Umbria, the only region in central Italy not to have any contact with the sea, is a little jewel. The border with the Marches is the same as the border with the Apennines to the east. The Apennines go all the way to the north of the region, where they slowly merge into Romagna.
In the south, there is a mysterious and beautiful mountainous area covered with holm oaks and oaks, from which many waterfalls, including the huge Marmore waterfalls, flow. This is where St. Francis would go to pray, meditate, and get in touch with God when he wanted to be alone.
To the west, the landscape changes dramatically. The threatening peaks of the Sibillini Mountains are replaced by gentle slopes with vineyards, forests, olive trees, natural spas, and lakes. This creates an idyllic scene with Lake Trasimeno nestled between the hills not far from Montepulciano.
Seen from above (just climb up to the Hermitage of the Prisons of San Francesco, outside Assisi), Umbria is an immense green plain, surrounded by mountains, with many hilltops in the middle, on which delightful villages rise, surrounded by mighty medieval walls, which inside preserve Roman remains such as aqueducts, mosaics, and basilicas.
It is every traveler’s dream; you could spend months exploring cellars, walking through millennial olive groves, visiting churches, museums, and hermitages hidden in the mountains, and with each new village, you would have to start over because, however close they are, each one makes its own history.
In Montefalco, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi, Giano dell’Umbria, and in the southern part of Bevagna, Sagrantino reigns supreme, the king of tannins, which must rest for a minimum of 31 months in wooden barrels to refine the tannic mass and round off the alcoholic exuberance of the wine, which usually reaches its peak no earlier than 10 years.
We have a full-bodied wine with sky-high extract and aromas of blackberries, blueberries, plums, star anise, and earth that make it a difficult, cumbersome, edgy, and rebellious wine, but with a complexity that, if tamed by the right aging, can give immortal wines.
The Rosso di Montefalco is a good wine that is much simpler and mostly made from Sangiovese, with some Sagrantino and Merlot added.
This is a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes that are made into a red wine. The wine is known for its dark ruby color, complex smell, and full-bodied taste. The vines are grown in the Torgiano subregion, which is known for its rolling hills, perfect climate, and rich soils that produce high-quality grapes.
Around the municipalities of Amelia, Terni, and Giove, viticulture is making progress towards a more conscious production aimed at quality, with Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo dominating among the reds and Tuscan Malvasia among the whites. The red wines of the Amelia DOC are getting stronger and more valuable, and they have a structure that can be seen and tasted.
Sapidity, full flavor, and clear aromas are the characteristics to be highlighted. The whites are less powerful and thirst for a clean register and a good aromatic charge, which is excellent with appetizers or fish-based dishes. If you pass by Castelluccio Amerino, a stop at the Castello delle Regine is a must to taste the Selezione del Fondatore, a pure Sangiovese with a modern style, given by a year of aging in barrique, but very elegant.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the area of Assisi.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Colli Altotiberini region, which is famous for clay soils.
Around Lake Trasimeno, in Castiglione del Lago and Magione, thanks to a temperate climate due to the waters of the lake, there is no shortage of wineries to visit. The proximity of Tuscany greatly affects both the type of vineyards cultivated and the style of the wines, which manage to maintain a certain independence. Do not miss tasting Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Vin Santo based on Tuscan Trebbiano.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Colli Martani region.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium body, and fruity smell. The grapes are grown in the subregion of Colli Perugini.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Lago di Corbara subregion.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Montefalco subregion.
This wine is made from a mix of Trebbiano, Grechetto, and Verdello grapes. It is known for its bright straw color, fruity aroma, and medium-bodied flavor. The grapes are grown around Orvieto, which is known for its rich vulcanic soil.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Rosso Orvietano region, which is known for its rolling hills, warm climate, and rich soils.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Spoleto subregion.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The vines are grown in the Todi area.
This wine is made from a mix of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Trebbiano grapes. It is known for its bright ruby color, medium-bodied flavor, and fruity aroma. The grapes are grown in the Torgiano region.
All of this is accompanied by a tasty, honest peasant cuisine that is based on high-quality ingredients like the black truffle from Spoleto and the superfine white truffle from Gubbio. There are also cured meats from Norcia that have been made in the same way for hundreds of years, the Cannara onion (don’t miss the festival in September), lentils, game, saffron from Cascia, and we could go on and on.
The sauces are homemade, strengthened with spices and plenty of pepper; the umbricelli with goose sauce are one of the many culinary specialties, but let’s not forget the roast suckling pig with fennel, the pizza al testo, and the strangozzi, a poor pasta prepared only with water and flour and then seasoned with game sauce or truffles. To round off a meal, there is nothing better than the rock of Assisi and the brustengolo combined with a glass of Sagrantino passito.
A separate chapter is devoted to the Umbrian extra virgin olive oil, awarded the DOP, which sees the Moraiolo cultivar as the protagonist. These short, stubborn trees are on every slope, even the ones that are hard to get to. Their green leaves and silvery bodies make them look like guardians, standing still and silent.
Even more than the vine, the olive tree is the symbol and the favorite fruit of Umbria, and as long as your gaze rests on these plump forests swaying in the wind, you will be certain that you are in Umbria. Even though the production is small, making up only 2% of Italy’s total, it is one of the most famous and well-made in the country, with the area from Assisi to Spoleto to Trevi as its crown jewel.
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