A Day In Umbria
We really covered a lot of the Umbrian countryside today, although that may have just been a lucky bonus to a very wonderful day. After breakfast at the Locanda, we set off to visit our friends Barb & Art Skinner, who live about 45 minutes away, over the hills via a winding (yes, urps) road in the town of San Venanzo. They have been here several years, retired from Kentucky.
Thanks to GPS we did find the town and the house, and only went up one one-way street. The showed us the house, and the before pictures – they really did a lovely remodeling job. And we have a delectable lunch: proscuitto and melon, tomatoes and mozzarella, Barb’s home grown and made pesto and pasta, and local strawberries made into shortcake. Art pours the wine.
After lunch we follow them over more hills and dales to Bevagna, where we visit another SlowTrav friend, Mary Tacconi, at her inn, Genius Loci. (David and I had met the Skinners and Mary last summer at the Umbria GTG near Assis). Barb and Art had not yet seen the inn, which Mary and her family opened last summer. We also meet her daughter Marica, visiting from her home in Pennsylvania, and son Michael, the resident manager of the inn. Mary and her family have done a beautiful job of restoration – their 8 room inn is decorated with family antiques and we got the full tour, including the newly created wine cellar, where Michael shares a bottle of his father’s sagrantino with us. Their views are spectacular, from Montefalco on the hill, to the whole valley below.
The view from Genius Loci:
Time to head back to Orvieto and we say our goodbyes to the Tacconis and the Skinners. We drive by way of Deruta, which turns out to not be that far away, and when we get there, David actually finds the shop where we purchased our dishes last summer. He is way more than gracious when he offers to buy the pasta bowls we did not get last year, so down the rabbit hole again we go . . .they should get home shortly after we do.
Last evening for dinner at the Locanda; the Japanese group is still with us, and with the addition of a couple from Connecticut, we are a lively group of three languages. From what I could gather the night before, the Japanese have requested a vegetarian meal, so tonight we all have the same meal: an appetizer of two tortas, served in triangles on a bed of greens and fennel, then a fabulous rigatoni with ragu, followed by what I think was a potato stuffing in grilled tomato, pepper and zucchini shells. Apple tart, espresso and the grappa/lemocello bottles appeared. We introduce our new friend Dermot from Hartford to grappa. The leader of the Japanese group then does a simple tea ceremony (she gave us her card; she’s big in the international tea business), and presents us with cups of tea and packets of incense to take home. It is really sweet. Oh, and our host, Giampero Rosati, who sits with us at dinner, and hears our story of visiting Bevagna, brings out a special bottle of his own sagrantino, to share over dinner.
Tomorrow morning we will pack up and leave for Rome, return the car, check into the Hilton, repack for the trip home, and then take the train to Rome for a last dinner and gelato in the Eternal City. It has been a most excellent vacation; but it is time to go home.
Marcia, David, Mary, Michael, Art & Barb
