Having just spent a week with friends near the charming and pristine village of Montone, I am loving the ‘green heart of Italy’. Umbria may only be a 90 minute drive from Florence to the north and Rome to the south, but it’s another monda, even in the middle of peak summer. With only  Ryan Air flying direct from London to Perugia, (that’s the good news and the bad news) Umbria is relatively inaccessible. Tourists? What tourists? I only had my toes for company.

And yet it’s gorgeous, full of rolling green hills dotted with medieval castles and ancient villages, Romanesque architecture, delicious food and wine and friendly locals. If you’re looking for a place to slow down and savour old Italy, Umbria is your ticket. And if you like sunflowers, well then what are you waiting for?  Don’t get distracted by Mr Handsome, note how green the hills are. Unlike what I’ve experienced in Tuscany, there was no oppressive heat thanks to a  constant gentle breeze. Molto pleasant.

Check out the sweeping views of the quiet medieval village Gubbio from the Palazzo di Consoli…

We wandered into a museum in  Gubbio where the only visible employee was the woman who sold us our tickets. Ok, so most of the art at the Palazzo Ducale di Gubbio now resides at the Met in NYC, but still, when was the last time you had a palace all to yourself?  And the walls are not completely bare. See these lovely ladies.

Another town that we enjoyed where the art is harder to move is Spoleto.  This lovely fresco below is one scene in a three-part triptych of ‘Life of the Virgin’ by Filippo Lippi at the Cathedral of Santa Maria dell’Assunta. 

Fast forward 600 years to this creation by English sculptor Lynn Chadwick standing outside the cathedral.

It’s also where concerts take place for the famed annual Spoleto cultural festival. 

And don’t miss this very Instagrammable 13th C. aqueduct called Ponte delle Torri.

Truly magnificent…

 Peering down, down, down…

Here are just a few everyday sites in undisturbed, unspoilt Umbria.

I’m sorry to have missed Perugia and ‘Sensational Umbria’, a photography show by famous US photographer Steve McMurry running throughout the summer.

And when I return I want to sample the wines and olive oil produced at  Castello Monte Vibiano just outside Perugia where the walls were built before Christ and the glamorous 1930’s pool is reminiscent of  San Simeon in Big Sur, California. Mr Handsome – who did visit the castle – said “It was better than fantastic.”

July, 2014

*photo directly above by Steve McCurry

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