Transition across Umbria
Transition days are never my favorites, but this one really was OK. We got totally packed and went for a little early morning walk. Coffee at Montanucci was great because I treated my self to one of their little wonderful croissants. We also bought two lovely pannini there to take on the train. We walked down to the duomo to get our last look in the morning light, feeling so grateful to have been able to get to know her as well as we have.
Luigi, our apartment’s owner, picked us up and delivered us to the station. He is such a sweet guy. As we unpacked the car at the station, I realized that I had left the sandwiches in the refrigerator. Our train was due to leave in 10 minutes, so there wasn’t enough time to go back to the apartment. We joked with Luigi that he should eat them and think of us. I was more pissed about losing my purple Chico bag (it crushes up very small into my purse and Sue gave it to me) than the sandwiches, but we had to go. We bought some ordinary sandwiches at the bar at the station to take and proceeded to our binario/platform. In what seemed like 5 minutes we see Luigi striding quickly back onto the platform with my purple bag in hand. Above and beyond, that guy! We were both touched by his kindness.
Our train was only a 20 minute ride to Orte to the Southwest, where we had to wait for about 40 minutes for the next 45 minute ride to Spoletto, in the Northwest. We got settled and did the platform picnic thing. It was getting windy and cold so we went back down to wait in the hallway. We made friends with a very interesting solo-traveling woman from Florence and talked with her until she got off the train at Terni.
Arrival in Spoleto was smooth, but the apartment is cold. I have the heat turned up to 30° which is like 90° Farenheit, but it’s still pretty chilly. A young woman checked us in and guided us to the street for the supermarket and it started to rain, hard. Luckily the walk was only about 5 minutes.
We found extra blankets and put on more clothes and hung out for a while hoping the rain would ebb. For dinner, we took a suggestion from the info packet in the apartment and went to the closest place, 242 feet away according to google maps. It was still raining pretty hard. The place is called “900” and it is very cool in a big city kinda way. All miss matched furniture and glasswear, etc with nice jazz music playing. We ordered one house mixed appetizer to share and it was huge:
The entree was really fabulous, low temperature cooked pork tenderloin with saffron mashed potatoes. And we had a side dish of sauteed cichoria with was delicious with the local olive oil on it.
When we came out, it wasn’t raining so we walked up the very steep street and I took these moody black and whites:
Warm, under the covers, we got news that Tyler and Kathryn’s offer on the house had been accepted. WOW! I can’t wait to go to Atlanta and see it and help them move. Something big to look forward to, for us.
I had a surprise because I stayed up late and was checking my email and there was your blog!! I got to have two in one day. I have to say that the picture of the food and description made me hungry so even though I already brushed my teeth, I had to get up and find something to eat! I loved those sultry black and white photos. Also, it is thanksgiving there for you so happy thanksgiving I am grateful you are in my life! Congratulations to your beautiful daughter on her first house. I love you, Josie
We ate here twice in 2017…
We decide to eat dinner at one of the places recommended by the hotel and, coincidentally, just about the closest to the hotel. The restaurant, 9 Cento, is decorated eclectically with early 20th century memorabilia, and the meal is terrific.
We both start with a cheese flan set in a bed of lentils topped by guanciale, which is excellent. Diana has a plate of tasty steak tartare and I have zuppa made with black chickpeas….delicious. Desserts are also outstanding–a crostata for Diana and panna cotta for me. The wine…a sagrantino/sangiovese blend from a local producer was outstanding. And this terrific meal cost all of Euro 55.00 (about $60.00 US). I bet we will be returning.
We also enjoyed this place in Appleton…
It is raining fairly hard as we walk out to meet Pauline and Steve for our final dinner in Spoleto. We have a very good meal at a very traditional trattoria just across the street from 9 Cento.
The Osteria del Trivio is a very pleasant family run place and our meals are delicious.
Diana and I share an extensive antipasto platter, followed by pappardelle with broccoli and sausage for Diana and strangozzi with fave, pecorino and guanciale for me. There is a sufficient choice of vegetarian options for Pauline.
We have enjoyed our stay in Spoleto both for the very appealing city and its sights and for the chance to spend time with Pauline and Steve.
The purple bag story is priceless. I continue to admire your travel adventures and really feel as though I am walking in your footsteps as you go from train to train and apartment to apartment. I can very well imagine your chilly place. I once spent a very very cold stay in Aria’s apartment in Sardinia. She had rented it in the summer not thinking there would be no heat in the winter. I have never been so cold in my life. Still I have the dearest memories of that time spent with my daughter. Enjoy these days Jan!
Not Appleton….Spoleto. 🙂
When we were in Umbria 11 years ago, it was at the end of June and we missed visiting Spoleto and a few other towns because it was so busy everywhere. Sounds like it may be worth a return visit to the area, just to have dinner at 9 Cento!
Wow-That house mixed appetizer was really something. Looked very good. The only thing I remember about Umbria was being in Asisi, which was full of tourists (St. Anothony), but was a very pretty little town perched high on a hill. Seems like all the towns were perched on a hill. Is Spoleto?
Oh, and your B&W pics are really nice.
So happy you got your purple bag and and panini back. The Duomo is gorgeous! I would be Loved the black and whites! Hate being cold now- never used to mind..