Umbria Rocks!

IES Abroad Rome organizes a few trips for the students throughout the semester- to Campania, Tuscany and Umbria. What’s better, you get to go to one for free, included with your tuition! I chose Umbria, because I didn’t know anything about the region, and I thought it had a cool name. Most people chose to go to one of the other two regions, so there were only about a dozen of us in Umbria. But what a time it was! Naike and Francesca, two of the IES Abroad Rome faculty, came with us and seemed about as excited about the trip as we were. Naike wondered, “Why does everyone always want to go to Tuscany? Umbria is at least as beautiful, and so quiet. And so green.” This is all true. In fact, Umbria is known as the “lungs of Italy” for its large forests and because it’s not quite as dry as the rest of the country. Naike is right- Umbria is amazing. So what else can you look forward to on a trip to Umbria?

Rafting: 
We got up bright and early and took a nice little bus for an hour or so until we stopped at a river high in the mountains. We rafted down the river for another hour or so, stopping to go swimming look at an ancient Roman bridge. The rafting expedition was led by a guy who's name I forgot, who, despite being born and raised in Italy, would have fit in well in California. He was a great guide, his exuberance and love of the Umbrian outdoors was contagious. I think the US government should give him a cabin for free somewhere in one of our national parks so he can go on vacation there when he pleases.

Wining:

Everyone had worked up a good appetite at the river, so naturally everyone began wondering what would we would be doing for lunch. Naike said we were going to a wine tasting next, which was welcome news, except that most of us hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day. Fortunately, in true Italian fashion, the wine tasting was a meal in of itself. They brought us lasagna, agreed by several students to be the best they had ever tasted. Some of us ate three or four helpings of it, to the bemusement of the wine people. Then there were a variety of antipasti- salami, cheeses, bruschetta, all delicious, followed by dessert. And we tried a few different sorts of wine- lost on my undiscerning pallet but appreciated by a few others. Everyone got back on the bus in a great mood and we set off for our last stop for the day, Assisi.

Dining:

We checked into a beautiful little hotel in the medieval town of Assisi.  My friends and I wandered around Assisi for a bit, ending up in a bar with Rufus Wainwright, somehow. I don’t know his music well, but Naike and Francesca are huge fans and they got a photo with him. We walked up a hill to a restaurant, where we enjoyed a long dinner, including gnocchi with the traditional Umbrian sauce of pecorino, black truffle and sausage. After dinner, a few us stopped by a hotel, which had a quiet little bar still open, with a patio overlooking the flickering lights of the valley. I wish I could remember the name of the place, because it was a gorgeous view and not too expensive, but I can’t, so I suppose if you go to Umbria you’ll have to rediscover it for you and your friends.

Learning:

Some of you are probably a little less excited by this part, and it’s true, you can learn at home with a book and prescribed stimulant. But the experience of Umbria’s cultural sites are even more remarkable than its’ gnocchi and wine. For one, the town is beautiful, historic, full of winding alleys and mossy staircases. We also visited the basilica of Saint Francis, a truly impressive medieval complex with two churches, a friary and a crypt holding the relics of its’ namesake. Even if you aren’t Catholic, or particularly religious, the Basilica’s architecture and artwork are remarkable for their time, and the masses of pilgrims who come to pray at Francis’s tomb is universally inspiring.

So is Umbria the move?  Usually when a country calls somewhere its “best kept secret,” the place actually sucks and is full of gas stations and an assortment of (negatively) strange people. Maybe this is why people don’t say it about Umbria- but it’s actually true in this case! You definitely should consider Umbria before jumping on the bandwagon to Tuscany or Campania. It was a great chance to meet some previously unknown classmates and IES Abroad people, and a beautiful little excursion into a part of Italy previously unknown to me.  Also, it was by far the most extravagant voyage my friends and I took all semester. Part of this is because of IES Abroad’s great generosity towards its’ students, and part of it is because my friends and I are slobs and we don’t know any classy places to eat or hang out. But at any rate, Umbria rocks!