The journey we are about to describe started one morning in August, without notice or any kind of organization.
We had a few days off and we got into the car, without a precise destination, towards Umbria, a region we knew little about.
As you may have understood, we are passionate about travel but also about good food and drinks, so our tour had the aim of discovering the beauties of the area, and getting to know its products.
DAY 1: TRASIMENO LAKE AND PERUGIA
The choice of the first stage was totally guided by gluttony.
We were on the highway, driving south, and after a few hours the hunger started to be felt.
Obviously we went along with it and, searching the web for reviews and suggestions, we found an interesting restaurant on Trasimeno Lake, in the city of Castiglione del Lago.
Intrigued by the excellent reviews, we arrived in this delightful village.
It is a small walled city, with a street dotted with shops selling typical products and restaurants that lead to a tower with a splendid view that embraces the whole lake, which we reached by crossing a characteristic olive grove.
Let’s be honest though… we arrived here after a stop at the restaurant “l’angolo del buongustaio”.
You can find it easily after crossing the city gate.
Grabbed the last available table, we jumped on a platter of local cold cuts and cheeses accompanied by the typical Torta al testo, of which we attach photos because we cannot fail to share this!
A true symphony of tastes matched with a Montefalco wine perfectly.
A truly delicious lunch, with an applause to the honesty of the guys who prevented us from ordering the whole menu in a rush, as we assure you that the abundance of the dish was more than enough to feed us.
After a walk in downtown, a coffee and an iced digestive, we took the road towards Perugia.
Quick stop in the city of Passignano sul Trasimeno, with a short walk along the lake, and then direct to the Umbrian capital.
Here we were welcomed by a splendid city. The ancient buildings are well-kept, the intimate and silent alleys run through the historic center and offer magnificent views, also thanks to the light of the sunset.
We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the currents of fresh air.
After an ice cold beer we started thinking about dinner, and this was the only flaw of this trip: all the places of interest to us were very full. Small inconvenience of being guided by events, but we did not lose heart and we still managed to find a table in a tourist restaurant on the main square that did not really satisfy us, but this is also part of the adventure.
Definitely exhausted from the trip, we then headed to our apartment for the night.
DAY 2: UMBRIAN VILLAGES
Our second Umbrian day had as its objective the discovery of the villages of the region, considered among the most beautiful in Italy and that is why we headed early to Gubbio, a splendid center set in the mountain, developed on two levels.
Arriving in the municipal parking lot, we left the car and started the climb towards the village on foot, not without having first filled up with energy with a good coffee and a croissant.
The expectations created by the various comments and articles on the web have been totally fulfilled.
Gubbio is beautiful, elegant and very suggestive.
It is pleasant to walk among the local craft shops, and to relax on the sunny and wide public square. Ideal place to take the inevitable group selfies.
You will have to conquer the balcony to accomplish this feat!
Leaving after about an hour, we headed to Assisi.
Here we found the same candid and relaxed atmosphere of Perugia, the Basilica was beautiful even if the queues to visit it were definitely too long and pushed us to give up
We spent an hour in the narrow and winding alleys (the ups and downs are omnipresent in the Umbrian towns, train your legs before departure) in search of all the points of interest marked on our map, strictly on paper until it was clear to our bodies exhausted that the time to refresh ourselves had finally come.
The places we met on our journey in Assisi were all either very crowded, or too touristy, so we thought of breaking the mold and, guys, we saw it right.
Outside the historic center, in via Los Angeles (which is a very bizarre name in our opinion given the location) there is the “porcello divno” where you can taste an excellence of the territory so appetizing that words alone cannot make the idea… his majesty the “porchetta”!
Good, soft, tasty .. the best we have eaten. Here you can enjoy it in a tasty sandwich, choosing the accompanying vegetables and cheeses.
It is sliced in front of your eyes, and you can accompany it with a good cold beer.
We tried: dried tomatoes, spinach, pecorino and eggplant, scamorza and pecorino.
Exceptional … we also did an encore ! If you happen to be in the area you have to taste it!
Reluctantly, we had to leave that place of gastronomic perdition, and saturated with food we left for Spello, where the first climb forced us to take a coffee and digestive break.
The stage this time was quick, due to the sultry heat and the digestive phase in progress we could not fully enjoy this visit.
But surely this Umbrian gem is also worth a visit.
At this point, there was one last point on the schedule devised in the morning, to see: The waterfall of Marmore.
We reached it in the late afternoon, and a nice cloud full of rain also arrived with us.
Nonetheless, we bought an entrance ticket and reached the top of the waterfall where we learned that the lovers’ terrace (the most famous viewpoint, because it was dug behind the jet of water) was closed.
However, we were able to admire the imposing waterfall from other points of view, with its reflections of light and its water features.
There is also the possibility through a marked path to reach the base of the hill, or vice versa to start from the ground and reach the top, but the imminent closure of the park did not allow us to do it.
At that point, back to the car, we started thinking about where to spend the night and an idea won us over, why not totally change reality after this immersion in Umbrian relaxation?
Rome we are cominig!
And after a few hours, and some inevitable slowdown on the ring road, here we are crossing the splendid, incomparable, majestic capital towards Trastevere.
Here we booked two nights in a very central bnb with excellent value for money.
After settling in, we plunged into the crowded and noisy, welcoming Trastevere nightlife that we loved and here we ended this memorable day with a meal worthy of such splendor: LA CARBONARA.
Crispy bacon, eggs, fresh homemade tonnarelli, pecorino romano … a riot of taste, sinfulness and richness, which fully reflects the soul of the city that gave it its birth!
Day 3: ROME
Third day, milled km and km of asphalt and cobblestones so as not to miss even a corner of the city which, as long as we keep coming back, always manages to amaze us with its uniqueness.
Starting from Santa Maria in Trastevere, we reached Vatican City and Castel Sant’Angelo, from there we continued towards Piazza Navona to reach Piazza di Spagna.
Here we went up the mythical staircase of Trinità dei Monti, and in the company of an unmissable view over the rooftops of Rome, we arrived at the terrace of the Pinicio.
We went down to Piazza del Popolo, we visited the political buildings and then reached the Trevi Fountain.
Here we stop for lunch, in a very interesting sandwich shop, where the choice of products is local and the price is adequate.
Continuing along the path, our gaze was captured by a sign that spoke of the best Tiramisu in the city, and we, for the record, felt obliged to test the truthfulness of this statement.
We do not know if it is the best in the city, for lack of terms of comparison, but it certainly deserves a taste.
We took the classic one, with the addition of chocolate flakes, in a convenient single portion for walking. Great!!
We then moved towards the Altare della Patria, the Trajan Markets, we skirted the Imperial Forums and sat in the shadow of the Colosseum to catch our breath.
Even if the sight of such beauty, in reality, takes your breath away!
The charm of ancient Rome never ceases to amaze, and the emotion that one feels when passing through these places is indescribable!
After a short break based on liters of ice water, we decided to return, forcing ourselves not to give in to the temptation to look for an alternative transports, and after crossing the Circo Massimo and the rose garden, here we are home straight.
It was not a mirage, the bnb was there in front of our eyes.
After a nice refreshing shower, the search for alternatives for dinner began.
In the end we opted for a beer-based aperitif and a cutting board, which unfortunately did not live up to expectations, and for dinner we drank meatballs with cheese and pepper, amatriciana and sauce.
And with great melancholy, in this way, we greeted magical Rome!
Day 4: TUSCANY
The approach towards home begins.
Departing towards Lucca, we decided to intersperse the journey with sea stops.
The first mark, the Argentario, where we arrive in the late morning. We had a coffee in Porto Ercole, breakfast was never more expensive. Crazy prices.
Failed, as far as we are concerned
After buying focaccia and cold cuts, we looked for a beach to relax for a few hours but the amount of tourists was really exorbitant, and the search for parking was exhausting.
However, in the end we found a small space on the side of the road, we armed ourselves with a thermal backpack, food and fresh beers and we walked the steep descent towards the Spiaggia Lunga, a cove with a stone beach reachable only on foot via a dirt path.
Clean sea, but very high concentration of bathers. We may have chosen the wrong day, but unfortunately our experience was not the best.
We still had a nice refreshing bath, ate and sunbathed.
At a certain point, the tragic moment of the ascent to the top of the escarpment arrived, and we walked a bit roasted and baked by the sun towards the road back.
Back on the highway, we headed north but after waiting spasmodically to see the sea again to try a second bathing stop, we realized we had taken the wrong junction… we were heading towards the hinterland and by now the beach was far away.
After having had big laughs, because the situation was really funny, resigned we continued to Montecatini Terme, where we stopped for the night.
Montecatini is a small town that does not offer major attractions. We were unable to try the numerous spa facilities, as they were all fully booked; then we visited the upper village which is very pretty and had dinner in a restaurant on the mountain, very simple but generous in portions.
Day 5: TOWARDS HOME
Last day, we left for home.
First stop Pisa, Piazza dei Miracoli under the rain.
The view of the tower and the baptistery is always impressive, and the crowd of tourists in absurd poses is very funny to get the classic perspective photo.
Obviously we tried it too, but with bad results.
For lunch we had reserved the restaurant Da Giulio in Pelleria, a well-known restaurant in Lucca, so after the visit we went back to the street and punctual as clockwork we showed up for our appointment with the table.
Tuscan appetizer and a typical second course, even if our first choice was much wider but unfortunately most of the dishes we selected were finished.
We completed our mini-tour of Tuscany with the souvenir shopping tour: freshly baked cantucci, and a few good bottles of Chianti and Montepulciano.
On the road again, we attempted a stop in Lerici, in Liguria, already imagining ourselves on the fine sand to toast the end of our trip… and instead the beach was full and even the free one was actually on reservation.
We allowed ourselves the toast anyway, and then off back home.
We hope that the story of this improvised road trip has been useful to you and amused you at least a little.
In case, stay connected… we will continue to tell you about us and our travels, and to share our experiences with you.
