Umbria: fast cars, slow food and St Francis in Italy’s green heart
Umbria is often compared to Tuscany, with its green hills, rustic charm and medieval hill towns, but it has a lot fewer visitors and an appeal all of its own
A hilly patchwork of yellow and green Umbrian fields unfolds on both sides of the road as I zip around hairpin turns in my little red Fiat, feeling every bit the racing car driver. Of course, this being Italy, what I think is death-defying speed isn’t fast enough for drivers coming up behind me.
They barely hesitate, passing me on blind curves on the otherwise nearly deserted road. It is a bit unnerving, but during a week of hopping between Umbria’s hill towns, I relax my grip on the steering wheel and find that getting there is half the fun.
Umbria is a landlocked agricultural region known as the green heart of Italy. A drought earlier this year has left many hillsides tan instead of green – drooping sunflowers with browning leaves are a common sight – but it’s still one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen.
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Once I arrive in Todi, I park and take a free funicular to the top of a mini plateau. The smell of wood smoke lures me from the Piazza del Popolo to the literal edge of town, the cliff-top Ristorante Umbria, for a bite and a view of the sun dropping behind distant mountains.
In the twilight, a cluster of travertine-block buildings just off the piazza look like a medieval theme park, but the town’s winding cobblestone alleys are alive with the sounds of children’s singsong chatter and people doing housework. A news programme blaring from an unseen TV brings me back to modern times.
