Tuscumbria

Review: Truffle Hunting in Pettino, Italy

2019-09-11T08:46:00.002-07:00

Truffle hunting in the hills of Pettino, Italy

I am thrilled to write about our recent truffle hunting experience with Alessandro and Massimo in the sweeping hills of Pettino, Italy. We found Alessandro & Massimo after making an initial inquiry about truffle hunting with Francesca at Wild Foods Italy (see: https://www.umbrianculture.com/the-village-of-pettino/). All of the truffle hunting tours at Wild Foods Italy were booked so Francesca was kind enough to offer our group of nine an alternative truffle hunting option in Pettino with her cousin Alessandro (see: Pettino Hunting Outfitters https://www.pettinohuntingoutfitters.com/ and Albergo Fontanelle http://www.albergofontanelle.it/natura-e-relax-in-umbria/index.php/it/). We didn't know what to expect but came out of this experience feeling that all of our expectations were not only met but exceeded.

Alessandro

We arrived a bit late having not anticipated the winding roads to meet Alessandro at his family's restaurant Albergo Fontanelle. Alessandro was waiting in the driveway and greeted us with a very warm smile. After apologizing profusely for our tardiness, Alessandro warmly replied "When you are on vacation there is no such thing as being late." We knew we were in for a special experience.

Instead of heading straight out to the forest and fields for the hunt Alessandro brought us inside his family restaurant for a light breakfast of coffees and home made breakfast pastries. What a pleasant surprise!

With our bellies full we headed up into the hills of Pettino in two cars - a pickup truck with 5 truffle hunting dogs in the back and a Fiat 500L. Alessandro told us that he had several areas from which to choose from for the hunt but given that we were a group with children and city folk he chose a more leveled area to start with. I personally appreciated that he sized us up and was able to make a decision on where to take us based on our group makeup.

After a 15 minute drive we arrived to a place that looked liked a combination of the hills in the sound of music and a Michelangelo marble quarry.

The beautiful hills of Pettino, Italy

Alessandro and Massimo brought five dogs with them for the hunt. One of the dogs was the veteran truffle hunter and the others were still in the training stages. Pigs were no longer used to truffle hunt because they tend to eat the truffles when found.

When we reached our initial destination we were given a brief but informative overview of truffle history, varieties (black & white) and hunting (pigs vs dogs). Alessandro told us that in order to be a truffle hunter one must apply for and be granted a license for a specific area. This was purposefully done by the government in order to avoid excessive truffle hunting and to preserve jobs for the locals. All of the information Alessandro provided was interesting. Alessandro was very warm and pleasant and it was a pleasure to see someone who seemed to genuinely love his trade/craft and not just going through "the motions".

After a brief overview, Alessandro released the dogs from the metal cage in the back of his truck and you could see the dogs' exuberance. The dogs would run up and down the road sniffing everything while taking an occasional bathroom break.

Alessandro spoke to the dogs words of encouragement (and command) "dai lei la" and "dai la lei". This loosely translated to: "bring it to me", "go get it", "find it". The dogs all immediately understood the command and they would scatter off the road sniffing the earth nearby. The hunting had begun!

There is something magical about seeing just a wagging tail of a dog in the air because that sight got all of our attention and adrenalin rushing! When one of the dogs found a truffle they would dig with both their paws and their mouths until they retrieved the truffle. Once retrieved, the dogs would run to Alessandro and he would say "bidi bidi" (bring it) and then dig inside their mouth to find an uneaten truffle. Alessandro would then hold up the truffle high above his head to show off his truffle prize for everyone to see. The successful hunting dog would then receive a biscuit/cracker as their reward.

The truffles we found would vary in both size and coloration. Some were rather small like acorns while others were the size of a large walnut. All misshaped and none perfectly round. Some were dark black while others earthy brown. The smell was instantly recognizable but not overly pungent. Alessandro told us that white truffles were the most sought after (and expensive) and could be found only during a couple months of the year (October thru December).

We followed up the road for a little while before following Alessandro and Massimo down a rather steep hill that provided us with a spectacular view of the hills of Pettino. The hill lead us to and through a small forested area where we continued truffle hunting.

After the thrilling experience of truffle hunting with Alessandro, Massimo and their dogs we were taken to one of the small towns of Pettino where we enjoyed finely shaved truffles over scrambled eggs and homemade Pecorino cheese. So delicious!

Preparing fresh eggs with truffles

Perfect truffles!

Homemade Pecorino cheese with truffle shavings!

Fresh scramble eggs with truffles - a delicious staple meal!

After this light snack and an incredible authentic truffle hunting experience we were taken back to Albergo Fontanelle where we were treated to local wine, antipasta, a pasta making demonstration by Alessandro's mother and a full lunch with truffle pasta and meats. So much goodness! As if all of this wasn't enough we were treated afterwards with desert and limoncello by the swimming pool. WOW!

Pasta making demonstration

Look at that fresh pasta!

Fresh truffles with fresh homemade pasta!

Our truffle hunting experience with Alessandro, Massimo and their family at Albergo Fontanelle exceeded all of our expectations. Many thanks to Alessandro, Massimo and the entire Albergo Fontanelle family for providing us with such wonderful experiences and memories. A big thank you to Francesca for recommending Alessandro to us.

We received an authentic, informative and rewarding truffle hunting experience and would recommend this experience with Pettino Hunting Outfitters to anyone wanting to go on an authentic truffle hunting experience!

GRADE: A+ (far exceeded our initial expectations)

Review: Private Day Tours

2017-11-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

This past summer we booked two full-day tours in Italy through Private Day Tours. (See http://www.privatedaytours.com/) Both full-day tour excursions exceeded our expectations thanks in part to the excellent service and guidance we received from Gianluca Savarese prior to the trips. Gianluca was very patient and quick in responding to our questions. The staff that accompanied us on our trips were knowledgeable, polite and informative. We would highly recommend Private Day Tours to anyone considering doing a tour of the Amalfi Coast.

Full day tour: Pompeii, Cantina del Vesuvio, Positano

We were picked up at our hotel in Sorrento by Gaetano and Lello (we were a party of 9) at around 9am and driven to see the ruins of Pompeii. The vans were very nice Mercedes and were very comfortable. The drivers were both very knowledgeable and pleasant to speak to.

We were greeted at the entrance of Pompeii by a private tour guide (only those who have a pompeii tour license can conduct the tour) who seemed genuinely interested in giving us an informative yet manageable tour of the ruins. Making the tour manageable and interesting was especially important to us since we were traveling with four children.

After the tour of Pompeii, Gaetano and Lello met us directly at the exit of the ruins and whisked us away to Cantina del Vesuvio to do an wine tasting and lunch. (see: http://www.cantinadelvesuvio.it/) The Lacryma Christi wines at the vinyard ranged from good to very good with the Reserva being the best. Interestingly, because of the richness of the Vesuvian soil (the vinyard is located on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius) it is not necessary to water the vinyard. We also should mention that the vinegar was exquisite. Lunch was pasta marinara. The owner was also very nice and personally helped us order and ship a box of wine back home to the United States. Overall, a very worthwhile experience.

After the trip to Cantina del Vesuvio, Gaetano and Lello drove us to Positano where we were taken to a small limoncello-making shop. It was interesting to see the limoncello-making process. We were left by our drivers as close to the the bottom of Positano as possible and enjoyed walking around and having a nice dinner at Le Tre Sorrelle. (See http://le-tre-sorelle.thefork.rest/en_GB/). By the end of the day we were pleasantly exhausted. Definitely a successful day!

A short slideshow of our full-day tour

Full day tour: Capri by boat

We were picked up at around 10am from our hotel in Sorrento by taxi and taken down to the docks where we greeted by Captain Arturo, Elena and his 32 foot boat. The boat itself was beautiful, clean and a perfect size for a party of nine. Both Captain Arturo and Elena had a pleasant demeanor and were very professional.

Our first stop would be the Blue Grotto as we wanted to avoid the long wait that often happens later in the day. When we arrived at the Blue Grotto we noticed that there were three lines: public boats (large groups), people entering from land and private boats (us). We were told the wait could be up to 3 hours. While waiting in line, Arturo masterfully used the boats motors and side thrusters to avoid hitting other boats. Thankfully, we waited only 1 hour. When it was our time to go we were greeted by a smaller row boat that could fit 4 people (max). The boat would take us to the entrance of the cave where the captain would have to time the entry perfectly to avoid getting our heads chopped off! The captain would wait for the water level to go to the top of the cave entrance and then he would pull the metal chain just as the water level subsided and whoosh we entered the cave. The color of the blue is breathtaking. It is possible to swim in the Grotto (we did!) but it is important to note that there are many boats inside the Grotto at the same time (watch out!) and it is customary to give a "special gift" to your captain after. We would highly recommend taking a quick swim!

After visiting the Blue Grotto we took the opportunity to take a quick swim off the boat which was a welcomed relief from the heat. We then headed to several other lesser-known grottos (heart grotto, white grotto, red grotto).

Then it was time for lunch. We ate at Le Serene which is located just off the dock at Piccola Marina. (See http://www.loscogliodellesirenecapri.com/eng/ristorante.html) There are two small beaches and places to swim and rocks to jump off of. The water was dazzlingly blue. The lunch at Le Serene was a mixed bag. On the one hand the view and location were excellent. On the other hand, however, the food was just okay and the service was subpar. It is important to note that we charged for drinks that we did not order and after reading other reviews of the restaurant this is not an isolated incident. A pity because the lunch experience could have been much better.

After eating at Le Serene we took open air taxis (expensive) to Capri's main town and were immediately struck by how beautiful and clean it was. The shops were high end luxury - Gucci, etc. The views from the top were amazing. We had about 30 minutes to explore before having to go back to the boat.

On our way back to the Sorrento docks Captain Arturo and Elena took their time to let us take in the views of the mainland and to enjoy the last moments of our adventure. We went through the Faraglioni rocks - an archway where lovers can get good luck if they kiss underneath it. (See http://www.capri.net/en/s/the-faraglioni-of-capri) Once at the Sorrento dock we were picked up by taxi and taken back to our hotel. Such an amazing fun-filled experience.

We highly recommend using Private Day Tours for any excursions in the Amalfi Coast!

A short slideshow of our full-day tour

A special moment in Tuscumbria

2017-10-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

A special moment in Tuscumbria at Altabella Properties as our youngest

son dashes inside the house for dinner.

Italy Trip 2017

2017-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

PART 1 : Naples & Sorrento

PART 2: Sorrento, Pompeii, Cantina del Vesuvio, Positano

PART 3: Sorrento (Staying Local)

PART 4: Capri, Quanto Basta Ristorante

PART 5: Ravello, Villa Cimbrone, Amalfi, Atrani

PART 6: Family time at Altabella Properties

PART 7: Time with Vicky & John

Italy Trip 2017: Food Adventures

2017-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is a short slideshow of some of the delicious places we ate at in the Amalfi Coast and Tuscumbria (Tuscany/Umbria).

Italy Trip 2017: Portraits & Pictures

2017-10-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

This past summer we went on another fun-filled trip to Italy. We had the opportunity to explore parts of the Amalfi Coast and Tuscumbria (Tuscany/Umbria). Below is a slideshow of some of the portraits and pictures that we took.

2017-02-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

For both the casual and experienced traveler, Italy is a wonderful place to visit. From its exquisite dishes, savory wines and sweeping landscapes to its architectural marvels and artistic masterpieces Italy offers something for everyone.

While our family has traveled throughout Italy over the years, there is one particular area that is nestled in between a narrow stretch of land bordering both Tuscany and Umbria that holds special significance for our family as it has become both a place of family gathering and a favorite holiday destination.

We call this area "Tuscumbria" as it is neither fully Tuscan nor fully Umbrian as a result of the constant border changes over the past centuries. While the area of Tuscumbria is not officially recognized by the Italian government and the boundaries have not been legally demarcated, we recognize this area as belonging to both Tuscany and Umbria because of the cultural similarities found in many of its small towns. As of today, this area loosely stretches from the environs of Cortona through the small towns in the Niccone Valley (up to Umbertide) to the small lake towns dotting the northern shores of Lago Sul Trasimeno. Indeed, there are some who believe that Tuscumbria should encompass a far bigger geographic area (to include Assisi, Cortona, Perugia, Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto) but we will leave that up to the experts to define.

Map showing the proposed new area of Tuscumbria
from turismo.intoscana.it

Tuscumbria offers something for everyone and is an excellent place for families with children or for those who want to escape the heavily touristed areas and is truly a hidden gem of Italy. We love Tuscumbria because it offers the best of both Tuscany and Umbria along with a wide variety of activities for families and adventurers alike. With beaches (Lago Sul Trasimeno), golf courses, horse back riding, bicycling, truffle hunting, wine & olive oil tasting, vinyard tours, concerts, water parks, agriturismi, villa rentals and five star restaurants at three star prices Tuscumbria is an ideal travel destination for anyone.

This travel blog will outline some of the most basic and, in our opinion, most important information that you will need to plan your visit to Italy with a strong focus on the Tuscumbrian area of Italy. Because this area is both a part of Umbria and Tuscany regions, many towns and cities belonging to these two magnificent regions along with some of their restaurants, places of interest and accommodations will also be touched upon and talked about.

We are also big technology fans and will be providing our readers with information on tech gadgets that we believe will enhance (not detract from) one's travel experiences.

It is our hope that this travel blog will serve as resource for people who plan on taking their next trip to this wonderful part of Italy. If you have any reviews or comments you would like to submit please contact us and we'll be happy to consider adding them to this travel blog. Reviews of restaurants, places and accommodations will be periodically added to and/or updated.

Please always keep in mind that change happens constantly so please make sure to use this travel blog only as a supplement to the travel research you are conducting as doing so will further ensure that your travel information is both current and reliable.

Thank you for taking time to stop by our travel blog and we hope you check back periodically for upates, news and views on everything Tuscumbria!

Umbria, Italy’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret, Is Budding

2016-09-14T09:42:00.003-07:00

(Picture taken in Umbria at Altabella Properties, 2015)

Umbria, Italy’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret, Is Budding

By ERIC ASIMOV via The NY TIMES

NORCIA, Italy — Norcia, a small town in Umbria, is little known outside Italy. It’s not a celebrity hill town like Siena or a religious destination like Assisi, but in Italian food its name is even more resonant.

Norcia has been famous for centuries for its butchers and the extraordinary array of cured meats they produce. Last month it acquired a wider and sadder renown as the town closest to the epicenter of a deadly earthquake.

Norcia, like most of Umbria, was touched but not transformed. The most serious damage was just south of Umbria, in the devastated towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, which, like Norcia, lie in the foothills of the volatile central Apennine mountain range. San Pellegrino di Norcia, a village near here, was leveled; many of its residents are still living in tent villages (where, photographs show, volunteers and field kitchens have been dispatched to produce pasta and tomato-meat sauce from scratch).

Good food may seem like a low priority when nearly 300 people have lost their lives and thousands more their homes. But in Italy, it is an obvious panacea in a disaster.

The salumifici of Norcia (NOR-cha), where the magnificent prosciuttos and salamis are produced, are intact. “To be honest, we were much more scared for our lives than for the meats,” said Paolo Viola, the owner of Norcineria Viola. “It didn’t even cross our minds.”

Structural damage in Umbria was extensive, but there were no reports of fatalities, largely because the province had been decimated by earthquakes in 1979 and 1997, and most buildings had already been rebuilt to code.

The immediate problems for the province’s food producers and restaurant chefs are logistical, according to Ramon Rustici, a pig farmer outside Assisi, who said that many small roads remain closed. And their long-term concern is that the disaster will deter people from coming to the region to eat, just as gastro-tourism has begun to take off here.

Umbria is known in Italy as the nation’s “cuore verde,” its green heart, where the landscape still reflects ancient traditions — agricultural, artistic and spiritual. But the rest of the world knows little about the region and its cuisine: its gold-green olive oil, its rich red wines, its diverse grains and its unmatched artistry in salumi.

In the great medieval hill towns like Bevagna, Assisi and Todi, built by counts and cardinals to show off their wealth, there are restaurants with professional chefs who cook in a modern, creative style. They spin global variations on the classic Umbrian dish porchetta, a juicy roast of pork tightly rolled around garlic and herbs. But they do not seem to cook much certifiably Umbrian food.

“The young people here will take a Japanese cooking class or a tapas class, but not an Umbrian cooking class,” said Letizia Mattiacci, who teaches in her home kitchen in the hills above Assisi, where I visited several weeks before the earthquake.

“Their mothers and grandmothers make this, and it’s not interesting to them,” she said, gesturing at the hand-cranked pasta roller she uses to cut fresh strangozzi, long noodles that are fat and pointed at both ends.

Ms. Mattiacci is part of a new wave of cooks, farmers, chefs and bakers working to preserve and popularize the food of Umbria, which has long been upstaged by its neighbors.

Like Parma in Emilia-Romagna, Umbria produces spectacular aged prosciutto; like the Roman province of Lazio, it has richly flavored sheep’s milk cheeses and vegetables; like Tuscany, it boasts ancient traditions of making bread, olive oil and wine, and it has a staggering variety of beans and pulses. Umbria is Italy’s largest producer of black truffles, which are lavishly used in season (but not as prestigious as the ones from Piedmont).

Umbria’s size — just over 3,000 square miles, smaller than Connecticut — may have limited its global audience, but the scarcity of tourists has helped preserve traditional cooking.

Many restaurants, like Centro de lu Munnu in Foligno, which is run by three generations of the Savini family, still produce classic Umbrian dishes like pasta with potato and veal ragù; tomato-braised snails; and torta al testo, a griddled flatbread that perfectly sets off the region’s salumi.

The restaurant’s name means “center of the world” in old Umbrian dialect, referring to an ancient belief that Umbria, because it is in the center of the Italian peninsula, is the center of the world.

“Umbria is small, so from ancient times, each area had its own way of calling things, and many of them are still alive,” said Diego Mencaroni, who manages an international artists’ retreat, Civitella Ranieri, in a grand and ramshackle 15th-century castle in Umbertide.

From the top to the bottom of the Valle Umbra, a distance of only about 40 miles, the pasta made by Ms. Mattiacci has at least six other names: umbricelli, ciriole, anguilette, manfricoli, bigoli, picchiarelli. Not only the names are different; from one hilltop to the next, recipes and tastes can vary tremendously. “Whether you mince the garlic or cut it into slivers, or what you use to marinate the chicken for cacciatora, here it makes a big difference,” Ms. Mattiacci said.

Umbrian cooks traditionally agree on one thing: Fresh pasta here should be made of nothing more than flour and water. Women pride themselves on being able to make tender, springy pasta without eggs, using a vigorous full-body kneading motion they call “a culu mossu” (with a moving butt), which looks something like dancing a samba. (For modern or modest cooks, the constant movement of the food processor is a good substitute.)

Umbria is landlocked, and its native vegetables and fruits, both domesticated and wild, have always formed the basis of its cuisine. “Everywhere you find growing nettles, flowers, asparagus, fennel,” said Romana Ciubini, a native Umbrian who is the chef at Civitella Ranieri, as she prepared sambuca (elderflower) sprigs for deep-frying.

Ancient and native strains of beans and pulses are being unearthed and cultivated anew. Most of Umbria’s foods that carry the European Union’s D.O.P. label (certifying that the product is characteristic of a specific place and produced there to traditional standards) are in this humble category: farro (wheat) from Spoleto, lentils from Castelluccio and several kinds of broad beans.

Roveja, a kind of pea that was cultivated for centuries in the Apennine foothills on Umbria’s eastern border and later thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in 1998, when a woman digging a basement found a buried jar of them. Now they are carefully nurtured, sold at premium prices and prized for their nutritional properties and earthy flavor.

“Those were considered food for poor people, even for animals,” Ms. Ciubini said. “And now they are served in the best restaurants.”

The prettiest landscape in the province, the Valle Umbra, runs from Perugia, the Umbrian capital in the north, to Spoleto in the south. It still looks like what it was in antiquity: the bottom of a shallow lake chain that was later drained by the Romans.

The valley’s soft green hills, spreading views and famously fertile soil all derive from this history. Today, the landscape is largely unchanged from that painted in 15th-century frescoes by Giotto and Piero della Francesca in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis, as depicted in churches around the region, loved the Umbrian countryside so much, he insisted on being carried from his grand church on the rocky mountain to die on its grassy floor.

For centuries, Umbrian farmers were small producers of diverse crops, fully occupied by feeding their own families and supplying the local castles and monasteries. (Both the Franciscan and the Benedictine orders were founded here and lived rather grandly at times.)

In the 20th century, agricultural and transportation technology inspired many regions of Italy to move toward large-scale farming, planting acres of tomatoes, olive trees and grapevines to meet international demand. But Umbria mostly kept its polyculture family farms, and the province fell behind others in culinary production, tourism and self-promotion.

Ramon Rustici, a young farmer in the hills above Assisi, said that today, the region is reaping the advantages of maintaining the old ways. “When times became very hard for Italian farmers in between and after the wars,” he said, “the families here sustained ourselves, instead of losing our land.” Now, under the custodianship of three brothers, the Fratelli Rustici pig farm embodies modern values of sustainability and animal welfare.

Even the earthquake has brought Umbria some welcome attention. Filippo Gallinella, an Umbrian legislator, called last week on Italians to support the region by choosing products like prosciutto di Norcia and Castelluccio lentils for their cesti natalizi, baskets stuffed with delicacies that are traditionally made and exchanged at Christmastime.

If Umbria is truly famous for anything, it is for salumi, salt-cured pork products that expertly use every bit of the animal. The attention is all focused on this town: Norcia, so synonymous with sausages and salamis that anywhere you see a restaurant dish labeled al norcino, or alla norcina, you know it will be enriched with pork fat and flavor.

Umbria is on about the same latitude as other places that produce magnificent, naturally slow-cured hams: Virginia and Kentucky, the forests of southern Spain where Iberico pigs prowl for acorns, and the breezy Zhejiang province of China, where Jinhua ham is made.

Umbrian prosciutto, which has a protected status similar to the famous hams of Parma and San Daniele, tastes quite different from those. Prosciutto di Norcia is aged for at least two years, not 12 to 18 months, allowing the meat more time to cure, contract and concentrate its flavors.

Like the best jamón Ibérico, it is red and meaty, not pink and limp. Gino Migliosi, who cures prosciuttos for the Fratelli Rustici farm, said he leaves them to cure for two and a half years in caves dug into the hillsides outside Norcia — in the traditional way, relying on natural temperature fluctuations, breezes and yeasts instead of the climate control or convection fans that many modern producers use.

Umbrian prosciutto and salumi are wonderful, but are prized in Italy, so very little makes it beyond national borders. Local cooks like Ms. Ciubini use small amounts of local prosciutto, guanciale (jowl) and pancetta (belly) to add richness to traditional cucina povera, the cooking of the poor. (In Italian, that phrase is not as patronizing as it sounds in English; it is a respectful description of the art of thrifty cooking.)

Ms. Ciubini, when faced with stale breadcrumbs, may create a classic panzanella salad or thick tomato soup, but she can also make them into a really luxurious dish, in which they are soaked in eggs, milk and grated cheese, then squeezed out and pinched into gnocchi.

For a simple sauce, any seasonal vegetables are braised with olive oil and minced salumi while the gnocchi have a quick boil; the vegetable pot is deglazed with white wine, the gnocchi drained, and all is tossed together over low heat in a huge pot. At Civitella Ranieri, Ms. Ciubini often makes this for the visiting painters, poets, sound artists and graphic novelists — all of whom have a hot, handmade lunch delivered daily to the studios where they work.

“Cooking everything from scratch takes a lot of time,” she said. “But it is the only kind of cooking that is worth the work.”

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/dining/umbria-italy-food-cooking.html?ref=dining&_r=0

Italy Summer Trip 2015 Slideshow Part 2

2015-09-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

Italy Summer Trip 2015 Slideshow Part 1

2015-09-30T07:35:00.003-07:00

Italy Trip Summer 2015!

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This past summer we had the opportunity to visit Italy once again and our trip did not disappoint!

Venice was an amazing experience. We walked the streets of Venice with the our friends and traversed the canals with ease while captivated by how beautiful each little piazza was.

We loved the island of Murano where we saw a live demonstration of Venetian glass blowing.

The kids took in the magnitude of the bridge of sighs and were especially thrilled to feed the pigeons in San Marco Square.

The kids seemed to really be mesmerized by our gondola ride and riding back in style in a Venetian water taxi.

Pino Teresi took us on an informative full day wine tour in Tuscany where we visited Montepulciano, Pienza and Castello Banfi.

We also found time to visit Assisi, Orvieto, Cortona, Siena, Umbertide, Lake Trasimeno and Gubbio.

One of the highlights of the trip was when Chefs Elizabetta & Paola (http://www.Altabellaproperties.com) brought their Tuscan/Umbrian culinary expertise to teach the kids how to make a complete Italian meal for everyone. The kids made Tiramisu, fresh pasta (from scratch), caprese and bruschetta which was served to everyone for a truly enjoyable and memorable outdoor dinner.

We finished up our trip with a couple days in Rome where we met some more friends for dinner, crepes & gelato.

It was a very full and enjoyable vacation!

Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our pictures, slideshows, travel tips and thoughts about our trip.....

American Airlines: Shame on you!

2015-09-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past decade consolidation in the airline industry has had an adverse effect upon flyers -higher ticket costs and extra charges here and there that can add up in a big way (especially for families on a budget!).

The lack of competition has seemingly given airlines carte blanche when it comes to price gauging the consumer with added charges (bag fees, select seating, drinks/snacks, etc.) and reduction of services.

This summer our family traveled on American Airlines to Italy. When we placed our reservations we had hoped to get 4 seats together (or at least 2 and 2) as we were traveling with two young children ages 5 & 9.

When we attempted to make our seat arrangements we were told by an American Airlines representative that we could only have seats together if we paid an additional $68 per ticket each way for the s"select" seats which meant that this would push our already expensive ticket price of $1,300 per ticket to $1,556 per ticket! For a family of four that is $544 extra!

We told the American Airlines representative that we were traveling with two young children one of which needed special attention and who we knew would become super anxious sitting alone and undoubtedly annoy the passengers he sat next to.

We also expressed our concerns to the representative. What would happen to our children should the plane encounter an emergency. What passengers/strangers would feel responsible for two young children not their own? Who would put the oxygen mask on our kids? Who would make sure our kids are buckled in properly? Would someone else make sure their food is opened and cut properly? What if the adult sitting next to my child is a molester or pedophile? (You can bet a suit would follow quicker than quick!)

The American Airlines representative told us that we could either ask at the check in desk for seat availability (couldn't do this at JFK as it is fully computer automated now!) or ask at the gate (no such luck!).

We decided not to pay the additional $544 and take our chances and hope that the passengers sitting next to our children would find the idea of 7+ hours on a flight next to young kids unappealing enough to swap seats with us.

Fortunately for us, the two seats next to each child were empty! We lucked out but are sure that there are many hundreds if not thousands of families that have not been so lucky.

Airlines must change this rule. Families should not be separated from their young children or expected to pay a handsome fee in order to do so. Airlines have a legal responsibility to look after children flying on their own. We believe that airlines should also have a legal responsibility to sit young children with at least 1 family adult member. Governments should mandate this!

The airline industry can do better and it is up to us, the consumer, to demand higher standards.

Restaurant Review: Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo

2014-02-24T07:08:00.001-08:00

R E S T A U R A N T R E V I E W S

SR = Strongly Recommend

HR = Highly Recommend

LE = Look Elsewhere

T R A T T O R I A L O S C O I A T T O L O

Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo is a pleasant place to stop for a quick bite to eat if you are traveling between Tuoro Sul Trasimeno and Cortona. We often stop by Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo for a 30 minute cappuccino on our way from the Niccone Valley to the Lido at Tuoro Sul Trasimeno. The ristorante offers fantastic panoramic views of Lake Trasimeno and is absolutely a must visit on a gorgeous day. The staff and management are pleasant but not remarkable. We definitely recommend visiting Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo if you're passing through the area. Here is a link to TripAdvisor Reviews: Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo

RATING: Highly Recommend [HR]

The views are spectacular!

Our youngest son adored the squirrels!

The entrance to Trattoria Lo Scoiattolo

LyveHome: Preserving Life Moments & Memories

2014-01-09T17:22:00.002-08:00

"We do not remember days, we remember moments.

The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten."

-Cesare Pavese

Here at Tuscumbria.com we couldn't agree more with this statement and believe its meaning is just as relevant today as it was to Cesare Pavese back in the early 20th Century.

To help "collect, sort and protect" all of our life memories we've found a neat new hardware device called LyveHome that claims to be the perfect, effortless, solution for preserving all of our memories so that they are not forgotten.

LyveHome was officially introduced at CES 2014 and from what we can tell it looks like a very promising option for anyone who takes pictures and videos to preserve their life memories. We have taken thousands of pictures and hundreds of videos of our boys, family and friends both at home and abroad and think that LyveHome could prove to be very useful for helping anyone to preserve, organize and collect all of their most treasured memories.

(Image: Mylyve.com)

What we find particularly appealing about this piece of hardware is the potential to share - in near real time - pictures & videos that you take from anywhere in the world with your friends and family whose devices you choose to include on your LyveHome network.

From what we know, each cellular device, computer and/or TV must have the free Lyve App installed and be recognized by the LyveHome server as an authorized network device. The LyveHome server will act as a personal cloud to store abut 2 terabytes of data. What distinguishes this hardware from other similar products is that the LyveHome server manages the data across all your devices (iOS, Android, etc.) allowing its user to determine which physical copies of each file to keep on which devices. The LyveHome server never uploads any of your pictures or videos to the Lyve cloud but, rather, uploads only the metadata which can then be used to download to other LyveHome app devices. Essentially, the Lyve cloud never stores any of your picture or video information.

LyveHome has an exclusive deal with Vizio and the Lyve App will be added to Vizio's Internet App Plus lineup sometime in April, 2014. The Lyve App is expected to be available on other smart TV's at some point too.

LyveHome is expected to be available in the United States sometime in the Spring of 2014. To learn more about the LyveHome product click HERE

If you've used LyveHome and would like to share your thoughts on this product please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Officine Panerai Watches

2014-01-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

Officine Panerai store in Florence, Italy

Many years ago while window shopping in Firenze (Florence), Italy, we came across a small boutique watch store called Officine Panerai. We fell instantly in love with the rugged elegance of the Panerai design, its rich history with the Italian Navy and its early relationship with Rolex.

Officine Panerai store in Florence, Italy

While the allure of a Panerai is somewhat subjective, we believe watch enthusiasts find Panerai watches to be most appealing because of:

- It's rich history - Panerai started out in 1860 as an exclusive watch for the Italian Navy.

- Aesthetics & build quality - The combination of Italian design aesthetics & Swiss Rolex movement (in earlier versions).
- Distinct branding - The unmistakable clean elegance of the Italian design & the fonts used on the dial.
- The signature crown guard on many Panerai watch models.
- The friendliness of the Paneristi (Panerai watch enthusiasts).
- The exclusivity of the brand (almost every watch production is "limited").

Model shown: Panerai Radiomir 288K

After being purchased by the Richemont Group in 1997, Officine Panerai has grown in popularity. Luminor & Radiomir models are often considered the most sought after Panerai watches today. Panerai collectors also place significantly more value on Panerai models that contain the Officine Panerai in-house movements (e.g. p.9000, etc.).

Officine Panerai is, by far, our favorite Italian watch brand and we would not hesitate to recommend this brand to any watch enthusiast looking for a watch that they want to wear for the rest of their lives or to add to their watch collection as an investment.

Panerai Radiomir 288K

To learn more about the Panerai brand and watches click here: Officine Panerai

Perugina Chocolate Factory!

2013-12-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

We are always looking for fun and interesting family activities in the Tuscumbria area and we think the Casa del Cioccolato is a must-see place for both visitors and chocolate lovers.

The Casa del Cioccolato (Perugina Chocalate Factory) is located a short taxi ride from downtown Perugia, Italy, and is where the famous Italian Baci chocolates are manufactured.

It's hard not to feel like Charlie at the Wonka Factory when you visit the Perugina Chocolate Factory in Perugia, Italy. The deliciously sweet smell of chocolate greets you as you pull into the factory's parking lot. At the factory you can take a tour to see how the Baci chocolates are manufactured. Baci (Italian for "kisses") is a hazelnut covered by sweet chocolate that is then wrapped in a love note.

English-speaking tours require advance booking and tour reservations can be made up to 15 days before your visit. We strongly suggest that you call ahead to make sure the factory is open on the day you wish to visit.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Website: Casa del Cioccolato

Tel: 011 39 0245467868

Gadget Review: Portable Cinema

2013-05-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Every now and then we like to post a gadget review that we think might make traveling a little easier and more enjoyable for the entire family.

When we stay in Tuscumbria, Italy, our sole connection to the world is through an internet connection at the house we stay at. There is no television. The phone is rarely used. Our smart phones and tablets are no longer glued to our hands.....and we wouldn't dream of having it any other way...that is, until we had kids.

While there is something immensely appealing about being disconnected from the outside world (and we do love the disconnect), there are some gadgets that we feel enhance any family traveling experience.

For a while now we have always thought how nice it would be to have a family movie night while traveling abroad. No, we're not talking about family night out at the movie theater or in front of the tv curled up on the couch (though that does sound nice!) but, rather, family movie night outside on the front lawn which looks down upon and across the undulating mountains of Tuscumbria.

So how would this fantasy become a reality? The cost alone of renting a large projection screen would be enough to discourage most people from even considering this. And what about the projector? Good projectors cost at least $500 dollars these days and for one movie night outdoors the benefit just didn't seem to outweigh the cost. What about the power source? Would we be able to run a power cord all the way outside to power the projector? Lastly, the idea of getting all of this equipment (either renting or buying) while abroad or bringing it all with us just seemed like too much of a hassle and expense. So we let the idea simmer on the back burner for a couple of years.

Recently, our fantasy of having a movie night outside with the kids while traveling abroad took a giant step forward into reality. We found a relatively inexpensive way to put together a portable movie kit that we can bring anywhere we travel and here's what we came up with.

STEP ONE: PICO PROJECTOR

Brookstone Pocket Projector ($199)

The first step we needed to solve was finding a projector that was both portable, powerful enough to give a decently bright/colorful image and could run off of its own power source. We came across the Brookstone Pocket Projector which was exactly what we were looking for. The Brookstone Pocket Projector works in conjunction with your iPhone 4/4S (sorry, no compatibility with iPhone 5) and can project a reasonably bright image (18 Lumens) of up to 50" in diameter. Ofcourse, it is possible to get the projector to project larger images but keep in mind that the brightness and detail will degrade accordingly. The Brookstone Pocket Projector runs for about 2 hours on a single charge and can also be used to charge your iPhone 4 too. The sound on the projector is not very good but you can use the bluetooth option or the aux jack on your phone to improve the sound (we will address this down below). The Brookstone Pocket Projector will project any video source from your phone including Netflix, Youtube, etc. This becomes particularly handy if you are near a wifi source which will enable you to stream movies. If you have movies from home you can upload them prior to your trip through iTunes and into your iPhone which then can be projected through the Brookstone Pocket Projector. The Brookstone Projector as of the date of this post is going for $199 and we think this is a great price for a great product.

Brookstone HDMI Projector ($299)

It is possible to pay a bit more for the Brookstone HDMI Pocket Projector ($299) and have the ability to use the projector with any HDMI device (iPhone users will need an additional cable adapter). The Brookstone HDMI projector will offer more power (85 lumens), a slightly longer battery life and the improved compatibility with more devices.

We like both products as both are very portable and offer outstanding picture quality given their diminutive size.

STEP TWO: PROJECTION SCREEN

Da-Lite Pico Screen

The next step we needed to solve was finding a suitable screen on which to project the movie on. All of the outdoor screens that we researched in the past were bulky and too expensive. Some screens were difficult to set up while others just simply were not portable enough for plane travel.

With the emergence of pico projectors companies started getting wise and making pico screens to compliment the diminutive projectors. Two companies that offer great-quality screens were Da-Lite & Epson. Da-Lite offers a pico line of projection screens and we found the most affordable to be the 30" diagonal screen. Epson offers a slightly larger pico screen with a 50" diagonal which they claim is still small enough to fit onboard a plane in the overhead bins. Both fit very nicely on a tabletop and collapse very easily (shown below on the Epson ES1000). At the time of this post the Epson ES1000 was selling for about $70 and the Da-Lite Pico 30" screen was selling for about $68.

Epson ES1000 screen

While both screens offer an excellent choice in quality and portability it is also possible to simply project your images/movies off the side of a house, on a white wall, on the ceiling or on a white sheet. Sure, you might lose brightness and color quality but doing away with the portable pico screen makes the whole movie package more portable, versatile and affordable.

STEP THREE: SOUND

The next step we needed to solve was to find a sound source that would provide enough sound to make the movie experience come to life. None of the pico projectors we've tried or read reviews about output enough sound to make movie watching satisfying.

There are two ways we can recommend to amplify the sound of your pico projector that will make your outside movie watching experience satisfying and memorable.

Big Jambox by Jawbone ($199)

The first way is to use the bluetooth in your phone to output the sound to a bluetooth enabled speaker instead of through the pico projector itself. Simply connect your phone via bluetooth to the bluetooth enabled speaker and you have instant sound improvement. The second way to amplify the sound of your projector is by directly connecting the projector (or phone) to external speakers via the aux in jack (you will need a 3.5mm aux cable to do this).

We recommend two brands of bluetooth speakers that will provide excellent sound outside for your movies. The Big Jambox by Jawbone and the Bose Soundlink by Bose. Both of these bluetooth enabled speakers offer incredible sound and are perfect companions for your pico projector. Both offer long hours of use from their internal rechargeable batteries. We believe that the Big Jambox is a better value as it offers comparable sound to the Bose Soundlink but at a lower price.

Bose Soundlink ($299)

So, in conclusion, we hope we showed that there is a relatively affordable way to put together a portable movie kit that can be enjoyed outside while traveling abroad, camping or just hanging out in your backyard. Movie nights outside are always memorable for the kids and we like to think that there are plenty of adults who can still enjoy it too.

Please feel free to let us know below in the comments section what ideas you might have for making your travel with the kids more enjoyable and memorable.

Sustenance: Food Traditions in Italy's Heartland

2013-02-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Sustenance: Food Traditions in Italy's Heartland
By Elizabeth Wholey

Description:

"A Guide to Farms, Markets, and Fairs in the Upper Tiber Valley. In Sustenance, Elizabeth Wholey explores the Upper Tiber Valley and the ways in which its peasants fed and sustained themselves throughout history. Their ancient food traditions are still alive today, often with a modern twist, and are accessible to visitors as well as to the local populace.

Highlighting sixteen farmers and food producers who share their stories and treasured recipes, Wholey guides your way to the farms, markets and fairs where these traditional products are sold. Fifteen towns near the Tiber River--from its source on Monte Fumaiolo to Umbertide--are introduced, along with their yearly celebrations, markets and fairs, as well as important sites and monuments.

This book is a must for the tourist who seeks a fuller experience than the usual by delving into the history, agriculture, and culinary practices of this beautiful and fertile valley."

Website:
http://sustenanceinitalysheartland.com/

Our Thoughts:
One of our most treasured pleasures when visiting the cities and towns in the Upper Tiber Valley is sampling the delicious foods and dishes offered by the various family run restaurants, agriturismi and local markets.

Elizabeth Wholey's book has given us new and invaluable insight into the history, agriculture and culinary practices behind some of the foods that we have eaten in the Upper Tiber Valley and has further fueled our desire to sample and explore new foods during future visits.

We also have gained a more intimate picture of both the cultural and family traditions that are so inextricably linked to the recipes, foods and dishes that are prepared for and served to visitors and locals alike.

This is a must read for all culinary enthusiasts and anyone traveling to Central Italy!

Lemon Shells Stuffed with Lemon Sorbet

2012-10-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

We first experienced this delicious desert at Nonna Gelsa's Ristorante in the Tuscumbrian town of Umbertide, Italy, some 13 years ago. We loved the desert's simple elegance and were blown away by how refreshing and light the lemon sorbet was. When we introduced our son to this desert three years ago he too had a similar experience. So when we recently had some close family friends over to dinner at our place we decided to attempt to make this very special desert.

Our eldest son, Jake, was very enthusiastic to help prepare the desert with his father. Indeed, it proved to be a great bonding experience. We first started by gutting the 8 lemons. Using a two sided grapefruit knife (one edge had two blades to cut the membranes while the opposite side had a serated/curved blade) we were able to gut the lemons fairly quickly. I handled the cutting while Jake handled the juicing and the zesting (he is now an expert zester). We then placed the empty lemon shells in the freezer and started on making the sorbet. Jake loved this part as it was fairly easy and required more sugar then he had ever seen. After preparing the sorbet we placed the sorbet in the freezer and stirred/mashed the sorbet every couple of hours. By the end of the 2nd day, Jake really mashed the sorbet and learned how to whip it into a smooth creamy texture. The zest flecks were really neat to look at and Jake said that the sorbet tasted delicious. The next day we stuffed the lemon shells with the sorbet making a point to let the sorbet overflow a bit. We placed the tops back on each Lemon and let the stuffed shells sit over night in the freezer. Our friends absolutely loved the desert and it was especially refreshing after a rather large meal.

LEMON SHELLS STUFFED WITH LEMON SORBET

Yields: 8 servings
Prep time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:

8 lemons*
1/3 cup lemon zest (you'll need 3-5 additional lemons)
1 cup strained fresh-squeezed lemons Juice (from lemons used for cups)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water

1 grapefruit knife or similar type of knife to gut and clean out the lemons

* You'll need one lemon per person. Make sure the end (not the stem end) has a nice shaped "bump" and try to purchase uniform lemons.)

Preparation:

1. Cut off the top 1/3 of the lemon (not the stem end) and reserve for the "cap."

2. Hollow out each lemon by using a grapefruit knife (the angled blade keeps you from puncturing the bottom and you can also cut underneath the center of the fruit) just inside the rind and circling the flesh (being careful not to puncture the lemon).

3. Remove juice and flesh and put it in your juicer. Use a strainer if you do not have a juicer.

4. Make a slight shallow cut on the bottom of each lemon shells (being careful not to cut through to the inside of the lemon). This will make them sit straight and not fall over when placed on a plate.

5. Freeze the shells at least one hour or overnight. Then fill with sorbet and freeze again. this sorbet can be made ahead and will keep several days in the freezer. The frozen shell will prevent the sorbet from melting too quickly when you serve it.

Making Lemon Sorbet (should be done in advance of the steps above)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Add lemon zest. Stir until mixture comes to a boil; boil 2 minute. Add the lemon juice, stir well. Remove from heat, cool, and strain. Pour cooled mixture into a shallow container, cover, and freeze overnight.

Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time. We found that we had to mash the sorbet several times over two days in the fridge.

NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen.

Makes 8 servings.

Altabella: A slice of Tuscumbrian Paradise

2012-10-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

There are, undeniably, many beautiful places to visit throughout Italy. Indeed, every region has no shortage of spectacular views, fine wines, dazzling architecture and delicious region/city/town-specific cuisines. Our favorite area, however, and certainly still a hidden gem of central Italy, lies in the small unassuming valley of Niccone.

The valley is about 25 km long, running from the twin villages of Mercatale (in Tuscany) and Lisciano Niccone (in Umbria), down to the village of Niccone, where it meets the River Tiber. We are partial to this area because of its natural beauty, off-the-beaten-path feel and because it offers so much for travelers seeking to experience Italian culture without the typical summer crowds. We also love this area because it is a wonderful place for families with children to visit as it offers a variety of family-friendly activities and experiences and it serves as a great base from which to springboard to all parts of Central Italy.

A L T A B E L L A P R O P E R T I ES

View from Altabella Properties

While there are many excellent places to stay in the Niccone Valley we would be hard pressed to believe that there is anywhere as nice to stay at as the Altabella Properties which is located in the heart of the Niccone Valley along a small road on the way to Preggio.

Map from Altabella.com website

The Altabella Properties "comprise three classically restored stone villas on a 155-acre estate on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, 30 minutes east of Cortona. Experience the deep pleasures of Umbrian country life in a location of extraordinary natural beauty with easy proximity to some of Italy's richest artistic, culinary and cultural treasures." (source: Altabella Website)

Katharine Michaels and Elizabeth Wholey are the two managers of the Altabella Properties and their dedication and commitment to the properties and its guests is unmatched in our opinion.The property is meticulously maintained and has all the modern amenities one would expect including WiFi, a gorgeous pool, cooking/touring/concierge services and much more. The location of the property is a 3km drive up a private road and offers its guests complete undisturbed privacy and spectacular views of the Umbrian hills of Preggio and beyond. It is the ideal place for guests seeking rest, relaxation and reflection. It also is a terrific place for family reunions and gatherings.

The interior of La Pietra, an Altabella property (pictures from Altabella website)

U S E F U L I N F O R M A T I O N

Police

The main police station is located just outside old Umbertide (Piazza Matteotti 1, tel: 0759-419-250, E-mail: vigili@comune.umbertide.pg.it, Commander: Dr. Gabriele Tacchia). It is not often that one will run into the local police but it is always a good idea to keep a copy of your passport in the glove compartment. Also make sure you have your car rental agreement in the glove compartment at all times. We have only been stopped twice by the local municipal police and on both occasions we were very happy that we had our passport, rental agreement and driver's license on hand. To learn more about Italian police please see our section on Italian Police.

Hospital
There is a ospedale (hospital) in Umbertide that seems capable of managing minor injuries quite well. We had an aunt of ours who had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting and she was seen to immediately by a very nice hospital staff and doctor. The hospital is located along Via Forlanini, just past La Rocca in Old Umbertide. The phone number is 075-941-7494. In the event of an emergency, you should go to Pronto Soccorso (emergency room), once at the Umbertide hospital.

If you look on the map of the town, the hospital is just off the street behind La Rocca, the big medieval tower in Umbertide. Drive to Umbertide, take the second left after you cross the bridge, and drive in front of the round church and halfway around the roundabout. Take the street that goes in the direction of Montone between La Rocca and the La Rocca trattoria. After one or two blocks you will see a hospital sign with a bed on it. Turn right there. You will see a parking lot on your left, planted with tall pine trees. Turn left into the little road, go straight, and you will arrive at Emergency. Someone will speak English. On the map of Umbertide (below), this is Number 9, Ospedale Civile.

Keep in mind that many of the rural areas in Tuscumbria are home to scorpions, vipers and wild boars all of which can inflict serious harm if come across or provoked. Altabella is no exception to this so understanding how to immediately treat these types of injuries until help can arrive can and knowing how to get an injured loved one to the medical attention is crucial in saving a life or avoiding more serious injury.

If one is bitten by a viper it is important to tie a tourniquet between the bite and your heart (so as to prevent venom from reaching your heart more quickly) and get the victim to a hospital as soon as possible. Boars gashes and wounds should be attended to immediately to avoid infection and large loss of blood. Fortunately, the scorpions in this area are not poisonous but do inflict painful bites depending on their size.

Pediatrician

Dr. Rita Mommi

cell 336-6346-51

She is in Preggio Monday 11-12 and Thursday 2-3, and in Umbertide M, T, W and F 8:30-10 and Thurs 5-7. She speaks English. In Umbertide she is on the street just past the Taverna of Pulcinella, off Via Fratta which is the second street to your left going out of town, past the Umbertide train station. A bit hard to find the first time.

Using the Telephone
When answering the phone you say "pronto".
When dialing to Italy include - 011-39 before the number you are dialing
When dialing a number within Europe - 39 before the number you are dialing
When dialing only in Italy do not include 011-39.

Important Telephone Numbers
Police - 113
Ambulance - 118
Umbertide hospital - 075.941.5944
Info for all of Italy - 12
International info - 176
English speaking operator - 15

Post Office

Located along Viale della Repubblica, it is possible to purchase stamps and send mail from this post office.

Pharmacy
Pharmacies, like stores, are not open during certain times so always check in advance what their hours of operation are.

Pharmacy 1 - Piazza Matteotti 2 06019 Tel: 075-9413228 - Fax: 075-9420272 Director: Dr. Gaetano Reggiani
Pharmacy 2 - Largo Cimabue 06019 Umbertide Tel: 0759417878 - Fax: 0759413505 Director: Dr. Ceracchini Luisella

Train stations

Terontola Train Station

The closest train stations to Altabella Properties are located in Perugia and Terontola. We prefer to take trains from Terontola at it close to the houses and you can leave your car at the station for free. One can take trains to Florence or Rome from Terontola which is about 1.5 hours (Florence) & 3 hours away (Rome) but can possibly be longer if you take the slower trains. You can look at train schedules and purchase tickets for in advance from Trenitalia.

Perugia FCU & FS trains

There is a station in Umbertide located on the road between the old and commercial parts, run by the FCU (privately-owned) railway that runs from Perugia to Sansepolcro. The train sometimes has only one car so make sure you buy a ticket in advance to ensure you get a seat.

If you need a taxi from Terontola "go across the street from the station to the bar and ask for Roberto Iacomi Servizio Taxi, care of the Caffe Degli Sportivi. His cell phone is 338-100-8098, and his telephone number is 0575-67101." (Altabella.com). There are also small shops and a pharmacy one can shop at if you need anything.

Playgrounds for children

Playground in Mercatale

Initially, we were surprised that we would have difficulty finding playgrounds for children. There are only a handful of playgrounds we know of. There is one very small playground in Mercatale with a jungle gym. There is another near Umbertide at a restaurant called Lo Sherleffo and at another restaurant called Nonna Gelsa in Niccone. We are going to explore Umbertide more to see if there are playgrounds that have been built recently and hopefully add to this short list. ****Update - (8/2011) - Recently, we were able to find several more big playgrounds in Umbertide. One belongs to the elementary school which is just a couple blocks from the main square (walk towards Conad and you will see it on the right side). The other big playground and playing field is located in the commercial area of Umbertide just opposite the street from COOP supermarket. We also wanted to point out that there is a smaller play area at both Nonna Gelsa's Ristorante in the Village of Niccone and just outside Girasole's Ristorante on the s416 heading towards Mercatale.

Cinemas

Cinema Elios - (V. Garibaldi 18 - 06019 - Umbertide (PG) - Tel: 075 9412387)

Theatre

Teatro Dei Riuniti - (P. Braccio Fortebraccio - 06019 - Umbertide (PG) - Tel: 075 9412697)
Associazione Farneto Teatro - (Vocabolo S. Giuliana-Pierantonio 32, 06019 Umbertide (PG) tel: 075 9420297)

Supermarkets

COOP Supermarket, Umbertide

COOP - in the Centro commerciale "Fratta" on Via Rodolfo Morandi.
This is a handy little shopping centre with a number of shops, lots of car parking space and a good Pizza al taglio (take away).
Conad - on Via Martiri della Liberta.
This is part of a parade of shops which includes a good fresh pasta shop and delicatessen.
Supermarket in Mercatale
Colestrada Hypermarket - Located just outside Perugia just off the E45 as you head towards Umbertide.

In general the food shops in nearby towns will meet most day to day needs. There is however a Hypermarket just off the E45 near Perugia at Colestrada (drive past the turning for Perugia Airport/San Egidio, follow the bend round and take the far right hand lane to the access road for the shopping complex). Facilities include a huge COOP, electronics, clothes and shoe shops as well as restaurants and bars.

Travel Tip**** We have gotten along quite well by shopping exclusively at the COOP in the commercial part of Umbertide and the smaller market in Mercatale. However, we encourage you to shop around and explore the food scene a bit more. It's fun and you'll see a lot of new things along the way. Try to brush up on your Italian food vocabulary and measurements or bring a travel dictionary with you if possible. You will not regret it.Always remember that when you are buying meats, pastries, baked goods always look for a ticket dispensing machine as some of the modern supermarkets have a ticketing system to determine who gets served. Also, when you are buying vegetables and fruits make sure to look for stand alone machines where you can weigh your items and then stamp a sticker on the bag (which the machine prints out). The cashiers will not weigh you fruit & vegetables for you. (The smaller supermarkets do not have this type of weighing machine) Additionally, make sure you bring coins with you as some large supermarkets will have shopping carts available for use but you will be required to leave a deposit (1 or 2 euro coin). These carts operate very much like the ones you find at the airport except you get your money back when you return your cart.

Fruit & vegetable weighing machine

Shopping carts

Meat Shop

There is a very good macelleria (butcher's shop) on Via Roma in Old Umbertide You will also find a decent meat shop in Mercatale. The meats offered at both of these shops are fresh and locally produced.

Butcher's shop in Mercatale

Natural, Organic, Raw, Vegan & Vegetarian Foods in Italy

There is an organic shop in Spedalicchio and many restaurants, such as La Chuisa, offer organically grown meats. Please see our section on Natural, Organic, Raw, Vegan & Vegetarian Foods in Italy for more information on this topic.

Eating Kosher in Tuscumbria?

While we are not kosher, we have had several family members stay in Umbria who are. As most people know it is quite difficult to find kosher stores, food and restaurants in more rural areas. Please see our section on Eating Kosher In Italy to find more information on this topic.

Restaurants

Please see the section on Tuscumbria: Restaurant Reviews for a more extensive list along with reviews on many of the restaurants, advice on tipping and where to eat organic.

While there are many more restaurants in the area, here are the most popular places to eat that are closest to the house:

La Fattoria I Girasoli Di Saint Andrea
Agriturismo Ristorante Calagrana
Agriturismo La Chuisa
Ristorante la Locanda di Nonna Gelsa
Trattoria Mimi
Ristorante La Castagna

Travel Tip**** Always check with the restaurants in advance to confirm their hours of operation and to determine if reservations are necessary. Many of the smaller restaurants require reservations be made in advance as it helps them to make sure that they have sufficient food on hand to accommodate their guests. In our experiences traveling throughout Italy most, if not all, are family-friendly and adore children, especially young ones.

Wine Shops
It is easiest to pick up regular table wine at any of the supermarkets. Even smaller convenience stores offer a decent selection of tasty table wines. The best wine stores with the largest selection of regional wines in the area are located in Cortona (Molesini) and Umbertide (Enoteca). Please see our section on Wines, Stores, Tours and Tasting for more on this topic.

Outdoor Markets

Monday : Assisi, Marsciano, Perugia
Tuesday - Gubbio, Perugia
Wednesday - Perugia, Umbertide
Thursday - Citta di Castello, Perugia, Camucia, Mercatale
Friday - Bastia Umbra, Perugia, Tuoro Sul Trasimeno
Saturday - Castiglione del Lago, Città di Castello, Gubbio, Perugia

To get a more detailed information about the hours of operation of each market and what is being sold please see Anglo Info.

Things to do
Tuscumbria has a multitude of things to do.

Visit Cultural and artistic sites
Golf
Horseback Riding
Beach
Wine & Olive Oil tasting
Truffle Hunting
Cooking
Bicycling
Shopping
Markets

Things to do with Children in and around Umbertide

Citta della Domenica: Nature Park for kids with animal petting zoo and reptiles. Open 15th March - 14th September every day. Monday to Friday 10:00 - 18:00 and weekends 09:30 - 19:00. Open weekends only from 15th September - 2nd November. At Via Col di Tenda 150, Perugia (PG) Tel: 075 505 4941 Fax: 075 505 4941
Fantasylandia - Inflatable toys to play on, electronic games, indoor open spaces, restaurant and room for birthday parties for up to 400 people. Open Monday to Friday from 07:30 - 13:30. At Via della Piaggiola, 06024 Gubbio (PG) Tel: 075 922 0053 Fax: 075 922 0053
Parco dell'Arringatore - L'Arringapiccoli: Park promoting the appreciation of open spaces and nature. A section of the park, called L'Arringapiccoli, is set aside specifically for children, with special events throughout the year. Tel: 333 413 8856
Perugia Officina per la Scienza e la Tecnologia: The POST Science museum for children has interactive displays interesting for people of all ages. Explanations in Italian, though the exhibits are easy to understand for those not speaking the language. Via del Melo 34, 06123 Perugia (PG). Tel: 075 573 6501
Pozzo della Cava: Caves under Orvieto originally dug by the Etruscans. Via della Cava 28, 05018 Orvieto (TR). Tel: 0763 342 373 Fax: 0763 341 029
Maridiana Alpaca Farm - Fraz. Niccone, 173 - 06019 Umbertide (Perugia) P.IVA: 01219580543 Tel. +39 075 9410934 - 335 157 0202

Gelato near Altabella Properties
Colleti - Located in Umbertide behind Collegiata (the instantly recognizable octagonal church in the middle of old Umbertide).
Mercatale - There are also two a small but nice gelato shop in Mercatale.

Cooking & Tours
For those interested in learning how to cook we strongly recommend taking a look at Amore Sapore which offers cooking classes taught by expert chefs. Amore Sapore is an excellent way to receive an introduction to the culinary arts of homemade pasta & desert making, the preparation of local, seasonal vegetables & foraged foods and roasted & grilled meats.

One of the chefs and co-founders of Amore Sapore, Elizabeth Wholey, who, in addition to having provided wonderful wedding planning for us, also offers a host of informative and enriching tours throughout Umbria. Learn more about these tours at Elizabeth In Umbria.

Driving Direction to the Nearest Towns

For all of these directions you must first leave the property by driving down to the bottom of the hill, take a right and follow this road until you get to the main road. The sign marking the road to Preggio will be on your right (and is also the direction to Umbertide while left is to Mercatale and Cortona).

Please HONK your horn around every corner so that any driver coming up or going down will be alerted to you. This will avoid any accidents. Drive slowly.

Directions to Ossaia, Cortona, Terontola, Siena

Go down the hill and take a right at the bottom.
Continue to the main road.
Take a left onto the main road in the direction of Mercatale.
Follow the road into Mercatale.
In the center of town, you will have the option to go left or right. Follow the road right.
Follow this road straight and go up the mountain and down. This will take you about 30 minutes.
Once you come down the mountain you will continue straight. Please note that if you need gas there is a gas station on your left at the bottom of the mountain as you go towards Cortona.
Drive straight and follow signs to Ossaia. The turn for Ossaia will be a sharp left turn. If you miss the turn the road will take you to Cortona.
After making the turn to Ossaia, continue straight. You will wind through the town of Ossaia. It is a very narrow road that knifes through the town so be careful.
To continue on to Terontola follow the road through Ossaia and go straight. The Terontola railroad station will be on your right. If you pass through Terontola you have gone too far.
If you follow signs to Cortona there will also be signs to Siena which you can follow and is about 1.5 hours from the house.

Directions to the Commercial Part of Umbertide, Citta Di Castello & Perugia

Exit Right onto the main road in the direction of Umbertide.
Follow this road until you reach a point where you can only go right or left.
Make a right in the direction of Perugia and Umbertide. Follow the road through the old part of Umbertide.
Go through the old part of town and the industrial part will be on your left.
If you continue straight instead of turning left towards the commercial part of Umbertide you can follow signs that will direct you to either Citta Di Castello or Perugia (E45). If you follow signs to Perugia, the E45 will eventually bring you to signs leading to the S75 that will lead you to the A1 (Autostrada).
The super market is called COOP.

Map of Umbertide

Directions to Tuoro Sul Trasimeno, Lodi at Tuoro

Exit left onto the main road in the direction of Mercatale.
Follow road into Mercatale.
In the center of town the road will fork and you will have the option to go left (Tuoro) or right (Cortona). Follow the road left towards Tuoro. This will bring you up through the mountain and back down. On the other side is Lake Trasimeno. Follow signs to Tuoro sul Trasimeno.You will pass small towns but if you keep going straight you will eventually reach the lake and Passignano Sul Trasimeno which also has a beach and ferry stop.

Essential Travel Gadgets

2012-09-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

(image: marcandangel.com)

There are many who believe that bringing gadgets on a vacation can detract from the overall enjoyment of the experience. While we certainly understand the rationale behind this belief, we believe that gadgetry can be a great way to enhance one's traveling experience, not detract from it.

Every once in a while we will highlight new gadgets that we believe will make your traveling experiences easier and more interesting. In this post, we will talk about gadgets that we have found particularly useful on our travels throughout the world.

For us, the essential technology and gadgetry that we regularly rely on while traveling include the following:

Digital SLR Camera

A digital SLR camera is a must-have for travelers wishing to capture great pictures. Digital SLR's are perfect for capturing fast-moving subjects, portraits, wide-sweeping landscapes and people.Not all SLR's are bulky and quite a few are very portable and light. A terrific site where you can get all sorts of reviews and information is run by Ken Rockwell who offers expert advice on everything a consumer and prosumer could want to learn about when it comes to photography. For the novice and family photographers we would recommend the following:

Nikon D40/D90/3100
Nikon 35mm AF-S f/1.8 DX lens (or standard kit lens will do)
SB-400 flash

Nikon D3100 (image: Ken Rockwell)

Pocket Digital Point and Shoot Camera

It is always a good idea to bring a backup camera. It is also very useful to have a point and shoot camera that you can bring with you to places where a digital SLR might not be as convenient. Really, any point and shoot digital camera will do. It is important to make sure that your digital point and shoot camera has a video recording option as we have found this to be quite adequate replacement for lugging around a digital camcorder. 30 second clips of video are excellent for creating a video montage when you get home and allow for much greater viewing enjoyment for both friends and family later on.

We are huge fans of the Canon brand and particularly the Canon S95 which is possibly one of the best point and shoot camera's ever made. We have shot most of our pictures with Canon Powershot models but are thinking about moving to a Canon S95 in the upcoming months.

Nikon S95 (image: Ken Rockwell)

iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad

Sure, one doesn't really "need" to bring an iPhone, iPod or iPad on a trip but from our experiences doing so really does make traveling more fun and convenient. Each on of these devices have built-in WiFi which means that you can get connected online wherever you can find an paid or open WiFi source. Many restaurants, hotels and business establishments offer WiFi which makes using your WiFi enabled devices a breeze. While we're on the go we use our iPod Touch to check our email or to make notes. Many of the smart phones and Apple devices have useful Apps that make traveling easier too. We would err on the side of caution and suggest that you leave your iPad at home though as it is not very travel-friendly and could break fairly easily.

iPhone 4 (image: BGR.com)

Power Converter & Plug Adapter

Many of the electronic gadgetry that is being produced these days have built-in power converters that enable your gadgets to work abroad making only a plug adapter necessary. Plug adapters are typically very inexpensive and world-use sets can be purchased airports or pharmacies. Similarly, a power adapter can be purchased at airports and pharmacies too and allow you to use your gadgets that do not have built-in power converters to operate abroad. Always make sure that the electronic gadgetry you are using with the power converter is does not require higher amounts of energy then the converter can convert. Hair dryers, curling irons and other gadgets that require lots of energy should be carefully examined before use to make sure they are compatible with the power converter you have or are using.

Laptop Computer

Our family laptop has become a necessity for all of our family trips. We use our laptop (big wide screen) for many uses such as movies for the kids, storage for our pictures, a place to write about our travels and a way to stay in touch with our friends and family back home through skype and other useful programs. It is very possible to enjoy your trip without bringing a laptop but we believe that bringing one does enhance the enjoyment of your trip, especially if you have children.

Portable GPS

It is possible to rent a portable GPS from a car rental agency and we suggest that you do so if you don't already own one. However, purchasing one before you go on your trip might be a better idea as the cost of the GPS rental basically amounts to slightly less then if you were to buy one of the lower end Garmin or TomTom GPS models (which are perfectly sufficient to get you around). We prefer models that speak the names of the streets (helps to keep your eyes on the road) and that have traffic service alerts bulit-in (to make quick detours). Many places throughout Europe do not have physical addresses (instead using a P.O. Box at the nearest town) but do have GPS addresses (longitude/latitude) making having a GPS really handy as you can simply plug in the coordinates.

Getting Married in Italy

2012-09-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

This topic is near and dear to our hearts as simply talking about getting married in Italy brings back very fond memories of our own wedding in Italy. For many, planning a destination wedding can be a very daunting and intimidating task. Planning for a destination wedding, however, does not have to be challenging. In this post we hope to provide some basic information for anyone thinking about getting married in Italy with the goal of assuaging any anxieties and trepidations one might have about having a destination wedding in Italy.

Hand-made chupa

Initially, the idea of having our wedding abroad seemed like a foolish one. As one can imagine, we had so many questions. How could we choose a venue sight-unseen? How could we afford the cost of a wedding in Tuscumbria? How many of our guests could afford the airline tickets, accommodation costs and all other travel associated expenses? Did we really want to pay several thousands of dollars for a wedding planner and even more for a videographer & photographer? As you can tell, we had so many questions and concerns but after doing a little research, getting some invaluable help from our parents and a family friend of ours (Elizabeth Wholey) who lived in Italy and letting go of a lot of our concerns that we knew we had no control over we were able to have our dream wedding that we had both envisioned.

Our ceremony inside the walls of Castello di Montegualandro

String Quartet

We decided to get married in Tuoro Sul Trasimeno in a small but beautiful castle called Castello di Montegualandro. The rich history of the castle is only rivaled by its fantastic views of Lake Trasimeno and beyond. We said our vows before seventy-five of our dearest family & friends underneath a hand-made chupa which was adorned with grape vines and local flowers. The setting was simply perfect and our hosts, Mr. & Mrs. Marti, were so accommodating and they made sure everything went as planned.

View of Lake Trasimeno from Castello di Montegualandro

Some of our guests enjoying the spectacular views

hors d'oeuvres

We held the ceremony inside the castle walls which allowed for better acoustics for the music and the ceremony. We hired a string quartet to play music during the ceremony and dinner which seemed to be a perfect compliment to the festivities. After the ceremony, we had all of our guests go outside the castle walls to have hors d'oeuvres and local prosecco all while catching a magnificent Tuscumbrian sunset. The food was top-notch and a local band really ended the evening nicely.

Tuscumbrian sunset

We knew very little about how to plan and organize a destination wedding before we planned our own but we believe if we could do it that anyone can plan a spectacular and memorable wedding in Italy. Below you will find some information to help you with your wedding planning. Good luck!

Marriage laws in Italy

Destination weddings raise both legal and logistical questions for anyone looking to get married abroad. Many countries have their own distinct marriage requirements (and some even have marriage pre-requisites) that make getting married in that country pretty difficult.

According to Italian law, civil weddings must be performed in a Town Hall or on a property purchased by the local government only. Most Town Halls are located in historical buildings, unique palaces, villas and manors and offer a lovely setting for a wedding. The ceremony lasts about 30 minutes and is conducted in Italian by the Civil Registrar. An interpreter will be provided during the ceremony if needed. You may personalize the ceremony however you desire using music, personal vows and readings.

Depending on which municipality the marriage is to take place in, you are required to sign a Declaration of Intent to Marry two to four days prior to the wedding.

Marriages in Italy have many guidelines that one must follow including some beaurocratic steps that can make the entire process especially tedious for foreigners who have only a fixed amount of time in Italy. Also, things are slow there and it is difficult to tell whether one will receive important documents in a timely manner. If you are a couple that wants to do your civil ceremony in Italy (the legal part) then the best bet is for you to go with a company that actually makes all of these arrangements for you (cost probably $1500+ euros).

Please note that according to Italian law a divorced woman or widow cannot remarry unless 300 days have elapsed from the date of the Decree Absolute or decease of the previous spouse. Those documents have to be supplied, if applicable.

There are several possibilities regarding a wedding abroad in Italy. We have listed the options below. We chose option 3 as it made the most sense and was simply the easiest thing to do. For readers outside of the United States please check with your own country's marriage requirements.

Obtain the marriage license in the U.S. and perform civil ceremony in the U.S. Easiest option.
Obtain marriage license in the U.S. and perform civil ceremony in foreign country with a U.S (state specific) licensed Officiant. Essentially, find an officiant abroad who is licensed to perform the marital ceremony (sign marital certificate & affidavit) in the state in which couple is getting married. This can be difficult but not impossible to do.
Obtain marriage license in the U.S.(or your country of origin) and perform a civil ceremony in the U.S. followed by a marital ceremony abroad (purely symbolic). This gives the most flexibility to the couple. The couple can choose who they want to be their Officiant (a family friend?) and they are not restricted by the marital laws in either country.

The Logistics of Planning a Destination Wedding

Logistically, there are many important things to think about in terms of planning your destination wedding. Some key things to think about include the wedding planning itself, accommodations for your guests and family members, transportation and activities for your family and guests before, during and after your wedding. We will outline some of the most important things to think about below.

Define a wedding budget - It is very important to define your wedding spending budget. Try to determine how much you believe you realistically can allocate for the wedding and then subtract about 20% of the cost and you'll have a better idea of what your wedding budget really is. By doing this, you allow yourself 20% spending cushion that stays within your realistic budget. The costs for weddings always run higher then one anticipates as unexpected costs invariably come up.
Research & book a venue for the ceremony & reception - This is really one of the most important steps to do first. Picking a venue for the ceremony & reception will take time and patience. Ideally, you will be able to find one venue for both. Once the venue is chosen you can then start selecting food, music, entertainment and other particulars. The venue will likely have someone on hand who will be able to offer you options in regards to food, entertainment and other wedding-related things.
Research & book a restaurant for your rehearsal dinner - If you are asking friends and family to travel half way around the world for your wedding then it is a very good idea that you invite everyone in the bridal party and who attends your wedding rehearsal to come to dinner after the rehearsal. It is in very good taste to invite guests who are not involved in the ceremony to come to dinner too in our opinion. Make sure that you agree on a per person price beforehand and have it in writing, preferably email or written and signed by the manager. Some restaurants on occasion have been known to disregard the agreed upon price once all your guests arrive so having a written confirmation goes a long way in avoiding trouble.
Research & book a restaurant or space for your guests for breakfast the day after the wedding - Since most of your guests will be staying for several days it is appropriate, in our opinion, to have a breakfast for your guests the morning after your wedding. If possible, have the breakfast in a lounge in your hotel or locate a restaurant nearby that will serve breakfast to you and your guests for several hours. Your guests will appreciate this and it is a great way for them to see the newlyweds.
Send out "Save the Date" cards to all your guests - As soon as you have a venue booked make sure to send out "Save the Date" notices. You can do this by email or snail-mail. Many people need to book vacations in advance due to job constraints or other obligations so giving them advance notice allows your guests to make vacation arrangements.
Contact airlines, car rental agencies & hotels to determine if any will give you special rates for your guests - If you are super wealthy and can afford to pay for the airfare, car rentals, hotels and tour costs for your guests then that is great. They will love you more for it. However, if you are like us, then paying for everything is simply not an option. You can, however, get discount rates for your guests and they will certainly appreciate it. Another option is looking into Agriturismi. Multiple guests can share the expense of an Agriturismi and it can be a wonderful experience.
Look into Tuxedo rentals & bridesmaid dresses - The easiest and least expensive way to ensure your grooms look great is to rent tuxedos for them. Places like Joseph A. Bank offer great prices for tuxedo rentals. Bridesmaids dresses should be shopped for early on to ensure that there are sufficient quantities of the dress you desire. Groom and bride are expected to pick up these expenses.
Do research on activities for your guests in and around the area where you will have your wedding - Spending time doing research on the area where you will be getting married is very important for both you and your guests.
Prepare an information packet for your guests - Prepare an information packet for your guests which can be sent to them once they RSVP that includes important travel info such as passport/visa info, map of the area, restaurants recommendations, activity list, hotel info, airline & car info, emergency contact info, etc.
Create a wedding website - This is a very good idea in our opinion. The website is a place where guests can go to for updates and wedding information. Wedorama is just one example of a website where you can sign up and create a wedding site. The cost is minimal and your guests will stay informed and be impressed.
Send out invitations - This is where your creative side comes into play. It is possible to spend a ton of money on hand-made invitations from stores like Papyrus. However, it is also a chance for you to get back in touch with your arts and crafts side and make your own invitations. Either approach will do as long as the important invitation is included. It is very important that your guests know that this is a destination wedding or they may fail to RSVP in time to make vacation arrangements. Make sure to include a pre-stamped RSVP envelope!
Look into party favors for guests - We think it's preferable to buy party favors abroad to avoid having to carry more stuff with you. See below for some suggestions.
Look into gifts for bridesmaids & groomsmen - This is important in our opinion. There are a multitude of sites that offer gift suggestions. We like traditional gifts. Flasks for the men. Jewelry for the women.
Look into thank you cards - Thanking is very important to us and having cards ready to send out when you get home makes it all the easier for you and your guests will be thoroughly impressed.
Research videographers & photographers - Videographers and photographers can run you a pretty penny (or Euro). Picking the right one is the trick. Try to request samples of each person's work so that you can make a better informed decision. For many hiring a photographer is enough. However, some feel that if you're going to trek all the way to Italy then you want to capture the experience from every angle and on every type of medium. We suggest that you just have friends and family take mpeg videos on their cameras or camcorders and then have them send the footage to you. Then you can use a simple video editing software to stitch the footage together. Add some music to this and you have a personal, home-made video of your wedding!
Prepare and write your vows - Do not leave this to the last minute. Try to at least write an outline of your vows before you get to your destination.
Plan your ceremony - This is a chance for you to be creative or to stay traditional. If you are of mixed religious and ethnic backgrounds then the ceremony is a real chance for you to include various aspects of your backgrounds into the ritual itself.
Prepare a thank you speech to you guests and family - Thanking your guests is a must and having a prepared speech is a great way to show your guests how thankful you are that they came this far to celebrate your special day.
Research musicians and/or bands for the ceremony and/or reception - The venue you select might have someone who will be able to make recommendations for you. Follow their suggestions and make sure you get samples to choose from and listen to.
Prepare a music list of special songs for specific traditional dances - This is important to do so that the band you hire will know what songs to play and when. Also, if the band or DJ you hire does not have the songs you like you can bring them with you in mp3 format.

Some Suggestions

Do not be shy about enlisting a couple of close friends and relatives to help you. Having friends and family help to ensure that things go the right way will alleviate much of your stress. They will be flattered that you asked them. Just make sure to thank them and to reward them with a generous gift afterwards. We relied heavily on several of our friends and family and without them our wedding might never have happened.

Many of your guests will see your destination wedding as a chance to celebrate with you but also as an opportunity to have a wonderful vacation too. The wedding celebrations might last a couple of days, at most, so your guests will have time on their hands and it is customary for the bride & groom to either set up activities for their guests or provide their guests with activity options.

Putting disposable digital cameras on each table is a great way for your guests to get involved and for you to get extra pictures of your wedding.

If you have friends or family who are avid photographers and have decent cameras (digital SLR) then ask one or two of them to take pictures before and during your wedding ceremony. This could save you from having to hire a wedding photographer which could be upwards of $5,000 dollars.

Favors for your guests do not have to be expensive as long as they are meaningful. Here are some of our suggestions:

Wine bottle - We purchased local wine and designed our own labels with our wedding info on it. Just make sure that your guests do not receive the bottles until the conclusion of the wedding.
Local olive oil - This is also a nice favor because it can be consumed and is a reminder of the area the wedding took place.
Putting together a CD of your wedding music - This is an easy and inexpensive gift. Music is a wonderful way to remember a special event.
Put together an organized activity - one thing all guests love is to attend an organized (and free) activity. Some ideas might be taking your guests to the beach, on a vinyard tour, a city tour or some other type of activity that you think the majority of your guests might like to participate in.
Gift certificates - Giving gift certificates to local restaurants, activities or shops is a terrific idea as many of your guests surely will enjoy buying souvenirs of their trip.

We think that creating a wedding website make great sense and is an efficient way to send out updates and give information to your guests. Many of the wedding websites currently available (e.g. Wedorama) offer really nice designs at a nominal fee. Simply upload your pictures, type out your information and you're good to go. You can include your wedding venue information, directions, a blurb about the wedding couple and anything else you wish.

Here are some marriage planning resources:
United States Government website: http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_754.html
Italy Weddings - http://www.italy-weddings.com/how_to_get_married_in_italy.htm
Getting Married in Italy - http://www.gettingmarriedinitaly.com/showPage.php?template=pages_first&masterPage=page_aboutus.html&search=aboutus
Italian Destination Weddings - http://www.italiandestinationweddings.com/
Italy Weddings - http://www.italyweddings.com/
Go Italy - http://goitaly.about.com/od/weddingsinital/Italian_Wedding_Planning_Getting_Married_in_Italy.htm
Elizabeth in Umbria - http://www.elizabethinUmbria.com
Rick Steves - http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti125.html
Summer in Italy - http://www.summerinitaly.com/traveltips/getting-married-in-italy-tips-to-get-you-started
Castello di Montegualandro - http://www.montegualandro.com
Wedorama - http://www.wedorama.com
Marry Me in Tuscany - http://www.marrymeintuscany.co.uk/
Some suggestions on when to get married: http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allthingstuscany/aroundtuscany/when-to-get-married-in-tuscany/

If you have any suggestions, advice or specific venues you'd like to mention please do so by leaving a comment or submitting a review.

Traveling with Children

2012-08-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Flying with Kids

No one dreads flying more then parents with small children who are especially susceptible to the changes in altitude pressure. We have traveled with infants and toddlers and find that there is no way to predict how your child will react to flying for the first time. In all our experiences, however, we have never had an issue with our children upsetting other passengers. Ofcourse, every travel experience is unique and it's not safe to assume that people will always be so understanding. Indeed, before we had children we often would request seating as far away from families with infants as possible. Oh how things change!

You never know who you might meet!

We would recommend bringing a couple of games and activities that can keep your child busy. Drawing paper, crayons, books and games are all good bets for keeping a child's interest. While the airlines usually have in-flight entertainment for kids nothing beats bringing your child's own favorite selection of movies and videos so if you can bring a portable DVD player or laptop it will come in handy. We like bringing our laptop wherever we go because it's easy to put on a movie and prevent a melt-down.

Typically, children under 2 fly for free or pay only the taxes (they are not purchasing a seat but, rather, will sit on your lap) while children over 2 years of age pay full-price. There are exceptions to these ticketing practices, however, and the age limitations can either be higher or lower so it is prudent to check with your airline to confirm what their policies are.

Baby Air flight Vest

For parents traveling with infants the best seats on an airplane to reserve are bulkhead seats as they offer more leg room and a small area where infants and toddlers can safely stretch their legs or roll on their backs (though it's recommended that children of all ages remain seat belted at all times).

It is possible to purchase a lap belt to strap infants in that connects to their parent's lap belt. We tried this method but it only worked for takeoff and landing as our child wanted to move around as much as possible once the plane leveled off. (See: Air flight vest). For additional information on flying with kids this handy site provides answers to many of the most common questions parents have about flying with children: Flying with Children).

***Update 8/2011- We recently flew on 6 different flights with our two sons (age 5.6 & 1.5) and were told by several airlines (American, Iberia) that child safety lap belts & vests were not proven to be affective in the event of an airline crash. Indeed, the only airline that issued us an infant lap belt was British Airways. We were told by an American Airlines steward that the force of a plane crash is 4 times greater then the force of a car crash and that the vests and belts were not strong enough to withstand an airplane crash and that infants using these safety devices would most likely fail to be properly restrained if a crash did occur. The airline advised that we bring on board with us a car seat as this would provide the best protection possible in the event of a crash. Ofcourse, instead of flying for free, infants riding in a car seat would be required - on most airlines - to pay about 50% of the price of an adult ticket because a seat is necessary for the infant car seat (airline policies differ so check with your carrier).

Passports

Anyone entering Italy must have a valid passport or visa. It is important to make sure that your child's passport is valid and will not expire less then 3 months after the date of travel. It is a great idea to make a color photocopy of your child's passport and keep it hidden in a separate location from the original. In the United States, children up to age 16 must be accompanied by both parents (or have an affidavit in lieu of one parent being present). Children must not smile when their passport photo is being taken and kids with long hair must part their hair to the sides.

Safety

It is generally a good idea to take the same precautions in Italy as you would at home. Like any foreign country, Italy has plenty of dangers for children.

The most common crime is theft and pick pocketing. Children traveling with family members are typically not a target for crime but there are exceptions so keep an eye on your young children at all times. If you are accosted by a criminal while with your children the best thing to do is give the assailant what he/she wants.

Family tip **** - Whenever we travel to a heavily touristed area as a safety precaution we slip a note card in our child's pocket with our hotel address, our child's full name, our email address, telephone number and our full names. Along with this we write: "Ciao, io sono perso può per favore aiutarmi a trovare i miei genitori? Non parlo l'italiano. Io parlo solo inglese" ("Hello, I am lost can you please help me find my parents? I do not speak any Italian. I speak only English.")

Driving with Kids

Driving anywhere children can be quite an adventure. Driving in Italy with children can be fun and easy. It is possible to rent a car seat from your car rental provider for a nominal daily fee.

Hotels with Kids

Most hotels are very accommodating to families with children. However, some hotels prefer adult guests only so make sure you make inquire as to what your hotel's policy is regarding kids. Always request cots and cribs/bassinets in advance as most hotels will have these on hand (some charge a fee) but in limited quantities.

It is also our suggestion to ask the manager if a first aid kit is on-hand and if not where the closest place to get medical attention for kids might be. Some big chain hotels have medical staff on call so be sure to check with your hotel provider.

Swimming pools are always a huge safety issue especially for young children. Always make sure that your younger children are supervised by the pool at all times.

We have found it helpful to explain to our kids what to and not touch in the hotel room. What might appear complimentary to your child might not be complimentary if taken or opened. In higher end hotels drinks in the mini fridges have touch sensors that record what was moved off of them. We learned the hard way when we received a larger bill then expected as a result of our son moving the bottled drinks around and taking them out of the refrigerator.

If you are traveling with an infant or child that requires milk or refrigeration of a medical supply always be sure to ask the concierge if a refrigerator is available if there is not one in your room.

Eating with Kids

Eating with kids in Italy is very easy. In the major cities it will be possible to get all types of children's foods in the supermarkets, restaurants and even fast food chains. Pizza & pasta can be bought almost everywhere. Cheese and ham sandwiches are also readily available. And, ofcourse, there is Nutella everywhere. Nutella is an amazing hazelnut spread and is delicious on almost anything. Kids will love trying Italian pizza along with the wide variety of pasta dishes too.

Most restaurants have high-chairs for younger children. From our experiences, the high-chairs we've seen and used aren't the best or most stable but are generally safe and suitable for young kids. When we traveled with our 1.5 year old son we took a portable chair with us which proved to be very useful.

In the smaller towns it has been our experience that the restaurant owners and staff love children, especially young children. We often received special attention as a result of our son's presence...

A picture is worth a thousand words

Baby Supplies

It is possible to buy baby food supplies in the big supermarkets. Sometimes the smaller convenience stores carry baby supplies too. The pharmacy will also carry certain infant medications along with diapers too.

If you require special supplies for your child it is advised that you bring them from home. Often when visiting the smaller towns, when we most needed supplies for our young son we found it very hard to get supplies as a result stores being closed due to holidays, for daily rest, etc.

Activities for Kids

For families traveling with kids of all ages often one of the main concerns is finding activities for their kids to do. Fortunately, Italy loves children of all ages and there is plenty to keep grownups and children busy and happy.

It is generally understood that most children can take just so much of the tourist grind and would welcome a nice change of pace. In our experiences, children traveling to Italy love gelato, shows, movies, bicycle riding, horseback riding, the beach, swimming, sports and just running around in a local playground.

Some very good activities for kids resources:

Family tip**** - We try our best to make traveling fun for our two boys. In addition to allowing activities that we normally would not allow our boys to do (watching movies, playing video games, etc.) we play more games with them then we typically would do. Good games and activities to play and do are card games, eye-spy, spot the plane, singing songs, coloring & drawing, and many more. We also try to make it interesting for our boys by turning all of our traveling trips into ways to grow their various collections. When we travel on a plane, train, bus or boat we try our hardest to find a replica toy copy for them to purchase as one of a couple of mementos of their trip. For example, every time we fly a new airline the boys are entitled to a small, inexpensive, die cast airplane of that particular airline. Every time we rent a car the boys are entitled to a small matchbox equivalent. And every time, well, you get the idea! It is also possible to collect almost anything - stickers, coaster, spoons, post cards, stamps - so find something inexpensive and fun that your children can collect to remind them of their trip and to keep their interest!

Dealing with Homesickness

We have all experienced homesickness at least a handful of times during our lives so it is easy to relate to what some younger children might experience when they travel even though their parent(s) are with them. To this day, every time we take a trip our eldest son always says immediately upon arriving at our destination (and sometimes sooner) "I miss home, I can't wait to get back, I'm homesick already." This reaction is natural and talking to your child(ren) about the highlights of your trip that await them is a great way to ease their minds. Also, emphasizing how a break in routine is a good thing will encourage their sense of exploration and teach them to accept change as a positive thing. We always use the "you're so lucky to be traveling" card which never seems to fail.

Be A Smart Money Changer

2012-08-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Whenever we go abroad to anywhere in the world we always revisit the question of what makes the most money-sense when it comes to changing our currency. Like many of our readers, we work hard and strive to avoid having to pay any unnecessary or excessive fees. Below is a brief list of the different options travelers have when it comes to exchanging their currency and the pros and cons of each option.

Cash Withdrawal From ATMs

Over the past 10 years we have found that the easiest and most cost-effective way to exchange currencies is through a foreign ATM. ATMs are widely used throughout Europe and Italy is no exception. Simply bring your debit card with you to make a withdrawal at any ATM that bears the same logo as seen on your card (e.g. Nice, Cirrus, etc.). The ATMs will dispense cash. Preferably, use ATM's that belong to or are affiliated with the bank that issued your ATM debit card at home as this will save you some money on bank fees.Typically, you will receive a service charge from the bank you are withdrawing money from, your bank at home and a charge for the currency conversion itself. Some banks have foreign relationships with each other and this often reduces certain fees that are charged.

Bancomat ATM

There are several real concerns one should consider before using a debit card at a foreign ATM. First, a debit card is directly linked to your bank account. If you are worried about unauthorized use of your debit card make sure to check your bank statements regularly while you are abroad. Setting up online access to your bank account is a great way to monitor your account activity.

Another concern with using a debit card at an ATM is that some banks will put a freeze on your checking account if they see any unusual activity, especially if the activity is coming from abroad. Once a bank puts a freeze on your account you will be unable to withdraw money from your checking account until you speak to a bank representative. Save yourself the agita and time and let your bank know before you leave on your trip that you will be traveling and to authorize any transactions you might make while abroad.

Keep in mind that if you use your anything other then a debit card at an ATM that you will be charged additional fees by your bank and the dispensing bank as this is technically considered a "cash advance".

Also important to note is that many ATM machines have daily withdrawal limitations and often put a cap on the total amount of money one can withdraw during each transaction. We always try to take out the largest amount possible to avoid incurring multiple service charges.

Travelex and other non-bank ATMs charge high service fees

Most ATMs will dispense bills in large denominations which are often difficult to cash in more rural areas. We always withdraw odd amounts (as opposed to even) such as 480 euros instead of 500 Euros to ensure that we have smaller bills on hand. It is also a great idea to bring two debit cards in the case that one gets destroyed, fails to work or you want to get double the amount of cash out each day. Lastly, make sure you use a bank ATM. ATMs that have no bank affiliation (e.g. Travelex) charge outrageous fees.

Credit Cards

In the absence of cash, a credit card is often the only form of payment that is accepted in restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. The most widely accepted credit cards in Italy are Visa and Mastercard. American Express is accepted by many business establishments but is often the least preferred because of the higher service fees American Express charges.

Typically, you will incur a 1-3% service charge every time you use your card abroad. Using your card repeatedly will cause your fee-related costs to increase considerably.

Bringing at least one credit card is important though we use our credit cards only for our big expenses such as car rental, hotel and restaurants. As with our advice for debit card use, we strongly encourage you to call your bank to notify them of your travel plans and to authorize spending on your account during the time that you will be away.

Some banks offer pre-paid visa or mastercard that can be replenished through a checking account online. Ask your bank if you qualify for this option and learn about what fees, if any, are associated with the use of this type of pre-paid card abroad.

American Express Traveler's checks

We still have about $80 worth of American Travelers Checks sitting in a backpack that has been stuck in the back of our closet for the past 10 years. With the broader acceptance of credit cards and the increasing number of ATMs throughout Italy we believe that you have better options then purchasing Travelers Checks for your trip.

There are better options then using Traveler's Checks

Airport

It is possible to exchange your currency at every international airport. Non-bank related companies such as Travelex offer convenient currency exchange but at a premium cost to you. If you need some immediate cash (for taxis, quick bite to eat, etc.) then it's fine to exchange some cash at the airport. Better yet, use one of the many ATMs in the airport if you want to save some money. Change larger amounts of currency at your hotel or simply use another ATM anywhere outside of the airport.

Changing Currency at Your Local Bank

Another option for travelers is to purchase foreign currency at their home bank. Some banks like Bank of America offer favorable rates as they have business affiliations with some of the major banks in Europe. Check with your bank to see if this option is right for you.

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Use this free currency exchange rate converter: Yahoo Currency Converter

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We hope this helps you make a better informed decision when it comes to changing your currency. If you have any tips or suggestions on how our readers can save money please share them below in the comments section.

Eating in Italy

2012-08-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

E A T I N G I N I T A L Y

Sampling the various cuisines in Italy should be one of the top priorities on every visitor's to-do list. Each region in Italy has its own specialty dishes and within each region slight variations in these dishes can exist from town to town. furthermore, within each town the same dish can taste differently depending upon which family or restaurant is cooking it. Our advice is to sample as many dishes at as many places as possible as you never know what delicious surprise you might get.

Understanding the basics

The first step in having a delicious meal in Italy is to learn the basic difference between the various types of restaurants throughout Italy. This is especially important while traveling off the beaten path where Italian is often the only language spoken.

Types of Italian restaurants:

Ristorante - Full service restaurant. Some have fixed menus.
Bar - Corner cafe where you can get a quick sandwich, pizza slice and cafe or cappuccino.
Trattoria - A restaurant that is typically located off the main avenue.
Osteria - Very much like a Trattoria but perhaps one grade below in service.
Taverna - A small eatery with a heavy focus on drinks.
Tavola Calda - This is as close to fast food as you get but the quality nothing like fast food.
Pizzeria - Serves mainly pizza but it is possible to get other types of foods too. Pizzeria taglio you purchases slices. At a regular pizzeria you buy a pie and sit and eat it.
Rosticceria - Place where you can pick up pre-cooked foods to take home.
Paninoteca - sandwich shop.
Birrieria - Italian version of a pub.

Types of Meals

Prima colazione Breakfast, 7:00am - 10:00am - Breakfast typically consistes of a cappuccino or expresso with a croissant or brioche filled with something delicious like jam, custard or chocolate.

Pranzo Lunch, 12:30 or 1:00pm to 2:30 or 3:00pm - Lunch times can differ depending on the region, municipality or town. Traditionally, Italians eat their lunches at home which consists of an appetizer, fist course and second course.

Cena Dinner, 8:00pm to 10:00 or later in some areas. Dinner may sometimes include cheeses, deserts, coffee and after dinner liquor in addition to the three courses traditionally served for lunch.

Types of foods
Italian food is as varied as its regions, towns and municipalities.The same dish can taste dramatically different depending upon where you are eating and in which reason. There are also many dishes throughout Italy that are region-specific. A great resource for foodies traveling to Italy is The Hungry Traveler: Italy. This book has a ton of information on everything food-related in Italy.

Typically, Italian dishes are made with the freshest available ingredients. This means that where you go to eat you're sure to have a decent meal (though there are exceptions!).

For more on this topic: Italian food.

Hours of operation

If you are used to grabbing a bite to eat at all times of the day then the Italian restaurant schedule might come as an initial shock. Indeed, the Italian work schedule might come as an even greater shock. From 1-3 p.m. Italians stop everything and take a 2 hour break; seriously, the shops close up and even the dogs stop barking. Advice: get up and get going early or forget about it until about 3:30pm.

Restaurants in Italy generally follow the same rule in that they are closed for 2 hours during the early afternoon and typically reopen for dinner which can often be past 7pm. Always remember to call in advance - when possible - to make a reservation or to confirm restaurant hours as restaurants often have one day where they are closed for business.

Additionally, restaurants take giorno di riposo (day of rest) each week. Many shut down for the month of August and several weeks in winter. It is strange to us that restaurants would want to close during the busiest tourist months but this is a great example of how Italians put life before work.

Eating etiquette
It is always a good idea to greet the cameriere (waiter) with a buongiorno (good day) or buonasera (good evening).

It is typical for Italian to only drink water and wine with their meals. You can have naturale (natural) or gassata or frizzante (sparkling) water with your meal. You can have rosso (red), rosato (rose) or bianco (white) wine. Sodas are not popular to have with meals.

While tipping is not necessary (especially if a service charge is already included) it is an appropriate way to show your gratitude and pleasure with the meal and service.

Always say goodbye to your waiter. An "arriverderci" or "buonasera" will suffice.

To tip or not to tip?
Tipping is not expected in Italy. In fact, even if it is, the tips are usually minimal. More often then not, the conto (bill) will include a service and cover charge that can sometimes be as high as 20% of the bill itself! Tipping in our opinion, is an ideal way to show your satisfaction with the meal and the service but is by no means necessary if there is a service and cover charge already. In sit-down restaurants we find that 10-15% tip is not only customary but also quite generous.

Avoid being taken advantage of
Not only are tourists in Italy a prime target of thieves, but tourists are also targeted by some not so honest restaurants. Having said that, while there are a few shady restaurant establishments, the overwhelming majority of the restaurants that we've eaten at have been terrific and law-abiding.

We had the unfortunate experience, however, of a restaurant's attempt to take advantage of us along with our 20+ guests on the eve of our wedding in Tuscumbria. What was even more shocking to us at the time was that we had eaten at this restaurant at least once every visit and had nothing but memorable experiences.

To make a long story short, our wedding planner and the management of the restaurant had agreed on a per person price weeks in advance of our rehearsal dinner. On the night of our wedding rehearsal our wedding planner escorted us and our guests to the restaurant and then, as planned, had to leave for another event she was attending too. We became suspicious after a lengthy delay by the wait staff to bring any food or drinks to our tables. When we approached the manager about the delay he said that they were not "prepared" to serve our large group until an agreed upon price had been settled on. As you can imagine, we were livid and without our wedding planner to confirm our reservations she had made we had had few options. We either had to negotiate a new per person agreement, walk out (which we weren't going to do as finding a place to accommodate such a large group with no advance notice would be impossible) or threaten to call the Guardia di finanza (The Guardia di Finanza is similar to the IRS and has the power to slap heavy fines or shut down law-breaking business establishments). We decided to go with the latter option and after we applied a little pressure on the management everything went very smoothly and the food came out swiftly too.

The most feared police in Italy. Really!

Apparently, after having shared our experience with other people we learned that this tactic of agreeing on a per person price and then disregarding the agreement once the party arrives is a common tactic employed by some of the less then honest restaurant establishments in an attempt to drive the price up.

Our story above is only one way that foreigners can get taken advantage of while eating at restaurants in Italy.

Here is a terrific article "How not to get ripped off eating in Italy" that outlines many other ways tourists can be taken advantage of and even offers ways to turn the tables on the offending restaurant and regain the advantage. This article is definitely worth the read.

Highlights of the article include:

The farthest away from a tourist site you eat the less likely you are to be ripped off.
Don't sit down in an Italian Cafe.
Know what you do and don't have to pay.
Avoid giving the waiter the power to decide what, or how, much to bring.
Make sure you get an itemized receipt.
Ripped off? Want to take action?
Fiscal vs. Non-Fiscal Receipts.