All those who visit Umbria end up thinking that Saint Frances could only have been born in a place like this. Set within an evergreen, enchanting, bright nature, here can be discovered the wild woods in the valley of Gubbio, the olive groves in the valleys of Umbria or Spoleto, the spectacular plateau of Castelluccio and Norcia. Water is a dominant element of this region, from the river Tiber which crosses large lakes such as the Trasimeno, to crystal clear, healing sources of San Gemini to the cascades. The Sibillini mountains are swathed in mystery and legends, echoes of remote civilizations while the Valnerina valley bear witness to a majestic past amidst castles and towers. The countryside is rich in elms, olive groves, vineyards, cypresses and fruit trees, while its artistic treasures are prevalently the result of Etruscan, Umbrian and Roman civilizations, subsequently handed down to local lords and monks, amidst palaces and mountain monasteries. The area seems intrinsically poetic and Umbrian towns contain some astonishing pieces of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. In Perugia, for example, and in Gubbio, rich in Franciscan memories and medieval and Renaissance monuments. Terni, a modern industrial city, boasts jewels such as the church of S. Salvatore and S. Francesco and in its neighborhood, a masterpiece of nature as the spectacular Cascata delle Marmore.
The Umbria offers a varied coking based on the products of the ground and meat dishes, cold meats and salami above all. Worth a note are olive oil, vegetables, many sorts of pasta (cariole, strascinati, embrici and strangozzi) served with typical sauces and ragout and sprinkling of the prestigious Valnerina’s black truffle, a product of excellence together with the white one of the Upper Tiber Valley. Among the cold cuts remarkable are capocollo, guanciale, budellacci, lonza, culatello; roast suckling pig originates from Umbria. In a mountainous region desserts cannot miss: panpepato, pignoccate, torciglione with almonds and the brustengolo, sort of polenta with apples, pine kernels and walnuts. All these dishes can be accompanied with amazing wines of Umbria, in particular the dry and fruity white from the area of Orvieto and the red Sagrentino and Rosso di Montefalco.