Italy's Green Heart
The Umbrian region of Italy has a rich history of delicious food, printing, and beautiful ceramics. At the landlocked center of Italy, and roughly two hours from both Rome and Florence, the region has been able to comfortably host a thriving tourism industry while still fervently maintaining its cultural heritage and traditions.
Geography: Umbria is the centrally located region East of Tuscany and West of Le Marche. Its Eastern area hosts the Apennine mountain range and the majority of its topography is otherwise influenced by its relation to the Tiber River, the third-longest river in Italy, and its tributaries. Because of the Tiber river basin, Umbria is considered the fertile, "green heart of Italy." The region is able to produce magnificent crops of olives, grapes, and wheat every year.
History: Like much of Italy, Umbria's rich history began long ago. The Umbri people (one of the oldest indigenous groups in Italy) had founded most of their major cities in the 9th-4th centuries BCE. Also like much of the rest of Italy, Umbria was taken then overtaken again many times after until 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, uniting all of the Italian states. The interaction between the developed medieval towns, the influence of the Catholic Church during papal reign, and the eventual fight for unity in Italy allowed Umbria to develop into the culturally rich region we know today.
Ceramics: The fine art of ceramic-making is popular throughout Italy, and Umbria is no exception. It is one of Umbria's most traditional art-forms, having been practiced as far back as the Estruscan reign over the region. Umbria is home to many workshops, particularly in Deruta and other cities along the Tiber river, where there's a lot of excellent clay for pottery-making. Deruta is renowned for ceramics that are high in quality, brightly-colored, and feature fresh, new designs integrated smoothly with the more traditional patterns.
Wine: Umbria has long produced reasonable-quality wine, and in the past 15-20 years, the overall quality has steadily improved. Part of the reason Umbria is now home to such excellent vino is the diversity in its production. Umbrian vineyards range from the very small to the very large, and most wine comes from vines originally brought by Estruscans from Greece. Some of the most recently renowned wines from Umbria are the Orvieto, Orvieto Classico, and Sagratino di Montefalco. These towns (Orvieto and Montefalco) and some others (notably Torgiano) already rely on wine in their local economies, and as they craft higher-quality wine, wine-production is becoming an even larger part of the economy and culture of Umbria.
Truffles: One of the best and most common reasons to visit Italy in the off-season is the elusive and delicious black truffle. Umbria is lucky enough to have a wonderful climate for growing truffles. Unfortunately, truffles aren't grown on farms, or harvested like other cash crops. The curious fungi grows wild October-March and are brought to our plates by truffle-hunters, who, with the help of specially trained dogs, seek the white truffle from October through December and the black truffle from October through March. While the weather may not be as warm, this period is truly the only time to get truffles; simply put, truffles aren't particularly good out of season. So when you visit Umbria in the summer, the only truffles you'll find are in an oil.
Olive Oils: Umbria adheres to fairly strict quality standards in its olive oil production. The label DOC, or "denominazione di origene controllata" (denomination of controlled origin), indicates that the oil conforms to the quality standards of the region in which it was produced. Umbria is divided into five such regions, the strictest being centered around Trevi. Olive oil production is a highly respected trade in Umbria, making it a great place to buy oil.
Cities: Umbria has many beautiful and historic cities.
