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.

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).

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

2. Perugia

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.

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.

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:

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.

Tel: +39 075812529

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)

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.

Tel: +39 075 5734577

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).

Near Deruta:

L’Antico Forziere

Casalina, 06051 Casalina Deruta PG

Tel: +39 075 972 4314

http://www.anticoforziere.com

Panicale:

Lilli Tatine

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)

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.