Whilst in Cortona celebrating my sister’s birthday we went to Trattoria Dardano for lunch before going on my Cortona Walk. Trattoria Dardano is located about halfway along via Dardano, a road that runs north and gently uphill from Cortona’s main square, piazza della Repubblica. The portions here are generous soRead more →
Cortona is a Tuscan hill town high above the broad Val di Chiana, since the 1990′s it has been put firmly on the tourist trail by the popularity of Francis Mayes’ book about living in the town; Under The Tuscan Sun. Despite the popularity of Cortona with visitors,Read more →
In June we went to the city of Perugia to see a photography exhibition by Steve McCurry who spent some time in Umbria photographing people and places for the exhibition. The photographs are displayed in two of Perugia's buildings, the Palazzo Penna and an old monastery, L'Ex-Fatebenefratelli. Both buildings areRead more →
This weekend was the Città di Castello white truffle festival, an event where many truffle food producers set up stall along with other artisan food makers. The hills of the Upper Tiber Valley are rich hunting grounds for both black and white truffles and it's not uncommonRead more →
If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter you may have seen that I have recently bought a drone for taking aerial photos and video. Today I took the drone up from three different places around the old part of Umbertide. Umbertide is on the UpperRead more →
On the third Sunday of every month the Umbrian town of Citta di Castello hosts an antique market. Citta di Castello is sometimes (and in my opinion unfairly) dismissed by guidebook writers in a few lines. It has a lovely centro storico with lots of good restaurantsRead more →
On the last Sunday in May in Umbria many local wineries open their doors to the public for the Cantine Aperte event. However, on this weekend it is also the Perugia Flower Show held in the botanical gardens next to the church of San Pietro. We decidedRead more →
The first day of 2014 was bright and sunny - a perfect winter day for a walk up Monte Acuto, a mountain near our house on the Tuscany Umbria border. Monte Acuto's distinctive pointed shape is responsible for the mountain's name; it's height and shape make itRead more →
The River Tiber has its source high in the Appenine mountains to the north of Sansepolcro. The watershed of smaller rivers that flow into the wide Tiber valley where Tuscany and northern Umbria meet is known as the Upper Tiber Valley or, in Italian, the Alto ValleRead more →
When you stay on the Tuscany Umbria border you have the option to visit both these Italian regions, here's a brief guide to some the larger towns in Umbria,. Perugia Perugia is the capital of Umbria, it is easy to miss out on thanks to the largeRead more →