basil and the strongozzi with truffle sauce made a wonderful lunch.
One can pretty much spend the day in Spoleto, especially on the second Sunday of the month when they have an antiques market. There are a lot of nice shops for souvenirs and a good restaurant, Taverna dei Duchi. We visited the Duomo between masses and heard the magnificent organ, then took a stroll around the promenade, Via del Ponte, detouring at one point for a walk across the aqueduct for some great views.
We spent a good part of a day on our trip to Assisi, visiting the great San Francesco Basilica and the busy, bustling piazza. Because we weren’t very clear on our directions, we first ended up in a small suburb below Assisi where we visited the church, Santa Maria degli Angeli, the eighth largest church in the world. St. Francis died in the complex there in 1226.
When you are tired of visiting one church and museum after another, you can take a day off and go to the Marmore Falls outside Terni. The falls are turned on and off as listed in the guidebook, and they really need to be seen both ways to be fully appreciated. We weren’t prepared for how spectacular they are, and we really enjoyed this change of pace.
The Idyll-sponsored event at the end of the first week was a visit to a beautiful 17th Century villa, its olive oil processing plant, and the stables of the famous Chianina cattle. This was very special, and everyone appreciated the fact that Antonio, the owner and host from a noble Roman family would be so gracious.
In Orvieto, we took the hour-long underground city tour with an English speaking guide and found this fascinating. A visit to the beautiful Duomo is a must, and the shops had many choice ceramic pieces and souvenirs to offer. We had a nice lunch at Trattoria la Palombo and visited the museum across from the Duomo which houses a lot of Etruscan artifacts.
For those interested in ceramics, Deruta is the place to go. For those seriously interested, there is one place after another leading into town, but for those who would just like to have a small souvenir, there are nice shops inside the walls. Also on this trip, you can visit Torgiano, Bavagna, or Montefalco.
The longest trip we made during our stay was to Norcia and then on to Castelluccio. This was our last travel day, and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful one. On the way to Norcia, we went through several tunnels, the longest being 4 km (2-1/2 miles) long, through a mountain. Norcia, known for its butchers and pork products is renowned all over Italy, and there is one meat shop after another. Although the town is still surrounded by its ancient walls, because of earthquakes in the area, there is a law that says nothing can be built over two stories, so it looks like no other town.
Everything east of Norcia is part of the Mt. Sibillini National Park. We traveled across the Piano Grande which is a vast plain carved millions of years ago by a glacier. Cows and sheep are grazed there, and we stopped to watch people hang gliding off the mountains. It is indescribably beautiful and breathtaking and like nothing we had ever seen before. Up on a hill is Castelluccio, the town of tiny lentils with which they make the best soup ever.
Wherever one’s interests lie, whether churches, museums, good food, wine, olive oil, or the outdoors, there is something in Umbria for everybody. The people are warm and friendly and even though not a lot of English is spoken, a little English is spoken by a lot of people. And no matter where you eat, it is impossible to get a bad meal. In addition, Mamma Wanda at Mandorli is the best cook around, and you can eat there by calling a day ahead. One night we had about twenty-one Untourists and friends there for dinner, and they couldn’t believe the beautiful antipasto, her melt-in-your-mouth lasagna, veal saltimboca, etc. etc.
We didn’t make it to every town - there’s still Perugia, Foligno, Todi, and others - but this gives us a good excuse to return. And we had interesting little experiences here and there that will remain with us forever. That’s what is so unique and wonderful about the “Untour” way.