Umbria is located in the geographical centre of Italy, between Tuscany and Le Marche. The capital is Perugia, a city founded by the Etruscans. Umbria is the region where in a relatively confined space the visitor can enjoy the best aspects of Italian life, history and culture. Improved communications are opening up the region to new types of visitors attracted by the artistic and cultural heritage as well as the opportunities for having a second home, taking holiday breaks in peaceful country locations, or enjoying outdoor sports in attractive settings.

The hills, covered with evergreen oak, account for the traditional description of Umbria as the green heart of Italy. Between the Tiber valley and the Tuscan towns of Cortona and Arezzo there is an attractive area of wooded hills. Just west of Perugia is Lake Trasimeno, Umbria`s largest expanse of water, and scene of the battle where Hannibal and his elephants defeated the Romans in 217 BC. South of Lake Trasimeno the landscape changes, becoming gently undulating rather than hilly or mountainous and the houses are built of terracotta bricks rather than stone, which gives a different look to the countryside.

Perugia is home to the National Gallery of Umbria with a rich collection of paintings by Renaissance masters such as Duccio, Giotto, Gentile da Fabriano, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca and Pinturicchio. Città della Pieve to the south was the birthplace of Pietro Vannucci, the Umbrian painter also known as Perugino . . . In Assisi the Basilica of Saint Francis is famous for its amazing set of frescoes by Giotto.

For sports-oriented visitors, Monte Cucco above Gubbio, and Monte Vettore near Norcia, are centres for hang-gliding enthusiasts. Gubbio is home to an annual international Arab horse endurance riding event. White water rafting and kayaking are available in the Val Nerina near Spoleto, as well as skiing in winter. Country walking, bird and nature watching, and pony-trekking can be enjoyed almost everywhere in Umbria. There are also several golf courses in the region.

Umbria has plenty of good food and wine: there are truffles in the Val Nerina, as well as fresh and smoked trout. Wild boar are hunted every autumn and the meat is turned into prosciutto and sausages . Olives grow all over the region and Umbrian olive oil is prized for its low acidity and delicate flavour. Montefalco red wine and Grechetto white have a justly merited international reputation.

Alongside the genial and hospitable Umbrians there is now a sizeable population of resident and holidaying foreigners. Most have come for the countryside lifestyle and settle in old farmhouses. Many of these have now been restored to levels of comfort the previous inhabitants could only have dreamt of, mixing traditional building materials such as stone, terracotta and chestnut wood fittings with state of the art Jacuzzis and fitted kitchens. There is also no shortage of town houses and apartments in historic buildings in very attractive towns such as Città di Castello and Assisi.

Roger Coombes is a Director of Cluttons Italy, specialist Italyian Realtors and Estate Agents with particular experience of
[http://www.cluttonsitaly.com] buying and selling property in Umbria.

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South eastern Tuscany meets its smaller neighbour Umbria, on Umbria’s north eastern border. The border area of Tuscany and Umbria in Italy is a wonderful place to stay as the visitor is able to visit the many cities and towns of the two regions while staying in one of the most picturesque areas the world has to offer and enjoying one of its greatest cuisines. The area is largely rural, the main crops are sunflowers, maize, olives, vines and tobacco which is being phased out. Modernity has been slow to reach this area and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, many visitors feel as if they had stepped back in time 30 or 40 years. Staying in this area you are within 90% of UNESCOs world art treasures: Rome and Florence are within two hours drive and one must not forget the important art works of nearer towns such as Arezzo, Siena, Perugia and Assisi. Apart from their art treasures these towns are places everyone enjoys visiting. All have their own architectural delights and meandering lanes and interesting shops and restaurants. Also worth visiting are the Tuscan towns of ; Cortona and Sansepolcro and the Umbrian towns of Gubbio,Citta di Castello, Todi and Orvieto. Lovers of ceramics will also want to visit Deruta which produces some of the finest majolica.

Wine lovers are also in for a treat as many great wines are found in this area. Although Chianti is not strictly on the Tuscany Umbria border it is only a short drive. The brunellos of Montalcino and Vino Nobile of Montepulciano are found in this area.

There is a wide choice of accommodation available for those wishing to come to this area of Italy. “Agriturismi” offering either self-catering apartments or B&B type accommodation have sprung up everywhere. A popular choice for the visitor to this area of Tuscany and Umbria is to rent a self-catering villa, farmhouse or apartment through a rental agency. With a rental agency one can be sure that the house or apartment has been properly scrutinised and is priced fairly to reflect its quality, situation and accessibility. Farmhouses, villas and apartments with or without swimming pools are all available. If one wishes to stay in a country property in this area car hire is almost essential. Public transport in the rural areas of Tuscany and Umbria although reliable, is sparse. Most villages have a bus service once a day, relying upon this creates a lack of flexibility. Many of the farmhouses and villas for holiday rental are on hillsides a good walk from a main road. Often vacation rental houses in Tuscany and Umbria are reached along gravel roads or “strade bianche” . City inhabitants are often alarmed at these gravel roads but after the initial drive along them the nerves are soon overcome.
Please visit www.tuscanyumbria.com to find a rental property for your holiday in the Tuscany or Umbria regions of Italy

About the author:
http://www.tuscanyumbria.com
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Umbria lies smack dab in the middle of Italy. The countryside is unspoiled and dotted with medieval churches. Its fairly gentle terrain is composed of hills, valleys, and small mountains. Umbria is the only region of Italy with neither a seacoast nor a foreign border. But it has lakes, rivers, and even a waterfall. It is known as the green valley of Italy. In spite of this name, until a few decades ago Umbria kept losing population to the more highly industrial north. Its total population is about 830 thousand.

Umbria was settled by the Umbri, perhaps the first inhabitants of Italy. They were forced into the mountains by the Etruscans, who were conquered by the Romans and then the Lombards. The poet Dante considered it the most violent part of Italy.

Umbria is particularly known for pork, dried pasta, and both black and white truffles. It also produces specialty breads and a wide variety of vegetables and meats. Fish and eels from the Tiber River and Lake Trasimeno abound. Cheeses include Pecorino Toscano, reviewed below.

Umbria`s capital is Perugia, a beautiful medieval city with a population of 150 thousand. Among other things Perugia is known for chocolates and Italian as a second language classes. Another famous Umbrian city is Assisi, the home of St. Francis of Assisi.
Umbria devotes about 41 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 15th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 19.5 million gallons, giving it a 16th place. About 58% of the wine production is white, leaving 42% for red. The region produces 11 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine, and 2 DOCG red wines, Montefalco Sagrantino and Torgiano Rosso. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. About 30% of Umbrian wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Umbria is home to about thirty major and secondary grape varieties, about two thirds white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Chardonnay and Trebbiano. The best known strictly Italian white variety is Grechetto, used in the its flagship Orvieto DOC wines.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, and Merlot. The best known Italian red variety is Sangiovese, now grown elsewhere such as in California.

Before we review the Umbrian wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Zuppa di Lenticchie di Castelluccio, Castelluccio Lentil Soup, which with local bread can be a meal in itself.
Later try Porchetta alla Perugina, Roasted Suckling Pig with Wild Fennel, Rosemary, and Garlic.
For dessert indulge yourself with Serpentone delle Monache di Perugia, Nut and Fruit “Snake“ of the Capucin Nuns.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Lungaraotti Pinot Grigio 2004 12% about $12

I haven`t always been happy with Italian Pinot Grigio, or for that matter with non-Italian Pinot Gris. These wines often are weak. However, I thought that this particular Pinot Grigio was a fine wine for its price when it accompanied the right food. The sales literature suggested that this light-bodied, vivid, and balanced wine would be a great match for antipasti. My mistake was pairing it with non-imported antipasti, really more of a mediocre relish, which overpowered the wine. I later tried this wine with cold barbecued chicken in a moderately spicy Thai sauce and was quite pleased. Its citrus flavors really shone. I could taste this wine`s subtle complexity.

Pecorino Toscano is a sheep`s milk cheese that has been made in Tuscany and neighboring Umbria for thousands of years. Soft Pecorino Toscano is white with a tinge of yellow, while semi-hard Pecorino Toscano is pale yellow. It is moderately strong smelling and has a complex nutty flavor. I thought that it blended very nicely into the wine.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is www.theworldwidewine.com . You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.

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Perugia’s Eurochocolate Festival, an annual event that is famous throughout the world, is the most popular chocolate festival in Europe. Chocolate is big business in Umbria and Italy, with annual sales of 350 million euros. Consumption has doubled over the past 10 years, rising from two to four kilos per year, per person and and is still growing!

This year`s festival, ChocolAge, runs from 13 and 21 October 2007. Each year a new theme is developed, and commercial, educational and cultural activities are planned around the theme. For nine delightful days, Perugia in Umbria is transformed into a chocolate lovers dream and a fantastic occasion to discover and enjoy the highly celebrated Umbrian hospitality.

More than a million chocoholics visit this beautiful city each year, to sample chocolate delights from all over Europe. You can scramble with the locals for free trimmings as chocolate artists carve huge sculptures out of the massive metre-high blocks of dark chocolate placed around Piazza IV Novembre. Join special guided tours of the city, peruse the many exhibitions and live demonstrations, and enjoy the numerous and generous free tastings, when samples of chocolate from all over the world, including Vietnam, Cuba, Bolivia and Papua New Guinea, are handed out on special trowels.

If you enjoy shopping, the city`s charming promenades are filled with vendors and more than 700 booths offer an incredible array of goodies made with chocolate and pasta, salami, liquors, cheeses, desserts, drinks and a vast array of pastries, cakes and candies, and much more.
During the festival, Perugia also hosts numerous educational and cultural events and cooking classes, banquets, chocolate theatre, a chocolate cooking competition by top chefs, and finally the much-anticipated Eurochocolate Awards. The many seminars and talks will increase your knowledge about this delectable favourite and afterward you will have no doubt about chocolate`s distinct nutritional and dietary benefits.

You can also take part in informative and lively forums that highlight the production of cocoa as a sustainable industry for third world nations. The festival has a special area that features certified Fair Trade cocoa products, made from cocoa that was bought from Third World farmers at a fair price. This cocoa was produced with full respect for workers` rights and grown in an environmentally friendly way. Most Italian artisan chocolate makers use cocoa with the Fair Trade certification.

If you need some exercise to work off all that overindulgence, there are excellent tennis courts in the city and plenty of places to walk and cycle. Around Perugia, you will see some of the region’s most innovative architecture and the Renaissance-era Rocca Paolina Fortress, the Priori Palace and beautiful churches such as the Duomo San Lorenzo and the Basilica of San Domenico. For the more adventurous, there is plenty of climbing, trekking, rafting, canoeing and kayaking in the hills nearby.

If you are more into relaxation, you will enjoy the aromatherapy sessions that utilise cocoa and chocolate facemasks. The Eurochocolate festival also showcases the latest in chocolate beauty treatments and and some are free. What a fantastic way to top off nine days of celebrating theand food of the gods`.

Perugia is Umbria’s capital city, known as the and green heart of Italy`, and the area, with its fascinating array of mediaeval towns and hilltop villages, is a popular tourist destination. The city is 175 km from Rome and 150 km from Florence and is easily accessed by road and train. Inexpensive flights are also available from Rome and Florence. You can hire a car at the airport and train station, but be sure to book well in advance as this is a very popular festival.

About the author:
Rod Ritchie, a travel writer and editor, writes for many publishers including AA Publishing and Fodors. Cottages to Castles offer a range of high quality Umbria villas. Visit Cottages to Castles at http://www.cottagestocastles.com for a selection of quality Umbria vacation rentals.

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The best time to go to Italy could well be, well, anytime. In reality the best time is between April and June as the flood of school holidays hasnt yet hit the roads, the countryside is at its fullest bloom and the weather isnt uncomfortably hot yet.

When deciding at which time of the year to go to Italy it may be worth scheduling around a couple of festivals as they are invariably spectacular occasions.

Here is a shortlist of the best on offer:

Festa dei Ceri, Umbria in May
Il Palio, Siena in July and August
Carnevale, Venice in February
Festa di San Gennaro, Naples in December
I Candelieri, Sardinia in August
Palio delle Quattro Antiche Repubbliche Marinare, Venice / Pisa / Amalfe / Genoa in May / June
Processione dei Serpari, Abruzzo in May
Sa Sartiglia, Sardinia in February
Umbria Jazz, Perugia in July

In August prices tend to skyrocket across the country along with the weather, so is best avoided. However, that is not true of the whole of the country. In a country such as Italy the weather is incredibly diverse, ranging from stifling heat in the low-lands of Florence to the snow-capped chills of the Alps and the Dolomites.

Overall you can expect long hot summers the further south you are, with Sicily and Sardinia enjoying the best of all, where sea swimming is possible right into mid October.

Italy is a fairly expensive country with accommodation being the single most costly aspect of a trip. You may find cheaper accommodation out of the city centres and in surrounding satellite towns. Expect to pay around 12 to 20 euros for a youth hostel, 25 to 45 euros for a basic pensione or small hotel, and around 70 to 120 euros for a mid-range hotel.

Eating out is an incredible experience throughout Italy. As any Italian will tell you, there really is no such thing as Italian food, as each region tends to be known for its particular specialities. Budget for around 20 to 35 euros for a great full-course meal with a house wine on average.

The delectable Cucina Italiana is never far away in Italy. If youre a bit of a gastronomic connoiseur then id recommend touring around the Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Umbria regions for the quintessential food tour.

Shop for Italian delights to take home in the Mercato delle Erbe in Bologna, then head off to nearby Modena for a bottle of perhaps the worlds finest balsamic vinegar.

Next pick up a delicious antipasto in the most well-known food town of Parma – see Parma ham and Parmesan cheese.

For you first dish perhaps Umbria for some umbricelli (pasta served with shaved truffles). If you can try to get your hands on the ever-elusive tartufo nero or black truffle from Norcia.

For the next course perhaps a taste of the infamous bistecca alla fiorentina from Florence or head to Perugia for a porchetta, an Umbrian speciality of suckling pig stuffed with its own liver plus a handful of wild fennel and rosemary.

What to drink with these delights? Head to the Chianti region for a rocking red, or Orvieto for a succulent and sharp white.

Round off this tour with dessert in Siena in the form of a slice of panforte, a hard flatcake of candied fruits and nuts, or perhaps cantucci e vin santo (yes you guessed it – a biscuit doused in sweet white wine), a Tuscan speciality.

Getting around Italy is relatively easy and cheap, although car hire prices are on the rise. If you decide to take a train the regionale (local stopping trains) are much cheaper than the diretto (fast intercity and eurostar trains) and in my opinion are far more rewarding as you get to see more and take photos along the way.

It youre in search of good reading to help in capturing the spirit of Italy then id recommend picking up a copy of Il Gattopardo by GT di Lampedusa, The Aeneid by Virgil, La Storia by Elsa Morate or perhaps Grazia Deledda’s Canne al Vento.

Have fun!

About the author:
Jacob Fiennes is an enthusiastic traveller and photographer with a passion for discovery. He is a founder and regular contributor to the hugely popular worldwide hotel reservations site TravelBX.com. Visit the site for your next hotel room reservation, flight ticket, tailored holiday package and much more.

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