Lifestyles Plus magazine

February 2001

Travels in Tuscany and Umbria

By Ellen Park

It doesn't matter where you go in Tuscany or Umbria. Almost every hill is crowned with a picture-perfect walled town. Lush, green farm fields alternate with pastured dotted with cattle or sheep.ÿ Neatly ordered rows of tightly wiredÿ grape vines hint of wonderful wines. Olive trees promise locally produced oil.

Every town, no matter how suburban the surroundings, has a medieval core with narrow, twisting streets and broad piazzas. Every restaurant, it seems has fabulously prepared food. You just can't make the wrong decision.

Life in the fast lane seems far away in rural Italy. The region favors slow food (don't look for McDonald's here). The two-hour lunch, the four-hour dinner are routine - all the better to savor the experience.

I went to Italy for the first time last May, and as winter tightens its grip on Indiana this month, I'm dreaming of returning. I picked a home base not far from Lake Trasimeno, the fourth largest lake in Italy (you'll find it on the map between Rome and Florence). From an agriturismo in Petrignano del Lago, I drove a different "loop" each day. I'd have lunch somewhere in the provinces, but return to "my" locanda (the small restaurant in the former cellar of the renovated farmhouse) most evenings for dinner. I found this a relaxing way to get to know a region well, and I'm thinking of staying in the same place again. But, on the next visit, my daytrips could take me to new places as well as return to favorites.

The first day I decided to explore the closest town, Castiglione del Lago. It's an unassuming place despite crenellated fortifications topping an olive-clad headland jutting into the shallow lake. I followed the winding road up the hill to the parking lot near the city hall, and headed inside the walls on foot. Seems that the specialty of the region is salame di cinghiale - wild boar meat. A vendor stood outside his shop door offering samples. Yum! I bought some to take back to my agriturismo accommodations. It made a great afternoon snack - along with the freshly-baked bread and strawberries I also bought in town.

Thus fortified (my room had a small refrigerator) I was ready to venture further a field. While I went to the "must-see" towns of Siena, Florence and Assisi, I also drove to off-the-tourist-track places. Let me whet your appetite for Italy by telling you about some of these treasures.

On Sunday I noticed it was the first Sunday of the month, so I headed to Fiera Antiquaria, the fabled antiques' fair in Arezzo-birthplace of Petrarch. My first stop in town was the Tourist Information Office (next to the train station), and I picked up not only a street map, but directions for a free parking spot. Then I walked up the Corso Italia to the Piazza Grande, which was filled with vendors offering everything from pieces of medieval churches to freshly-made cheese.

Arezzo is a town known for opulence - it has the largest plant manufacturing gold jewelry in the world (and you can see fabulous examples in the shop windows). But, it's the antiques trade that keeps visitors coming back, not only for the monthly open-air fair, but to visit the countless shops filled with chairs and candelabra and fresco fragments that look like they should be in museums instead of stores.

When I was done thinking about redoing my Hoosier house as a medieval Italian villa, I stopped into San Francesco Church. Inside its plain 13^th Century shell is one ofÿ Europe's greatest fresco cycles, the Legend of the Cross, painted in the mid 15^th century by Piero della Francesca. Back down the hill, near where I parked my car, I decided to skip seeing the Museu Archeologico built on the site of an old Roman amphitheater. ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ

The region is studded with Roman ruins. At Bagno Vignoni (about 6 miles south of San Quirico d'Orcia) is a most startling sight. Most old European towns are arranged around a central square, but this village clusters around a huge arcaded stone cistern of warm, gently bubbling water giving off a hint of sulfur. It used to be a public pool (even Lorenzo the Magnificent came here to ease his rheumatism), but - alas! - there's no bathing in this ancient spa today.

A distinctive Renaissance core is all that remains of Pope Pius II's grand ambition to turn Pienza, his modest birthplace, into a citt… ideale, or model city.

The main sights are all within a stone's throw of each other along Corso Rossellino, the shop-lined main street, but the best vistas are from the walkway overlooking the valley. There you'll see that the cliffside is subsiding beneath the apse end of the cathedral, which, on the piazza side, presents an elegant fa‡ade emblazoned with the papal crests. The Palazzo Piccolomini, designed as a residence for the Pope, has a triple loggia at the rear to maximize views of the hanging gardens outside and vast sweeps ofÿ that fabulous Tuscan countryside.

Pienza's other delights are food. This is a great place to stop for lunch, either in one of its many restaurants or to assemble a gourmet picnic from the regional produce featured in its many alimentari and fattorie. Be sure to sample its famed pecorino cheese (called cacio locally). It's made from sheep's milk, and is sometimes matured in a coating of ashes. Other edible specialties include pici (a local pasta style), bread-based soups and salads, and cakes called ricciarelli di Pienza.

You've no doubt heard of Siena. That's where the colorful Palio delle Contrade takes place on the fan-shaped Piazza del Campo. There actually are two horse races each year -- one on July 2 and the other August 16 (the tradition dates back to the 11^th Century).ÿ Surrounding the races, where neighborhoods pit their best horses and riders in a no-holds-barred contest, are a "500" Festival style swirl of activities, including lots of Medieval costumes and banners. Because it's so well-known, tourists flock to Siena by the busload. Other towns in Tuscany are equally picturesque and a lot less crowded. ÿ

Medieval and Renaissance history is on view at the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, between Pienza and Siena. Serenely situated above a cypress forest in the middle of the barren region known as the Crete, it's a working monastery (founded in 1313) that welcomes visitors to view its art treasures and, perhaps, take home something from its gift shop. The monks support themselves by restoring antiquarian books, and by producing olive oil, honey and an herb liqueur called Flora di Monte Oliveto. Their gift shop sells what they make, plus a great assortment of religious mementos and books.

I'd heard of Luca della Robbia, but I hadn't seen any of the artist's work. Here, there are two of his colorful terra cotta masterpieces - St. Benedict and the Madonna and Child -- on either side of the entrance gate. Inside the recently enclosed Ciostro Grande are a series of 36 frescos portraying the life of St. Benedict (the monks are Olivetans, a fundamentalist Benedictine order). The cloister leads to the 15^th Century abbey church with intricate intarsia work in the choir stalls. Outside, down a winding path through the woods is the Blessed Bernardo's Grotto, a chapel on the site of the founder's hermit cell.

Not far from the monastery is Montepulciano. Strung out along a ridge of tufa, it rises almost 2000 feet above sea level, making the town one of Tuscany's highest. Along the road connecting it with Pienza, there are several scenic overlooks where motorists can -and do -- stop to snap pictures. Its fortifications, built in the 1500s, enclose a jewel of a town, stuffed with palaces and churches at every turn. Its chief palazzi stand on the main square, Piazza Grande, forming a blockbusting assembly of Gothic architecture. The view from the top of the tower on its 15^th century town hall, modeled on Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, is worth the climb. The best souvenir is the locally produced wine, called Vino Nobile. You can sample it over a fine meal or take home a bottle. One joined my growing larder back at my agriturismo, sustenance for what was becoming an afternoon ritual. (Snacks are essential - no civilized Italian would dream of eating dinner before 8 p.m.)

Cortona is a medieval walled town climbing up a steep hillside covered with olive trees. Its narrow, twisting streets lead to a castle with astonishing views of Lago Trasimeno and the patchwork plain of Valdichiana far below. I had to come (I'd read about it in Frances Mayes' best-selling books), but it was cold and drizzling the day I visited. The good news was that the weather reduced the number of tourists, and I could wander without the usual crowds. The town is said to be ancient, to have existed before Troy was founded. Before the Romans came, it was a member of the Etruscan League. In the Renaissance and beyond it acquired stately piazzas and a series of palaces and other evidence of governmental favor.

From the ramparts of Cortona, you can see Lake Trasimeno. This fourth-largest Italian lake is a landmark in Italian history as well. On its shores, Hannibal (after having crossed the Alps) defeated a much larger Roman army let by Gaius Flaminius in 217 BCE. One contemporary place name bears vivid witness to this long-ago battle: Sanguineto. A map of the battlefield is available in the summer in the tourist office near Tuoro's ferry terminal, but I didn't have any problem touring it without a map by following the signs along the percorso della battaglia leading to descriptive plaques at various locations. Looking at the peaceful countryside, sloping gently from the hills where Cortona is located to the shores of the shallow lake, it's hard to imagine a slaughter so frightful that the local rivers ran red for days. The entire battleground is still referred to as un immenso sepolcreto, a vast graveyard.

Lake Trasimeno today is a popular inland resort, surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and farmland. It's great for boating and windsurfing, but has a reedy, swampy margin that discourages swimming. Athletic endeavors didn't tempt me on this trip, but I did take a ferry from Passignano on the northern shore over to Isola Maggiore, the main island (population: 60). There, I sampled a local delicacy, anguilla - lake eel, served in a tomato sauce. Doesn't taste like chicken, and it has lots of bones. An acquired taste, I think.

Perugia, the largest city in Umbria, has been an important town since Etruscan days. I took an afternoon to drive there, just to park the car at one of the city lots, ride the series of escalators up the mountain and walk down the stretch of pedestrian street to the city center, Piazza IV Novembre. The Fontana Maggiore, with its many sculptures representing biblical characters as well as the months of the year, sits between the cathedral and the Palazzo dei Priori (Civic Leaders' Palace). Dredge up what you've learned about medieval history, and you'll realize you're in the center of what used to be a tumultuous town. Warring clans did battle for Perugia right on that spot - and one faction even borrowed the cathedral for use as a military barracks.

I spent almost two weeks exploring Tuscany and Umbria, coming home with olive oil and wine made at the agriturismo where I stayed, ceramic tiles depicting Assisi and Siena, colorful pottery from Deruta and photographs from 20 rolls of film. I'm sure I'll be returning - there's so much to see in Italy's timeless heart.

--Ellen Park, a freelance travel writer, starts her journeys from her home in Indianapolis.

SIDEBAR ONE:

With all the wonderful travel books about Tuscany and Umbria, it's possible to take that trip without leaving your armchair.

Recent bestsellers have been a pair of stories about Tuscany by Frances Mayes. In Under the Tuscan Sun and the sequel Bella Tuscany, the American writer told of the triumphs and travails of establishing a foothold in a villa just outside the medieval walls of Cortona. The town itself has a love-hate relationship with the author. On the one hand, they're flattered with all the attention her books have caused (she recently was given la cittadinanza onoraria-honorary citizenship). On the other, there are all those tour buses, and all those tour groups with cameras tromping through town every month of the year, but especially in July and August. Mention her name in Cortona, and everyone has an opinion!

A couple of years ago, everyone was talking about After Hannibal, Barry Unsworth's novel about expatriates and their houses in Umbria. No doubt a roman … clef, he told the oftentimes sordid and always hilarious stories of non-Italians' homesteading experiences in the area around Lake Trasimeno. Hannibal may have defeated the Romans just north of the lake, but contemporary Italians (as described by Unsworth) are successfully resisting the invasion of the latest wave of foreign invaders. The complexities of the area's history - Etruscan, Roman, Renaissance Principality and Papal State - remain relevant today.

Indeed, there's something about the country that makes even the guidebooks read more like history lessons than descriptions of road trips. Some of my favorites are:

Christopher Catling, ed., On the Road Around Northern Italy: Driving Holidays and tours in Tuscany, Umbria, the Italian Lakes and Riviera, Veneto and the South Tyrol (Passport Books: 1998).

Fiona Duncan and Peter Greene, Central Italy Trip Planner & Guide (Passport Books: 1999).

Italy's Best-Loved Driving Tours (Frommer's: 1997).

Paul Hofmann, Umbria: Italy's Timeless Heart (Henry Holt: 1999).

SIDEBAR TWO

When you visit Tuscany and Umbria --

Remember to pack good walking shoes. You can't drive into most walled towns, and the streets are both cobble stoned and steep.

An easy source of travel information is the Italian Government Tourist Office, Suite 2240, 500 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60611; 312:644-0996, 312:644-3019 FAX, enitch@italiantourism.com.

Agriturismos are a new trend in Italian travel. The government, in order to encourage economic development in rural areas, gives tax breaks and other incentives to people willing to house tourists on a working farm. I stayed at Casal de' Cucchi, near Petrignano del Lago, and I loved it. I didn't have maid service, but I did have a small refrigerator and a great room. On the terrace outside was a table with two chairs. Sitting there in the evening, sipping the local wine and nibbling on boar sausage and fresh bread-life doesn't get much better than that! You can contact this agriturismo by telephone (011 39 0755173122), fax (011 39 0755171244) or on the web (www.italywines.com/fanini/PAG_1.html).

One especially helpful website is www.tuscany.net, which has lots of links and the most amazingly detailed information. It even provided me with a printout of market days in the province. Buying blood oranges in Sarteano alongside the locals was an experience to savor.

Although I like to plan my own travels, there are lots of outfits ready to help you plan yours. Your travel agent will have some suggestions; here are others:

"Walking through Tuscany,"ÿ a tour from Go Ahead Vacations hits many of my sites: Cortona, Lake Trasimeno, Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena and Florence. For more information, call (800) 242-4686 or click on www.goaheadvacations.com.

Ciclismo Classico arranges active vacations in Italy for hikers, cross-country skiers and bicyclers. Routes connecting some of the towns I visited are "Tuscan Wanderlust," "Tuscany and Enchanting Elba" and "Giro Italia." For more information, call (800) 866-7314, (781) 646-3377 or click on www.ciclismoclassico.com.

Italian Connection offers walking and culinary tours. "Tuscany Hilltowns" and "Walking and Cooking in Umbria" are two that visit many of the same sites I did. For more information, call (800) 462-7911 or click on www.italian-connection.com.

SmarTours has a 14-day "Best of Italy" tour that includes Florence. For more information, call (800) 337-7773 or click on www.smarTours.net.

"Florence and the Tuscan Hilltowns" from Cross-Culture offers an in-depth look at the region. It's offered in May and repeated in September. For more information, call (800) 491-1148 or click on www.crosscultureinc.com.

Europe Through the Back Door's Rick Steves includes Florence, Assisi and Siena on his "Best of Italy in 20 Days" tour. For more information, call (425) 771-8303 or click on www.ricksteves.com.

Where to eat is never a dilemma in Tuscany and Umbria: every place I went was wonderful. Here are some of my memorable meals. I wasn't very hungry at lunchtime in Bagno Vignoni, so I snacked on panino al formaggio pecorino fresco and bruschetta alla pomodoro at the outdoor tables of La Bottega di Cacio. In Pienza, I had a marvelous gnocchi con pomodoro for lunch at Trattoria Latte di Luna. I had rabbit for dinner one evening at Osteria Umbra in Acquaoilo, and a fine spaghetti with eggplant sauce at La Cantina in Spello. I had the four-course fixed price dinner at CibrŠo in the San Ambrogio market neighborhood of Florence; I recommend that place to all who value good wine as well as good food. I ate dinner several evenings in La Locanda di Gulliver, the restaurant that's part of the agriturismo where I stayed: each was different and made extensive use of local produce. For lunch in Cortona one day, I had ravioli with spinach and truffle cream at La Loggetta - but I saved room for gelato. That's the best reason to go to Italy, after all. Gelato is better than the best American ice cream, and it's sold in myriad flavors from kiosks right on the street everywhere you're likely to go. It's traditional to sample three flavors at a time - try to pick different ones so that by the time you're on the plane to go back home, you've run out of choices.

SIDEBAR THREE

Florence in Tuscany and Assisi in Umbria seem to be on every tourist bus route, so the crowds are enormous in peak season. Nonetheless, they're popular for good reason.

In Assisi, save St. Francis' basilica - that huge white church soaring above the valley floor on massive rows of arches -- for last. Wander instead the steeply sloped streets of the town on Mount Subasio where you'll see more sandal-footed, brown-robed Franciscans than you ever knew existed. Check out some of the other, less ornate churches, including Santa Chiara (where St. Clare is buried) and the Temple of Minerva, an old Roman temple converted into a Christian Church. Then head for the basilica. Go down the ramps to the lowest level and start with the crypt - that's where St. Francis is buried. I didn't see much on the second level, because a Mass was in process when I visited. The upper basilica, however, is a knockout with Giotto's 28 frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis. Restoration work is almost complete - you'd never know the place was almost destroyed by the 1997 earthquake (but you can buy postcards that show the pre-renovation damage).

Florence deserves a trip of its own. But, if you've just got a day or two (as I had) it is possible to hit the highlights. Don't miss the cathedral (with Brunelleschi's magnificent dome) and the baptistery (the bronze doors are replicas). If you climb to the top of the bell tower (designed by Giotto), you'll be rewarded with that famous bird's eye view of the Renaissance rooftops. Of course, you'll want to see Michelangelo's David (in the Galleria dell'Accademia) and the outstanding art (including Botticelli's Birth of Venus) at the Uffizi Gallery. Then there's the Archaeological Museum, and the Ponte Vecchio with all the jewelry stores, and the Boboli Gardens, and..well, I guess Florence deserves more than one visit per lifetime.

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