Umbria, autumn and its delicacies

Summer is over and the woods of Umbria are tinged with warm and wonderful colors: red, yellow and orange are the masters of a landscape that always gives strong emotions.

Autumn is a magical season and the undergrowth gives us unique products, rich in flavors and colors.

In this article we will talk about some Umbrian delicacies that in the autumn months enliven the streets of some of the most fascinating villages in Italy: Perugia, Panicale, Corciano, Montefalco, Assisi, Orvieto and many others.

​                                                                        

                                                                                                         THE TRUFFLE

Truffles are one of the most popular foods in Italian cuisine.​

It impresses with its unmistakable taste: refined, decisive and unique, adaptable to any type of dish.

The truffle is considered a very valuable food both for its scarce diffusion and identification, and for its organoleptic characteristics.

In Umbria there are many places where you can collect truffles and, in some villages, guided tours are also organized in search of this precious Made in Italy ingredient. Indeed, in some periods of the year, small towns such as Ripa (PG), Pietralunga (PG), Valtopina (PG) and Gubbio celebrate this delicacy with village festivals in the name of an infinite variety of dishes based on truffles and much more. !

Exactly in October in Pietralunga, a few minutes from Perugia, the White Truffle Exhibition is celebrated: a real goodness !!!!

                                                                                                           CHESTNUTS

​

The chestnut is a plant of very ancient origin already known in Greek times where it was called "the bread tree" and its fruit, the chestnut, was for centuries the most assiduous presence of the canteen of farmer families.

In the kitchen, chestnuts are used in a thousand different ways: boiled, roasted, dried and ground to obtain an excellent flour.

In Umbria, during the autumn season, the chestnut harvest extends a little throughout the region and there are many farms that organize group trips to accompany the most curious and wood lovers in search of chestnuts.

The most beautiful place to collect chestnuts in Umbria is certainly Montebibico, a fraction of Spoleto that preserves hundreds of centuries-old chestnut groves which, with their wrinkled barks full of cavities, offer a safe refuge to numerous varieties of birds, forming a truly unique habitat.

Finally, you certainly cannot miss a visit to the Chestnut Festival in Piegaro, a small village in the province of Perugia immersed in the magnificent Umbrian landscape surrounded by hills and woods. This year Piegaro celebrates the 33rd year of the Chestnut Festival and typical products: a perfect place to taste chestnuts in the company of friends and ..... a good wine !!!!!!

                                                                                             THE CHOCOLATE

We could not conclude our culinary article without mentioning one of the undisputed specialties of Italian cuisine, as well as an important manifesto of the city of Perugia: chocolate.

The ancient Maya and Aztec populations were the first to give life to real crops of the cocoa plant from which they produced a delicious drink that they reserve for the most illustrious inhabitants of their cities.

Over time, chocolate has conquered the palates of each of us, be it dark, milk, white or enriched with various spices such as chilli, turmeric, ginger and so on and so forth!

In 1970 the Perugina was born in Perugia, a huge factory in which at the beginning only sugared almonds were produced but which since 1915 has become the House of chocolate starting to produce one of the most famous chocolates in the world: the Bacio Perugina.

The success of the Chocolate House gave the Perugians a winning intuition: in 1994 the wonderful alleys of Perugia began to host "Eurochocolate", the Chocolate Festival which in the following years will become one of the most important in the world.

Numerous master chocolatiers from all over the globe and the most famous chocolate brands gather in Perugia every year to let thousands of guests taste their delicacies all with cocoa flavor.

This year Eurochocolate will be held in Bastia Umbra, a few kilometers from Perugia, from 15 to 24 October and will have the honor of hosting some of the most important masters of Italian chocolate: Ernst Knam, Iginio Massari, Gino Fabbri and many others.

With the hope of having sweetened your day and, why not, having stimulated your appetite a little, we greet you, thank you and invite you to discover each of these typically Umbrian delicacies.

                                                                                         UMBRIA IS WAITING FOR YOU