http://www.aplaceinumbria.com/
This is a quietly located converted farmhouse near Perugia/Umbertide/Magione 800 meters up in the Umbrian hills with fantastic views.
The flight out with BA from Gatwick and was very uneventful with the online check-in proving to work very well indeed as we had no queues whatsoever at the airport, a definite plus when you have small children in tow.
Upon arrival at Bologna we soon had our bags and headed to the Avis desk to pick up the car, unfortunately it seems 70% of our flight had the same idea and Avis were doing a heavy but very slow business, the best part of an hour later I had the car keys and we headed of to face the Italian traffic on our journey south via the A1/Florence.
Within 10 minutes of leaving the airport we had passed the toll booth and joined a queue of traffic that was going all the way to Florence. The total journey should have taken just over 2 hours but it took the best part of 3 to get to the north of Florence. It was pretty much nose to tail the whole way. Any one who knows that section of the A1 will know how many tunnels there are, some up to a mile long, sitting in the dark in a traffic jam breathing in the fumes is not a great way to start a holiday!
Once past Florence the traffic eased significantly and we bowled along to Magione where we left the motorway to find a supermarket to stock up on the essentials. Magione does not have too much to offer the tourist but there is a good range of shopping including a decent sized supermarket.
We then drove up to the accommodation at Alsagra, San Giovanni del Pantano. We were very pleased indeed with the accommodation and location. Everything was very very clean and tidy and very quite. The pool was secure so kids could not wander off on their own and the kitchen was well fitted out with a proper oven and 4 ring gas hob. Bedrooms large and airy with large living space. The hosts Helen and Steve could not have been more accommodation or helpful and our kids has soon befriended their children. They had supplied a welcome hamper and a home cooked meal was waiting for us in the fridge for dinner that evening. Highly recommended.
You can see some images of the property here:
So 2 weeks to relax and do some sight seeing. The weather was a bit hit and miss for the first week, we had midday temperatures ranging from 10 to 35 degrees Celsius and I have never seen so many thunder storms in such a short period of time. But it was reasonably pleasant especially when walking around the steep streets of hillside towns.
First stop was Perugia, and I managed to forget my camera that day! This is the capital town of the Umbrian region and a reasonable sized one at that. The old part of the town is mainly traffic free and well worth a day or two. The main sites are the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria . These are centrally located and easy to find. Note you may be refused entry to religious sites if not appropriately dressed, it is preferred you do not where shorts or collar less shirts. Generally this was not a problem though my wife’s skirt was considered too short in a cathedral in Assisi and she was given a wrap to wear before being let in.
We came back to Perugia later in the holiday to first visit the weekly market, held on Thursdays near the stadium on the outskirts of the town and secondly to visit the Chocolate Museum for a free tour of the Purugina (Nestle) factory that makes the world famous Baci chocolates. The market was like any other market in the region and the factory tour was worth while, and free. The numbers they quote and fairly staggering and the smell of the place was a bit overwhelming. They also give you lots of free samples. If wanting to do the tour you have to ring and prebook though, any local tourist information office will be glad to do so.
http://www.nestleeuropeanchocolate.com/ ... /about.asp
Next visit was to Gubbio, a very well preserved toen with remains dating back to Roman times. The day we picked happen to be market day which leads to absolute traffic chaos at the car park next to the roman amphitheatre. The Italian art of parking is like nothing I have seen before but I soon got into the swing of things and squeezed into a tiny space half blocking in 2 cars but I did not worry and 50% of the cars in there were blocked in totally! We had a quick look around the market before heading up into the town proper. Gibbio, like most defended towns in the region, has been built on a steep hill. In Gubbio’s case it is a very steep hill indeed and I would think twice if visiting on a very hot day or if you are not reasonably fit.
There are a number of major buildings to visit including Palazzo dei Consoli, Duomo, Palazzo Ducale, etc. From most places in the town there are stunning views over the surrounding countryside but this is some what spoiled in one corner when you look over the sight of a very large cement works!!!!
If eating try and avoid the establishments close to the main sites, instead head towards the the north west corner to find cheaper and better eating. We then wanted to try out the furnicular railway that takes you to the top of the mountain behind the town, Monte Ingino. This is in fact not a rail way at all but a very basic cable car with open baskets that can accommodate 3 people at a push. So nothing ventured nothing gained we bought tickets and got pushed into the baskets for the 5 minute ride to the top. Interesting ride as you soon realise it is very easy to open the door to the basket! At the top you have to excit the basket whilst on the move. The views are far reaching and the church at the top is a lovely setting. Here you can see the large wooden Ceri that are carried through the streets and then up to the hilltop church in May as part of a festival. Given how steep the hill is it is no mean feat.
Images of Gubbio here:
Wanting something different for the next day we headed towards Lago Trasimeno, a very large shallow lake between Umbria and Tuscany. In the morning we headed to the “beach” at Passignano so the kids could burn of some energy on a pedalo for a few hours and swim in the luke warm water. It is pretty cloudy though.
After lunch we jumped on a ferry out to one of three islands on the lake, we headed for Maggiore Island. This was a fishing community but has a mainly tourist based economy and about 8 cafes/restaurants. In the past the island was famous for the lace that the ladies produced and St Francis stayed there for a short period of time. It is very very quite and a small so a couple of hours is plenty of time. Some of the older female residents do sit out infront of their house on the only street making lace that you can buy if you wish. The lake crossing is short and pleasant.
One of the high lights of the trip was our visit to Assisi. I ummed and aahhed a bit about going as I was concerned about how busy it may be and had heard of people turning away as they could not find anywhere to park. But we took the chance and headed over for mid morning. The car park at the approach to the town at the bottom of the hill was indeed full but we followed the road up the hillside to the centre of town and as luck would have it we found a parking space at the very top right next to the pedestrian area and only a few minutes walk from the The Basilica of St Claire . This was a real bonus but we still did not have time to visit the The Basilica of St Francis and the Sacro Convento. We did plan to come back another day to complete Assisi but did not find the time in the end. I did find the walking very steep here though, especially up to the The Rocca Maggiore but the views made it worthwhile though the skies did threaten a thunder storm at any moment!
The final town we visited was Cortona, again I was worried about crowds, especially the number of Americans thanks to the impact of the book Under a Tuscan Sun by American author Frances Mayes. Indeed as soon as we arrived and parked, again luckily towards the top of the town, American accents could be heard all around. This was the busiest town we visited by a long way and we even struggled to find somewhere to eat and had to wait until 3pm before we could get a table. The town itself is nice but I found it far more commercial and less to my liking. The crowds did not help one bit.
That was enough culture so we then intended to relax around the pool for a few days, but we did nip out one evening to a local winery in the Niccone Valley, La Fattoria I Girasoli di Sant'Andrea. On Monday evenings you can book a wine tasting session of their wine and an English speaking tour of the establishment and vineyards. The tour is either taken by the New Zealand wine maker or an English Guide.
The evening starts with a tasting of Olive Oil and then moves onto the 3 wines made by the estate and one from New Zealand. These are matched with local Umbrian appetizers. You are then taken around the wine making facility and the vineyards to return for a 4 course meal with matched wines. The evening was very pleasant but the food was not as good as local restaurants in our opinion. You can elect not to have the meal and I would do so if I returned.
The rest of the holiday was spent around the pool relaxing or nipping out for lunch or dinner in local restaurants. Our hosts have put together and extensive handbook of local information in each apartment including a list of some 20 odd restaurants with a write of each. This proved very good and we had some fantastic meals in local places which were very reasonably priced. We did not pay more that £55 for four people and prices were normally in the £35 ball park. The quality of the food was excellent and they were very happy to accommodate the children with simple pasta sauces if nothing on the menu suited them.
Over all I found the Umbrian countryside and sites very beautiful and very interesting and it is an area I would return to. It was a very pleasant holiday with no down side, even the return flight home was reasonably painless only delayed by about 2 hours even with all the security checks. Though the checks were a complete farce to be honest and plenty of liquids were taken into the cabin of the airplane!
Driving was interesting at times but not too stressful, you soon realise it is best to fit in with the Italian style of driving rather than fight it and then you get along fine, though I refused to overtake on blind corners no matter how much light flashing went on behind! I think driving with a certain “verve” is the best approach.
English is not widely spoken so language can be a bit tricky at times but we muddled by with a bit of French thrown in for good measure.
Shame it was only two weeks to be honest but if I stayed much longer the waist band of my trousers would have to give a bit due to the great food!
Jerry
