The rolling hills of Tuscany (Tuscan travels part 2)

After the hectic pace of Florence we had decided to explore the Tuscan countryside, eating and drinking our way around this famous foodie heaven. The location of our base had not really been decided but somewhere near Lake Trasimeno (actually in Umbria) sounded good. After discovering that the small medieval, hilltop town of Cortona had featured in the book, “Under the Tuscan sun” (which I had read just before heading away after finding it at a Sunday market in Alice Springs) the decision was made. That there was a youth hostel with beds for fifteen Euro only sweetened the deal. So a few days were spent exploring the local countryside and cuisine, including the nearby Lake Trasimeno. It was a truly amazing culinary experience, with our best meals out so far and the most tasty lunches created with the incredible local produce. We ate so much our minds were forced to consider some exercise, which luckily the hilly town provided plenty of. The experience was perhaps slightly marred by the presence of a huge number of (mostly day tripping) Americans, but we quickly discovered hardly any of them would venture far from the main street. (Photo above - Tuscan countryside from Cortona)

Being so close to Umbria, we couldn’t continue without dropping in on Pasquale, a friend from University. He was studying Italian in Perugia, a short 45 minute train ride away. So we said goodbye to a Tuscan hill town and headed for an Umbrian one. Only this next one was full of thirty thousand or so international students studying at the various universities around town. The experience would no doubt be quite different.

Stayed: Ostello San Marco (The first HI hostel we’ve stayed in, it occupies a former monastery)
Ate: Osteria del Teatro (amazing original pastas like pumpkin flower ravioli and delicious other local dishes) Pan e Vino (homemade pasta and a great location)