Tours of Umbria Italy

A Visit to the Antico Frantoio Brizi in Montefalco

Yesterday we were in Montefalco so we decided to visit the Antico Frantoio Brizi, a well-known olive oil mill right in the heart of Montefalco which has been run by the Brizi family since the beginning of the last century. The olive oil mill produces cold pressed extra-virgin olive oil using local olives and the equipment used is the same as when the press first opened in 1915. The owners Emanuela and Mariarita explained how the traditional stone millstone used to crush the olives produces a superior flavor to the steel crushers used in modern olive oil mills (in much the same way that basil torn by hand has a better flavor than when it is cut with a knife). We will be back in October and November to see the press in operation with our tours.

The Slow Onions in Cannara; St. Francis and the birds

Today we had some things to do near Spello and so decided to take the opportunity to visit nearby Cannara. The reason for our visit was a strange one -for onions. The cultivation of onions around Cannara can apparently be traced back to at least the 13th century but were at risk until they were championed in recent years by the Slow Food movement and have become synonymous with the town. There are three varieties of Cannara onions, red, golden and flat and they are a little sweeter and softer than "normal" onions, they are also said to be easier to digest.

As we were between appointments and it was almost lunch time, as you would expect in Italy just about everything was closed. We tried to get hold of some of the famous onions but despite wandering the town and even ringing on a local farmer's door we were unsuccessful so we had to settle for lunch in a nearby restaurant. As the thermometer was hitting mid-thirty degrees Celsius it was way too hot to even think about Cipollata (the local onion soup) but I did have Penne alla Cipollara which was delicious and is fairly straightforward to make at home (obviously normal onions can be substituted for Cannara onions):

Recipe for Penne alla Cipollara (onion and pancetta sauce)

500g Cannara golden onions

250g of pancetta

500g penne pasta

A dash of Olive oil

One dried chili pepper

Salt to taste

Vegetable stock

Grated Parmesan and (hard) pecorino cheese

After peeling and washing the onions, cut them into thick slices and boil for 5 minutes in salted water. Cut the pancetta into cubes and lightly fry it in the oil together with the chili pepper for around 3 minutes. Add the boiled onions and finish frying. If needed add a little stock and/or a pinch of salt to taste. Cook the penne in ample salted water, drain and stir in the onion and pancetta sauce and add a sprinkling of the cheese mix.

Hopefully we will get a chance to come back to Cannara in September when it hosts a sagra dedicated to its famous onion. We might even think about including it in a food or cookery tour. Leaving Cannara on the road to Bevagna we passed Pian d’Arca with its little (and very easy to miss) shrine to St. Francis in the spot where he is said to have delivered his famous "Sermon to the birds" (as depicted in Giotto's frescoes in the basilica in Assisi). Behind the shrine in the distance you can see right the way to Assisi and the enormous basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli but you can't help but think that this humble shrine is more in keeping with the spirit of St. Francis.

Mummies in Ferentillo (dead not alive...)

Yesterday we visited the tiny village of Ferentillo in Valnerina. Although Ferentillo is near to the important abbey of San Pietro in Valle and the well-known Marmore waterfalls and is also just past Scheggino (where we organise the truffle hunt as part of our truffle gathering tour) it was the first time that I had had been there.

In Ferentillo we visited the slightly macabre Mummy Museum in the crypt of the Church of Santo Stefano. The people who died in the area were laid to rest in the lower part of the church and a combination of dry air and a microfungus resulted in the bodies being naturally mummified. The best preserved mummies are on display and each one has a story. The museum guide showed us of the mummies of the murderer and his victim, the French soldier, the woman who died in childbirth, the bell ringer who fell from the bell tower and the Chinese couple who had died in the village while on a pilgrimage to Italy in 1750. The children of course loved it but were a bit disappointed that there were only “dead” mummies and no “alive” mummies!