-Week 1- |
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Walking through the streets of this magical and picturesque town in the lush and historical Umbrian region, just to the east of Tuscany, begs me to accomplish one task: taste its equally magical culinary offerings. Though our trip began in Milano, I feel compelled to begin my testament to Italian gastronomy in Perugia, the second stop on our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel Italy and its environs.
When our qualifications regarding a place of lodging consist of price and the availability of breakfast our expectaions are anything but high. However, as we pulled up to this quaint and seemingly centuries-old villa in the hills of Perugia we knew we had come to the right place. Breakfast consisted of fresh eggs gathered that morning from the henhouse and Torta di Pasqua (a wonderful and savory little pie); not to mention the aromatic, stovetop espresso. The "Farmhouse," as it is so appropriately named, was just where we belonged.
Once we made it to the historic town center I knew our tastebuds would be in gastronomic heaven for the remainder of the day. As we perused the narrow alleys and explored the Etruscan ruins our steps lead to the 'Fantasyland' for the culinarily-inclined. The narrow roads lead to, as most Italian roads do, a magnificent piazza. This particular pizza, howevewr, on this particular day was anything but ordinary. Rows upon rows of tables and tents were set up displaying everything from gorgeously-aged cheeses to countless selections of Easter breads (particularly a specific treat called 'Ciaramicola', a pink ring-shaped Easter cake, traditionally given by girls of marriageable age to their lovers) to sausage made from a donkey infused with black truffles (particularly amazing - perhaps we should convince Mario to attempt something similar?...though it may be a bit of a struggle to wrangle wild donkey in Orange County...) Antonio was more than happy to pose for a photo and promote what he so masterfully created. To accompany our sausages we purchased, after much tasting, two gorgeous pieces of cheese: one ball of Burrata and one fairly large chunk of aged goat cheese (a little over a pound!). Since it would have been a form of culinary blasphemy to leave with only those, we found it necessary to include dry, black olives and a gorgeous chunk of foccacia con cipolle. Once our stomachs could handle no more temptation we headed to the steps of the cathedral in Piazza IV Novembre to savor our treats. Everything was as it should be: sun shining, people gathered, children laughing...life. And what would life be without gelato? The seemingly perfect afternoon concluded with heaping scoops of pinolata (pine nut) and riso (yes, rice) gelato-the best I have ever tasted.
The rest of the day was spent gasping at the incredible views surrounding the city and strolling through the charming, cobblestone streets. Perugia: a gem of a city and a culinary highlight of Italy.
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