“Sip the wine and splash the oil.”
Pliny the Elder (Rome, 1st C AD).
Good old Pliny, always there with a pithy comment.
The third week of November is the highlight of our year, when ten friends from four countries arrive on Via Palombaro to spend a week picking our olives, drinking the local garage wine, and catching up on what has happened in the U.S., the Netherlands, Namibia, England and Italy over the last year. Read more
Though some of us may try to deny it, research shows we all come to a Italy for the food. (This is not to say we aren’t appreciative of the amazing art). Since cuisine is an integral part of a region’s culture, no one should be ashamed when they dig into a steaming plate of pasta with truffles or porcini mushrooms. After all, this is locavore stuff, food that is sourced within a local area. We are respecting Mother Nature and the seasons. When a trattoria won’t do and a meal in a “white tablecloth” restaurant is the order of the day (birthday, anniversary, or simply the love of discovering great places), there are dozens of fine dining establishments to choose from in Umbria.
It’s time for an update: Umbrian restaurants that we know and love. This is by no means a complete list and we welcome suggestions. (Don’t forget to look on a previous post for some of our favorite outdoor eating spots). NOTE: We’ve included the closing day when we know it. We’ve also included a phone number. As for website links, the problem is that some places don’t have webpages and those that do often don’t translate into English. We hope we’ve given you enough info so that you can google.
On my walks in the countryside I keep passing wheat fields so green I want to roll around in them. Eventually those grains will ripen, be harvested and milled, and metamorphosize into the piece of saltless local bread on the table next to my plate. The lack of taste discourages mindless nibbles while we wait for the antipasto, but it’s terrific for a scarpetta (“little shoe” of bread) to soak up the not-to-be-abandoned olive oil or juices from my dish or for bruschetta with new olive oil. Read more