Umbria
is known as “the green heart of Italy”,
which comes as no surprise when you consider the natural excellence of the land;
it offers a unique variety of natural landscapes with its rivers, lakes, mountains
and natural reserves. The beauty of its land and of the fascinating small towns
that are full of history cannot leave you indifferent. Umbria’s
mix of marvellous landscapes, waved by green hills, allow you to relax and connect
with nature: the perfect recipe for taking a break from your daily routine, to
focus on yourself and on what really matters in life.
Umbria
is in fact famous for being the region related to spirituality. Even when
Christianity was not yet common in Italy,
Umbria was full of intellectual
centres with various pagan religions. With the advent of Christianity the
region became a cradle of spiritual and devotional movements. The lives of many
spiritual figures, among others St. Frances,
St. Clare, St. Valentine, (who were born in Umbria), St. Benedict, St. Augustine
and St Margaret are linked with the region, with most of them finding the
perfect shelter for their spiritual retreats in Umbria. It is not only
religious people that have been fascinated by Umbria, many painters and artists,
from Perugino and Pinturicchio to Gerardo Dottori and Alberto Burri, and many
great poets and writers, among them Virgilio, George Byron, Herman Hesse and
Giosuè Carducci, could not fail to be inspired by the charm of this region that
seems to be able to reach, with a gentle but decisive touch, everyone’s heart.
If you are thinking that this
would be the perfect place for a painting holiday, Flavours can absolutely
confirm that. Umbria not only has
beautiful landscapes, it is also rich with its interesting regional cuisine.
For this reason Flavours, always aiming for the best, could not avoid offering
cookery holidays in Umbria. The hearty
cuisine of the only peninsular region without access to the sea mostly focuses
on products of the earth: vegetables, legumes and meats, especially pork meat and
game. Pork and wild boar are used for sausages, hams and lots of distinctive types
of cured meat products that are particularly renowned: for example the
Norcineria (named after Norcia - Nursia, a lovely town in south eastern Umbria).
Umbrian sausages are particularly tasty, since they are
commonly seasoned with salt, garlic and black pepper. Olive oil is also very
important, widely produced and many types have the Protected Designation of
Origin label. The product that distinguishes Umbrian cuisine, however, is the
truffle, or tartufo, as they call it.
In fact, lots of black truffles and also white truffles are harvested in this
region, which has the right conditions for them to grow. Harvesting mainly
takes place between October and March, depending on the type of truffle, and
there are at least ten different varieties grown in Umbria.
Truffles are widely used in Umbrian dishes, often accompanied by sausages,
mushrooms or artichokes. Umbrian cuisine favours fresh ingredients and legumes
are also common, in particular lentils are very famous, thanks to the
distinctive high quality production of lentils taking place in the area of the
lovely little hill top town Castelluccio.
And last but not least… do you
prefer red or white wine? If you prefer red, try Sagrantino di Montefalco, a
wine that is made in the hills near Montefalco, a medieval hill top town known
for this reason as ‘the balcony of Umbria’.
The powerful Sagrantino is made 100% from Sagrantino grapes which grow
exclusively in the area of Montefalco. The wine must be left to age for at
least one year in the barrel and it must be released 36 months after the
harvest. This Umbrian red wine has the highest classification for wine: DOCG,
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. If you prefer white wine
instead, you will have to try the Orvieto Classico, produced in Orvieto, which
lies in south western Umbria.
Founded by the Etruscans on the top of a
volcanic tuff, Orvieto was said to be impregnable. Orvieto is also famous for
its amazing 14th century Duomo, the cathedral has a large rose
window, golden mosaics, three huge bronze doors and two frescoed chapels which
were painted by the best Italian painters of the period.
If you feel inspired to explore Umbria's unique beauty why not join Flavours cookery holidays this autumn?
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