Umbria Today Blog

Nero Norcia – Norcia, and the largely unexplored Valnerina area where it is found, is famous for it’s outdoor activities and is popular with those interested in hiking, mountaineering, fishing, and hunting local wild boar. Nero Norcia, also known as Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero Pregiato di Norcia e dei Prodotti Tipici is one of Italy’s most important black truffle markets.

Umbrian Wine Tasting With Gusto Wine Tours – Although it is quite possible to visit many of the larger wineries on your own such as Arnoldo Caprai or Antonelli (some do require reservations first), one of the best ways to really experience Umbrian wine culture is to take a specialty wine tour. Read my recap of our special day with Mark Stafford of Gusto Wine Tours.

The Splendor of Piano Grande And The Sibillini Mountains – The mountainous landscape that falls east of Norcia is one of Italy’s hidden treasures, and it becomes an outdoor lover’s paradise during the spring and summer. Trails cover the countryside which are suitable for both hikers and mountain bikers, while the windy upland plains create a perfect environment for hang-gliding.

Spello L’infiorata ~ Spello Flower Festival – The L’infiorita in Spello takes place every year, on the Sunday after Corpus Domini which falls on a Thursday. Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi is a festival in honor of the Eucharist, the body of Christ symbolized with bread. It has been celebrated 60 days after Easter Sunday on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday since the XIII century.

Deruta Ceramics – Deruta is located less than 20 kilometers from Perugia, but probably would be just another small Umbrian hill town boasting a handful of master artworks as well as the Romanesque-Gothic church of San Francesco with it’s 14th century frescoes if not for its reputation as ceramics central. Deruta has been famous for it’s ceramics for over 300 years, and although the industry there may have developed due to the abundance of quality local clay, that supply has since been extinguished and most Deruta artisans now purchase their clay from Tuscany, particularly from the area around Sansepolcro.

Festa della Cipolla in Cannara – Cannara, is a small town in central Umbria known as the onion capital of Italy, and so revered are the onions of Cannara that every September a week long festival is held that attracts thousands of visitors. At this Festa della Cipolla you can buy large bags of the local onions, as well as dine on any number of dishes from antipasti to dessert that all spotlight the lowly onion.

Sedano Nero Festival In Trevi – The celery in Trevi, called apium graveolous, is quite famous across Italy and is only grown on the outskirts of this small town. It has become such a specialty item that has now been designated as one of the 15 or so IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) products in Umbria. This basically means black celery can only be grown in this small designated area outside of Trevi and is so famous Trevi created a festival to celebrate it.

L’osterua del Matto in Spoleto – Spoleto, widely known as one of Umbria’s most famous towns occupies an elevated hillside position at the foot of Montelucco, and has many striking monuments and sites that attract tourists from around the world. Strolling through Spoleto you can visit Piazza del Mercato (famous square known to be the oldest section of Spoleto), La Rocca (military fortress) and of course the town’s cathedral, a superb example of Umbrian Romanesque design. Touring the beautiful Umbrian town of Spoleto can certainly work up an appetite and because of that there is one other stop I highly recommend in Spoleto and that is L’Osteria del Matto.

Umbrian Market Tour – One of our favorite things to do each week here in Umbria is to visit the local outdoor markets. You can easily visit a market each day if you choose to, and in fact some days there are as many as five markets of various sizes running across the region on a given day. In Italy, markets tend to rotate from town to town, and most larger towns have their own market day although the vendors may vary.

Porchettiamo – One of the activities we enjoy most when we are living in Umbria is to visit the many festivals and outdoor markets that are celebrated each weekend across the region. Although the season gets into full bloom later as summer progresses, there are still a few celebrations taking place now despite the cool, rainy weather we’ve been having of late. When my husband read in the paper last week that the small town of San Terenziano was holding Porchettiamo, a festival to celebrate porchetta, we knew we had to visit. Really, anyplace that creates a celebration for the beloved pork sandwiches famous across Italy deserves recognition don’t you agree?

Eurochocolate – If you are a chocoholic, then Umbria is the place to be each year in October when the region hosts Eurochocolate, an annual chocolate festival that takes place in Perugia, the region’s capital. This chocolate festival is the most popular chocolate festival in Europe and has been held since 1993.