Lake Trasimeno is entirely within the Italian region of Umbria but, in places, the Tuscan border runs very close to the northern and western shores. There was intense fighting in World War II near the Lake as allied forces pushed the Germans back from what was knownRead more →
Here are the directions for the Cortona town walk taken from my e-book, Circular Walks On The Tuscany Umbria Border by Martin Daykin. You can also get this walk on your Kindle for free by clicking on "try a sample". Alternatively, you can buy the whole bookRead more →
Two days ago we took the train from our local town of Umbertide to Sansepolcro, a town further north along the Upper Tiber Valley famous for being the home town of Renaisssance artist Piero della Francesca. The train makes a good day out, especially if you areRead more →
A couple of weeks ago I took Robert Hammond of RH wine to visit some of my favourite wineries in Montefalco. Robert was familiar with the Sangiovese based wines of Tuscany such as Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello. However, he had never tried the winesRead more →
Today I had to visit the bank in Cortona, and used the opportunity to photograph some of the town's many chimneys. The sky was looking threatening and added a dramatic backdrop to the images, luckily for me, I got back to the car before the heavy downpour started.Read more →
Since it opened a couple of years ago we had heard good reports about dining at Zibu restaurant in our local town of Umbertide. Inside Zibu restaurant, Umbertide A couple of weeks ago we decided to have Sunday lunch there, our overall verdict was that the foodRead more →
Art lovers who holiday on the Tuscany Umbria border are spoilt for choice when it comes to galleries and paintings, one painter, whose work you should try and see, is the Renaissance master Piero della Francesca. A mathematician and artist, Piero della Francesca spent much of his life workingRead more →
On the last Sunday in May the popular Cantine Aperte (Open Cellars) wine event is held in Umbria. Circumstances usually conspire against me so that I miss Cantine Aperte, but this year I had two friends staying who wanted to go. Of course, I ended up asRead more →
On Sunday we went to Cortona to visit an antiques market held on the third Sunday of each month. Of course, all but one of the roads to the town were closed because of a car race and when we finally got there we found the antiquesRead more →
Last week we went to visit the medieval Umbrian town of Gubbio, the day had started off with blue skies but by the time we arrived it had clouded over, giving the stone buildings of this impressive town a rather austere look. The town hall, the PalazzoRead more →