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Living a Life in Colour

a guide to Italian food, wine and culture

4 unmissable towns in Umbria…and what to eat

October 13, 2015 By wooweiduan 2 Comments

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Umbria has amazing light. The landscape is a patchwork of green, yellow and brown. The vineyards, fields of yellow sunflowers, hay bales dotting the plains, brick towers and cypress trees jutting towards the sky, white and yellow wildflowers line the country roads and fallow fields lie in between the shimmering olive groves, creating a stunning image.
Black truffles

Black truffles

Pecorino cheese

Pecorino cheese

Umbrian food mimics the landscape with its golden olive oil, black knobbly truffles, ancient grains, pecorino cheese, flatbreads, flinty lentils, many incarnations of pork ranging in form from chiuscolo (spreadable pork sausage) or porchetta (roast suckling pig) and of course chocolate. The use of pork is elevated to an art form in Umbria as the town of Norcia is  home to Italy’s most famous butchers. At the end of this post, I share with you the recipe for one of Umbria’s most famous dishes, porchetta (roast suckling pig).
Salami from Norcia

Salami from Norcia

While there are many towns in Umbria worth visiting, here are four of the best:
Assisi

Assisi

Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli

Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli

  1. Assisi

Assisi, the native city of St. Francis, sits on the side of a mountain visible from quite far away. Driving towards Assisi, stop at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli which is a basilica encasing a tiny church where Saint Francis started the Franciscan movement. It is also this church that the city of Los Angeles, California was named for (degli Angeli means “of the angels” in English or “de los angeles” in Spanish) as the city was discovered on the 2nd of August, the same date as the feast day of the “Perdono” which takes place at this church.
Basilica di San Francesco

Basilica di San Francesco

In Assisi, don’t miss Giotto’s frescoes in the Basilica di San Francesco (a church and major destination in Italy for pilgrimage). Also,  if you are a woman, don’t wear anything that does not cover your knees entirely (like I did) or they will not let you in….but all was not lost as I consoled myself at Pasticceria Sensi eating brustengolo (a cake made with apple and dried fruit) and rocciata (a serpentine-like pastry encasing chopped apple and dried fruit).
Pasticceria Sensi

Pasticceria Sensi

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Rocciata (a serpentine-like pastry encasing chopped apple and dried fruit)

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Brustengolo (a cake made with apple and dried fruit)

There are many other churches (Santa Maria Maggiore, Cathedral of San Rufino, Chiesa Nuova, Chiesa di Santa Chiara, Church of San Pietro and Santo Stefano) and a couple of castles (Rocco Maggiore and Rocca Minore) to peruse as well as a monastery outside town (Eremo delle Carceri), most marking places significant in St. Francis’s life. I would suggest taking your time to visit the town and ensure you have the proper ratio of lovely meals to  leisurely sightseeing to guarantee enjoyment of both.
Assisi

Assisi

View from Assisi

View from Assisi

Assisi

Assisi

Tortelli con tartufo (stuffed pasta with black truffles)

Tortelli con tartufo (stuffed pasta with black truffles)

St. Francis, potentially the most famous Umbrian, believed in poverty and self denial and his influence in Umbria is still evident in the cuisine as simplicity is revered. Many dishes have very few ingredients, relying on the quality of the ingredients to shine through. We had excellently prepared simple homemade pastas with black truffles, roasts and delicious cakes at Trattoria Palotta.
Overlooking the countryside outside Perugia

Overlooking the countryside outside Perugia

The Fontana Maggiore (the Great Fountain) and the Palazzo dei Priori (the Prior’s Palace)

The Fontana Maggiore (the Great Fountain) and the Palazzo dei Priori (the Prior’s Palace), Perugia

The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria (the National Gallery of Umbria)

The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria (the National Gallery of Umbria), Perugia

Via dei Priori

Via dei Priori

  1. Perugia

Enter the Etruscan city of Perugia by walking up Via Vannucci and stop at number 32, Pasticceria Sandri (the oldest and best pastry shop in Perugia), for a coffee and pastry before heading into the heart of the old town, Piazza IV Novembre. This is one of the grandest town squares in Italy.  While Perugia has many famous sites – the Fontana Maggiore (the Great Fountain), Palazzo dei Priori (the Prior’s Palace), the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria (the National Gallery of Umbria) and Chiesa di San Pietro (St. Peter’s Church).
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Pasticceria Sandri

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Inside Pasticceria Sandri

Antica Perugia (chocolate biscuits sandwiching milk and white chocolate creams)

Antica Perugia (chocolate biscuits sandwiching milk and white chocolate creams)

Perugia is also known as a cultural and artistic centre as well as a university town (with many foreign students), but to me it is more famous for its kisses. Baci (meaning kisses) are chocolate and hazelnut sweets made by Perugina which is headquartered here. Perugina also make elaborately decorated Easter eggs. At my home, it is not Easter without one. Perugia hosts one of the largest chocolate festivals, Eurochocote, every October. It is also home to Buitoni, one of the largest Italian producers of pasta, and hosts an internationally renowned jazz festival every year.
Perugina Baci by Smeerch

Perugina Baci by Smeerch

With chocolate on our minds, we were obligated to visit the city’s best chocolatier, Cioccolato Augusta Perugia to sample their wares. There were artisan filled and flavoured chocolates, chocolate bark with peanuts, citrus zest or chocolate nibs, spreadable chocolate and pistachio paste as well as gelato.
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Duomo, Todi

  1. Todi

The medieval town of Todi may seem familiar to you even if you have never visited before. This is because the town has had many movies filmed there.
Chiesa di San Fortunato

Chiesa di San Fortunato

Todi

Todi

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Corso Cavour in front of Bar Pianegiani

Start your tour by getting a gelato at Bar Pianegiani on Corso Cavour and walk down to Piazza del Popolo (a sloping town square) to see the Duomo and many 13th and 14th century Palazzi (del Capitano, dei Priori and Vescovile). Nearby, take a look inside the Chiesa di San Fortunato (a Gothic and Renaissance church). After this exhausting effort, have an aperitivo at Vineria San Fortunato located on the steps to the church.
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Gubbio

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Gubbio

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Palazzo dei Consoli, Gubbio

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View from the piazza in front of the Palazzo dei Consoli, Gubbio

  1. Gubbio

Out of all of these stunning towns, the ancient town of Gubbio stands out the most vividly in my mind. The Gothic stone buildings, terracotta roofs and the shops’ artful displays of hand painted local ceramics whose production dates back to the Renaissance, heads of wild boar (indicating salumi, cheese, torta al testo, pasta and crescia sold inside) and decadent stands of truffles or cakes and biscuits. Don’t miss the Roman Theatre and the Palazzo dei Consoli (particularly the view from the piazza in front).
WIld boar heads

WIld boar heads

Local ceramics

Local ceramics

The Italian beer industry has undergone a Renaissance recently and Umbria is home to some very fine artisan beers. Try the award-winning Collesi beer, produced 20 km from Gubbio. It had been produced since 1870 for a hundred years and was restarted by ten locals.
Collesi beer

Collesi beer

As always, here is a little momento from our trip. We went to a porchetta festival in Umbria which was reminiscent of American barbecue festivals. Families socialised, children played games and ran free, music was played and spit-roasted suckling pig was enjoyed by all.
Porchetta festival in Costano

Porchetta festival in Costano

Porchetta

Porchetta

Festival goers queuing for porchetta

Festival goers queuing for porchetta

As I have neither a spit-roast nor access to a suckling pig, I make it in my oven with pork shoulder which produces juicy soft meat perfumed with garlic and herbs and addictive crisp pork crackling. Porchetta is every bit as good cold as it is hot.While making porchetta at home appears time consuming, it really only takes a few minutes here and there. The night before you want to serve this, take 5 minutes to rub the meat with salt. 5 to 6 hours before you want to serve it, stuff the pork and place the roast in the oven. A little less than an hour before serving, blast the roast to crisp the crackling, let the meat rest and then serve.

Recipe:

Porchetta (roast pork with crackling)

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Serves 6 to 8
The simple mention of the word “porchetta” makes most Italians salivate. This is a traditional dish originating in Umbria but is also common in Lazio, Abruzzo and Le Marche. In Umbria the meat is flavoured with garlic, wild fennel, salt and pepper while in Lazio and Abruzzo, rosemary and garlic are used. In Le Marche they sometimes baste the meat with white wine or cooked wine must. Porcheddu in Sardegna is also quite similar, albeit flavoured with lardo and myrtle. It is spit-roasted suckling pig. There are porchetta festivals during the summer time throughout central Italy where families and friends come from all around to eat porchetta outdoors and listen to music and socialise.

Do not be tempted to make a smaller roast, as it is more likely to dry out. Make sure that the butcher wraps the skin (with a good layer of fat to keep the meat moist) around the roast so that the entire top and sides are covered to retain the moisture. If they give you a cut that looks like a doughnut and the flesh is 80% plus exposed, take it back. It will come out dry. Use whichever of the herbs listed below on their own or as a mixture.

2.5 kilos pork shoulder from the neck end (Boston butt), bone in

6 cloves of garlic, skins removed

2 sprigs rosemary, rinsed

6 sage leaves, rinsed (optional)

fronds from 4 fennel bulbs, removed and rinsed

¼ cup olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Twine

Cut the skin of the shoulder in ½ cm apart lines diagonally across the fat without cutting down into the meat. Take 5 grams coarse sea salt and rub it into the skin, ensuring to get the salt into the cuts. Place the meat on a tray skin side up and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat the oven to 150 C. Finely chop together: 7 grams coarse sea salt, the garlic, sage, fennel and rosemary. Remove from the meat from the refrigerator and slice it open from the side so that it opens like a book and the two sides are still connected (being careful of the bone). Rub the inside with the pounded mixture. Close the meat and use twine to tie shut, tying every 3 cm.

If you want extra crispy, perfect crackling, then use a hair dryer to blow the skin dry for 30 minutes. Don’t panic, even if you don’t do this step, the crackling will still be excellent. Take some more salt and massage it into the skin. Rub salt and pepper on the meat and place inside a roasting tray. Cover the meat with aluminium foil, ensuring it is tightly sealed so that the steam does not escape. Roast for 4 to 5 hours (depending on the temperature of the meat when starting and the width of the roast) or until the inside temperature is 90C (193F). The meat should be tender and be falling apart. Remove the foil. Increase the heat to 220C until the skin on top has bubbled and is crunchy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before carving and serve. It is excellent cold as well as hot.

Which towns in Umbria are your favourites? Know anyone with an interest in Umbria, please share this post.

Where to Eat:

Assisi:

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Filetto di vitello con tortino di pere e anice (veal fillet with a tian of pear and anise)

Filetto di vitello con tortino di pere e anice (veal fillet with a tian of pear and anise)

Trattoria Palotta

Via Volta Pinta, 2

Tel: +39 075 812649

www.pallottaassisi.it

This local trattoria is run by the Balducci family and serves excellent food. Book in advance.

Recommended dishes: Tortelli con tartufo (stuffed pasta with black truffles), strangozzi alla palotta (fresh pasta with olives and mushrooms), filetto di maiale con pere, rucola e mandorle (pork loin with pears, rocket and almonds), filetto di vitello con tortino di pere e anice (veal fillet with a tian of pear and anise), torcolo (chocolate Pan di Spagna cake)

Pasticceria Sensi

Via Mazzini, 14
Tel: +39 075812529
Vicolo degli Esposti, 1
Tel: +39 075813689
An excellent pastry shop specialising in local specialties such as pancaciato (bread with cheese and walnuts), rocciata (apple and dried fruit cake) and brustengolo (a rustic cake made with apple and dried fruit)

Perugia:

Torciglioni (a serpentine pastry roll of fresh and dried fruit and vin santo)

Torciglioni (a serpentine pastry roll of fresh and dried fruit and vin santo)

Pasticceria Sandri

via Della Viola, 38
Tel: +39 0755724112
Founded in 1860 this is the best pastry shop in Perugia. Try the fruit cakes, chocolate cakes, brioche, traditional desserts such as stinchetti (a white marzipan cake shaped like bones), pinolate (baked ousts filled with egg whites, sugar and pine nuts), pinocchiate (cake of meringue and nuts), torciglioni (a serpentine pastry roll of fresh and dried fruit and vin santo), pan pepato (a dense cake of honey, nuts, candied and dried fruit, cocoa and spices), mostaccioli (ring-shaped pastries flavoured with white wine must and aniseed) and crescia (flat bread) and gelato.
Cioccolato Augusta Perugia

Cioccolato Augusta Perugia

Cioccolato Augusta Perugia

Cioccolato Augusta Perugia

Cioccolato Augusta Perugia

Via Pinturicchio, 2
Tel: +39 075 5734577
Via Bonazzi, 31
Tel: +39 075 9660324
An excellent chocolate shop with their homemade chocolates, both truffles and bars, spreadable chocolate and gelato. I love the Tavoletta degli Dei (75% dark chocolate with chocolate nibs).

Outside Perugia:

Near Deruta:

Best for a summer meal al fresco:
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L’Antico Forziere

Casalina, 06051 Casalina Deruta PG

Tel: +39 075 972 4314

http://www.anticoforziere.com

Set in a country house in the countryside outside Deruta,  this is a beautiful stone restaurant with gardens, a nice terrace and excellent food.
Recommended dishes: Strapazze di uova con tartufo nero (black truffle scrambled eggs), strangozzi con tartufo nero (black truffle pasta), quail with sherry

Panicale:

Best ambience:

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Lilli Tatine

Piazza Umberto I, 13
Panicale (PG)
Tel: +39 075 837771
Www.lillotatini.it
Closed Mondays
This restaurant is located overlooking the door to the town and the scenic piazzetta below. The service is personable with nice attention to detail. The food is local and delicious.
Recommended dishes: pastas such as paccheri, cannelloni , ravioli carbonara filled with quail egg yolks, cappelletti with black mushroom and main courses: cinta senese ribs, wild boar with sweet and sour onions

Todi:

Sorbet in brioche at Bar Pianegiani

Sorbet in brioche at Bar Pianegiani

Bar Pianegiani

corso Cavour, 40

Tel: +39 0758942376

An informal bar on a picturesque square to enjoy frozen desserts.
Recommended dishes: Gelato, granite, fruit semifreddi (peach, orange or strawberry parfait) and torta pinolata (pine nut and cream cake)
Runner up for best ambiance:

Vineria San Fortunato di Giuseppe

Piazza Umberto I, 5
Tel: +39 075 372 1180
This enoteca is the perfect place to sit outside with the backdrop of San Fortunato church behind you and watch life in Todi.  Try one of their many wines on offer and nibble on cheese, salumi and breads. La dolce vita.

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Filed Under: Food, footer, Travel Tagged With: assisi, gubbio, perugia, perugina, porchetta, recipe, roast suckling pig, todi, truffles, Umbria

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Comments

  1. Simona says

    November 5, 2015 at 10:24 am

    Thank you for showcasing some of the many lovely places of my home region. Nice photos!

    Reply
    • wooweiduan says

      November 6, 2015 at 4:19 am

      So glad you enjoyed the post! Umbria is such a beautiful region it is difficult to express in words. Even the photos don’t do the area justice.

      Reply

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