May 5 - May 12 2012
Our first guests from the US arrived, Jan and Bill Bright from Austin. They flew to Rome, and we arranged a driver to pick them up. It is a 2 1/2 journey from Rome airport to Preci.
We had a casual day, and ate local foods from our region. Umbria, particularly the Valnarina area where our house is located , is noted for it's cured meats - salami, proscuitto, wild boar, and cured hams. Truffles are renowned in this area. Now is the summer truffle season with the lighter, burgundy colored. The winter truffles are more expensive because of their scarcity, and the more distinctive flavour. They are black in color, and have a more distinct salty flavour. The premium truffle is the white truffle, known as the Alba truffle, after the area in Italy where they are found. It is light and creamy in taste. A record amount was paid for an Alba truffle in 2007 by a Macau casino owner. $330,000 was paid for a truffle that weighed 3.3 pounds, and was found by a farmer and his dog near Pisa.(100 miles from here). The cheeses are very famous, as well. The Asiago chesse, pecorino, and mozzarella being the most famous. The Umbrian bread is not made with salt. In the 1300's the ruler of the region planned to impose a tax on salt, so the Umbrian's decided not to make their bread with salt. It is heavier and has a lot more texture. And, of course, the famous Italian olive oil from this region. There are olive groves and grape vines that surround the hills.
SPELLO
Located in Umbria. It is an old walled medieval town located near Perugia. There are at least 2 dozen churches located in this area. The Santa Maria Maggiore (1150) was built over a Roman temple dedicated to Juna and Vesta. There are frescos in this church that are pained by Perugino. The Baglioni Chapel has frescos by Pinturicchio, one of the most famous of all artists of this form of art. We had Sunday lunch at Ristorante la Cantina di Spello. Wonderful local Umbrian food, and great local wine.
SIENA (TUSCANY)
A miniature masterpiece of a city, and Florence's age old rival. It is known for its annual horse Palio horse race which takes place in the fan shaped Piazza del Campo. The Palzaao Pubblico's campanile rises 320 feet. The Museo Civico houses the frescoes of Sienese master Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and the Gothic Duomo is in black and white striped marble. The baptismal font (1417-1430) is the greatest in all of Italy. The foremost sculptors from Florence and Siena created this masterpiece. (How could they have possibly harnessed all of those egos - no wonder it took 13 years!) Jacopo della Quercia, Giovanni di Turino, Lorenzo Ghiberti, and my personal favorite - Donatello "Feast of Herod" profoundly beautiful. The Duomo Museum houses "La Maesta" by Duccio - the most famous Sienese artist! (and also my personal favorite of the Sienese artists) Note: The Met paid $45million for the "Madonna and Child" by Duccio - their only Duccio, in 2004. Their are only 12 known Duccio's in the world, and I have seen 3 on this trip. Italy has 89% of all of the famous art treasures in the world. The Duomo houses the most famous 13th century pulpit - Nicola Pisano, one of the most significant pre-Renaisssance sculptors. The pulpit is his masterpiece.
ORVIETO
Built on a pedestal of volcanic rock above vineyards in a green valley. Crowning the town is the world famous cathedral, a pilgrimage destination for Catholics and art lovers the world over. Founded by the Etruscans, it is a spectacular hill town. Orvieto, known for it's white wine, is very close to Rome. It is the closest Umbrian town near Rome. Il Duomo was begun in 1288 to commemorate the Miracle of Bolsena. The miracle came out of the doubts of a priest who questioned the transubstantiation (the incarnation of Christ in the Host). At the moment of consecration, the Host started to drip blood - no more doubt, and the Feast of Corpus Christi was born.
The doors of the Cathedral are bronze sculptures by Emilio Greco, a local famous artist. The facade of the cathedral is the most elaboragely adorned. Pope John XXIII , proclaimed on Judgement Day, God would scoop down, and pick up the facade and bring them back to heaven.
Wine Tasting
After we left Orvieto, we made an appointment with a local vineyard. However, we got lost in the beautiful hills of Orvieto, and discovered a wonderful relais property. - the Cantina Altarocca. We planned our own wine tasting, looked out over the hills at Orvieto and tasted some beautiful Umbrian wines from the Arcosesto Vineyards on their beautiful terrace.
MONTEFALCO
"Falcon's Mount" the Balcony of Umbria. We visited the Antonelli Vineyard's. We had a typical Umbrian lunch, and a wonderful tour of the winery. Montefalco, has a unique wine which is the only place in the world that has the Sagrantino grape. The wine is DOCG (highest registration of Italian wines) , and is a full bodied red.The vineyard produces 25,000 cases of wine a year...Germany,Switzerland are their main importers, and the US is 3rd. They have been selling more wines to the US in the last several years. They also make their own jam,pasta,vinegar and bread. It was a terrific meal, and we were very educated in wine producing. They use French Oak casks which have a life expectancy of 5 years to cure their reds. The whites are cured in stainless steel; and very interesting, they still have their old 50 year old clay vats, that are now again popular for white wines.
VALNARINA
On our guest's last day we went on a hike on a trail that went up the side of the mountain to an ancient abbey, St Eutizio, founded in the 5th Century. Still a working abbey by the Benedictine monks. Of course there was a restaurant near the Abbey. Wonderful vistas of Preci, the village where we are staying. The Valnarina is the largest forest of Italy, and has abundant hiking trails, and fresh water fishing streams. The salmon trout is a local wonderful fish served here.
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