The Typical Flavours of Umbria

Umbria’s cooking still relies heavily on rustic staples – pastas and roast meats – and is deliciously simple and wholesome. It is the only region in Italy apart from Piedmont to offer truffles in abundance. Traditionally the white truffle is the most highly prized on account of its aroma, but locals swear by the Umbrian grey-white truffle (bianchetto) and the black truffle that’s unique to the area around Spoleto and Norcia in the east. You often see a modest sprinkling over your tagilatelle or meat, or spread on crostini.
Pasta is always served as a starter. Look out for local hand –made specialities.

The region’s small, free-range black pigs are famous, and have recently been joined by the wild boar (cinghiale). All over the region exceptional pork antipasti can be tasted. Norcia is the leading centre, though many other towns enjoy their own specialities. For example, Città di Castello produces a salame made with spices and fennel seed and Foligno has a distinctive dry salame. Also look out for porchetta, a whole roast suckling pig stuffed with herbs and spices and eaten sliced in crusty white rolls. This snack is widely available as from markets and roadside stalls.

Game is also popular, for example pheasant or guinea fowl. Despite the lack of coastline, some restaurants make the effort to offer fresh fish, and there’s a reasonably wide selection of freshwater specimens close to lakes and moutain rivers. A speciality of Trasimeno is tegamaccio– a cross between a fish soup and a rich stew, made from all the types of fish to be found in the lake, cooked in best quality olive oil, white wine and aromatic herbs.

The region’s other specialities are the tiny lentils of Castelluccio, the beans of Trasimeno, peas from Bettona, and the celery and cardoons from around Trevi. Olive oil from the region has a high reputation, especially that from Trevi and Spoleto.

As with all regions of Italy, Umbria offers a great selection of exotically named desserts. Perugino chocolate is oustanding – and it is worth visiting the Chocolate Museum at Perugia . One genuine novelty are the white figs of Amelia, mixed in a sweet combination of almonds and chocolate. There are many local cheeses, with genuine one-offs to be found in the mountains above Norcia and Gubbio.

LAKE TRASIMENO
Da Sauro
Via Guglielmi,1 Isola Maggiore – Tel: 075.826168 Moderate to Expensive (Open every day)
Da Settimio
San Feliciano – Tel: 075.8476000 Moderate to Expensive (Closed Thursday)
Rosso di Sera
Via Papini Fratelli, 81 San Feliciano Tel: 075.8476277 Moderate to Expensive (Closed Tuesday)

SPELLO
Taverna San Silvestro
Loc. Collepino di Spello Tel: 0742.651203

SPOLETO
Pizzeria al Druso S.
Via Arco Druso, 25, Spoleto  Tel: 0743.221695

TORGIANO
Le Tre Vaselle
Via Garibaldi, 48, Torgiano Tel: 075-988 0447 Expensive (Open every day)

PACIANO
La Locanda della Rocca
Via Roma 4 - Paciano Tel: 075-830236 Moderately priced (Closed Tuesday)

PANICALE
Le Grotte di Boldrino
Via Ceppari, 30 – Panicale Tel: 075-837161Expensive (Open every day)
Lillo Tatini
Pzza Umberto Primo, 13 – Panicale Tel: 075 837 771 Moderate to Expensive (Closed Monday)

ASSISI
San Francesco
Via San Francesco 52 Tel: 075 812329
Il Maniero
Castello di Bigiano, Via S.P. Campagna – Loc. Bigiano Tel: 075. 816 379
Ristorante Da Giovannino
Loc. Pontegrande.  Tel: 075.813 698 – Very simple restaurant but good local food
Ristorante Pizzeria ‘I Vecchi Tempi’
Antique farmhouse from the 1400’s
Via Berlinguer, 5, Santa Maria degli Angeli Tel:075 804 3318
Trattoria ‘Le Carcerelle’
Via Eremo delle Carceri  Tel: 075   Very rustic trattoria – good food

BEVAGNA
L’Orto degli Angeli
Via Dante Alighieri 1 Tel 0742.360130
Octavius
Via del Gonafalone 1 Tel 0742.360555

SPELLO
Barbarossa
Via Licina 12 Tel 0743.43644
Il Tartufo
Piazza Garibaldi 24 Tel 0743.40236
Il Molino
Piazza Matteotti 6/7 Tel 0742.651305

ORVIETO
Il Duca di Orvieto**
Via della Pace 5 Tel. 0763.344663
La Volpe e L’Uva**
Via Ripa Corsica 1 Tel 0763.341612

TODI
Ristorante Umbria
Via S. Bonaventura, 13 Todi  Tel: 075.8942390 Moderate to Expensive.  (Closed Tuesday)
Jacopone
Piazza Jacopone 3, Tel 075.94 23 66
Cavour
Tel 075.894 37 30

VINEYARDS & WINE TASTING
We hope you'll sample some of Umbria’s best known wines during your stay: Orvieto, Torgiano, and Montefalco are perhaps the most famous wine producing towns. Listed below are a few of the vineyards you can visit but the best thing to do is get in your car and drive, stopping when the vineyard attracts you or the cantina sign entices you.

The Classification of Umbrian Wines
The wines of Umbria are classified according to the quality system use throughout Italy, from lowest to highest: Vini da tavola (table wines), IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica, Typical Geographic Indication), DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, Denomination of Controlled Origin) and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin).
In Umbria there are currently two DOCG areas: Torgiano Rosso Riserva and Sagrantino di Montelfaco (or Montefalco Sagrantino), both being red wines and widely considered the most important wines of the region. There are 11 wine production areas currently designated as DOC by the quality system: Assisi, Colli Altotiberini, Colli Amerini, Colli del Trasimeno, Colli Martani, Colli Perugini, Lago di Corbara, Montefalco, Orvieto, Rosso Orvietano and Torgiano. There are many wines produced as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica, Typical Geographic Indication) and the quality of these often compared to more illustrious wines from higher categories.

Orvieto
Modern Orvieto has become a commercial success as one of italy's best-selling DOC whites with a solid following abroad. Orvieto is mainly renowned for its white wines produced with Procanico - the local name for Trebbiano Toscano - Verdello, Grechetto, Drupeggio - elsewhere known as Canaiolo Bianco - and Malvasia Toscana. White wines are also produced as Classico, Superiore and Classico Superiore. The Orvieto region also produces DOC red wines known as Rosso Orvietano (or Orvietano Rosso), both as a blend and as monovarietals, made of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo Nero and Aleatico.

Torgiano and Torgiano Riserva
Among the most prestigious Umbrian wines is the red Torgiano Rosso "riserva", which has been given special status as DOCG (though the regular Torgiano red and white remain DOC). A modern classic based on Sangiovese, the "riserva", also called Rubesco, has been known to age to unique splendour for a decade or two. Torgiano Rosso Riserva, the only DOCG wine of this area, is mainly produced with Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero grapes. Bianco di Torgiano is produced with Trebbiano Toscano and Grechetto. Rosso di Torgiano is produced with Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero and a small part of Trebbiano Toscano.

Montefalco and Sagrantino di Montefalco
Montefalco is developing a deserved reputation as the reference wine area in Umbria, and has been given DOC and DOCG designations. Only wines exclusively produced with Sagrantino are recognized as DOCG, which can be produced as dry and sweet (passito). Sagrantino is a robust and powerful grape - with a remarkable richness. Montefalco also produces DOC white and red wines. Montefalco Bianco is produced with Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano, whereas Montefalco Rosso is mainly produced with Sangiovese and Sagrantino grapes and it is also available as reserve.

Colli del Trasimeno
One of the areas becoming more prominent is Colli del Trasimeno. This area is located west from Perugia and includes all the cities and areas near Lake Trasimeno. The area is designated as DOC and produces wine from a range of grape varieties, both white and red. Among the white grapes there is Grechetto, Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti, Verdello and Verdicchio. Among red varieties are Sangiovese, Gamay, Ciliegiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Other Production Areas
Other notable areas include Colli Amerini, which produces red wines from Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo Nero, Barbera and Merlot. One of the most recent DOC areas is Assisi, in particular for Grechetto. Colli Martani is interesting both for white and red wines, although the main celebrity of this area is Grechetto di Todi, a white wine produced in limited quantities. An area known solely for red wines is Lago di Corbara, near Orvieto. In the area stretching from Perugia to the northern border of Umbria there is Colli Altotiberini DOC area, producing both white and red wines. South from Perugia is found the DOC area of Colli Perugini, producing a range of red and wines.

SELECTED VINEYARDS
Casa Vinicola Bigi – nr Orvieto
Past the autostrada towards Orvieto and follow the road north dir. Ponte Giulio. tel 0763 316224, open
Monday-Thursday 8-12,13-17h.
More a commercial wine than the two above, Bigi produces an inexpensive, fine tasting Grechetto dell'Umbria and fine Orvieto Classico Il Poggio

Arnaldo Caprai - Montefalco
(Now called LaTenuta Val di Maggio), also located outside Montefalco in the town of Loc.Torre di Montefalco Open Mon-Sat until 1300h. Appointment required.  An up and coming winery with a hearty Sagrantino and a worthwhile Grechetto.   Tel 0742.378802, Fax 0742.378 422.  Umbria’s finest producers of Sagrantino and Rosso d’Arquata.

Lungarotti - Torgiano
You can visit their cantina  and have wine tastings on via Mario Angeloni, Torgiano, 16
Tel 075.9880200 or try their wines at the Osteria del Museo. Tel 075.98 80069.

Restaurants

Umbria has a superb range of elegant restaurants in its main towns, and a wide variety of excellent trattorie dotted throughout its small towns and villages. Also look out for agriturismi – country guest houses that often offer freshly prepared set menus to rival the best restaurants in the region.
Here’s a selection of some of the best known restaurants throughout the region. Let us know if you find a good local restaurant – we will be pleased to include in the list below.

PERUGIA
La Taverna
Via delle Streghe, 8, Perugia (West of Corso Vannucci) Tel: 075-572 4128 - Moderate. (Closed Monday)
La Piazzetta
Via Deliziosa, 3, Perugia Tel: 075-573 6012  (Closed Tuesday)
L’Osteria del Bartolo
Via del Bartolo, 30, Perugia Tel: 075-573 1561 - Very good, but more expensive.

CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO
Il Bisteccaro
Via Trasimeno, 15, Panicarola (Castiglione del Lago) Tel: 075-958 9327 - Expensive (Closed Tuesday) - Thur/Fri: Fish menu on order
L’Acquario
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 69, Castiglione del Lago Tel: 075-965 2432 (Closed Wednesday)