Nostra Vacanza: Tuscany and Umbria

Tom and Susan were able to make another visit to Italy during the last two weeks. We joined them for the second week after business meetings wrapped up, starting at their hotel in the old spa town of Fiuggi Terme, just southeast of Rome. They treated us to a nice lunch and afternoon in the Turkish baths and lovely pool. After this refreshment, the five of us headed on to Tuscany. Ben and I wanted to revisit Pienza in May to see it green, lush, and quite literally, “under the Tuscan sun.” The fields and meadows were bursting with wildflowers, and there was even a brand new calf at the farm – only one day old when we arrived on the 23rd, Susan’s birthday.

Casa Frati was a great place to stay once again, with our hostess Monica as kind and helpful as ever. We definitely recommend her family farm for any Tuscan farm vacations anyone may want to take. There are plenty of picturesque lanes to walk around. Ben flushed a large male pheasant in one of the grain fields on the property. Trying for a photo op, but the camera wasn’t quite ready and he settled for a last minute shot as the bird flew away.

We had a great time wandering around the little cobblestone streets of Pienza, stopping in a nice little leather shop, perusing the street art and piazzas, and dining at La Buca delle Fate for lunch. We ate there last time and were anxious to go again. Pienza was like a different town with the start of the summer tourist season already in full swing. In November, it was practically a ghost town, save for a few locals. This time we ran into several Americans, even some from our own naval command here in Naples. The world is definitely shrinking! We spent our last day at Casa Frati just taking walks in the countryside and relaxing with our books by the pool. It was too cool to go for a dip, but the scenery was unbeatable.

Leaving Pienza, we stopped in Montepulciano to see this famous medieval hill town synonymous with fine Italian red wines. We just walked around a bit then had lunch on a nice terrace overlooking the valleys below. Very nice and relaxing; perfect warm weather for a day of sightseeing and then driving on to our next destination of Umbertide, Umbria.

We crossed into Umbria from Tuscany and almost immediately saw a change in the topography: suddenly it looked like we were in the Blue Ridge Mountains, climbing higher and higher on very curvy roads. The route finally straightened out a bit as we neared Casale degli Olmi, our agriturismo in Umbertide. The restored farmhouse was beautiful and very well appointed. We had a nice view of Umbertide just in the distance and a nice pool and grounds. Though still pretty cool, Tom, Ben, and resident waterdog, Luke, all took a dip. Luke was very brave, managing to go down all the steps and tiptoe around in the shallow end. He really surprises us with how well he has taken to the water, not minding getting his face wet or being splashed. Guess he gets it from his daddy!

Using Umbertide as a home base, we made day trips to the medieval town of Montone, the pilgrimage sites of Assisi, and Perugia. Montone was very small and quiet, making for a great afternoon stroll with stops for gelato and a nice dinner outdoors at what might have been the only hotel-ristorante in town. Assisi was much bigger and more touristy than I expected, but still a lovely hill town studded with first-rate classical and religious art, architecture, and iconography. We all make the pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Francis, walking through both the upper and lower churches and circumnavigating the subterranean tomb. It was a great experience seeing the beauty of the church and the piety of the believers who came through the space, including many of the friars and the sisters of St. Clare. Tom and Susan kept Luke so Ben and I could go through together and then we stayed with him (they got him to sleep!) while they toured the church. We capped off the afternoon with drinks and gelato in the piazza. Luke had an entire gelato to himself, along with all the sticky evidence to prove it. Nothing should part a hot toddler from his gelato!

We spent the next day in Perugia, and again Tom and Susan treated us to a babysitting break. Ben and I were able to go to the National Gallery of Umbria while they walked around the city and did some people watching from a street side café. The art collection featured painting and sculpture from the province, all organized in chronological order. This progression was very helpful as we watched the development of the religious art from period to period, beginning with pieces contemporary with St. Francis (mid 1200s) and moving up the 1700s. The majority of works were religious paintings, many made as altar pieces or as special commissions for churches and basilicas in the area. After reconnecting with Tom, Susan, and Luke, we did some shopping and stopped for prosecco before getting caught in a good rainstorm. We ended our trip to Perugia taking shelter in the street fair booths from the international sister cities markets; Perugia is sister city to Aix en Provence, Seattle, Grand Rapids, Potsdam, and others.

For our last day in Umbria, we stopped for a visit and lunch in Todi as we drove Tom and Susan back to Rome. Todi was yet another quaint medieval hilltop city, the steep stone streets and breathtaking views from nearly any direction into the valley. From there you could really appreciate Umbria’s claim as the Green Heart of Italy. Rolling hills look like mosaics of greens and earthtones, all under the soft focus of haze in settling in the valleys below. We stopped in a gallery that turned out to be the work of an expatriated Wisconsin native who has lived and worked in Todi for the past 30 years. Her restaurant recommendation resulted in one of the best meals we’ve had in Italy. The classic Umbrian specialties are simple but incredibly delicious. We sampled truffled filet of beef, grilled local trout, lentil and garbanzo soups, fresh boar sausages, and handmade red past with artichokes. The afternoon was cool and the smell of a wood fire on the dining terrace set the perfect mood for a long and wonderful lunch, our last meal all together before going our separate ways in Rome. We were sad for our trip to end, but we made plenty of good memories to last us until the next one.