Olive oil, wine and truffles: the protagonists of food and wine in Umbria and Assisi. Here are a few suggestions, events and itineraries for those who wish to combine combine culture and beautiful landscapes with discovering the flavours (and skills) of the area.
Olive oil is a typical, local product of the area around Assisi and Umbria. Umbria was the first Italian region to be awarded PDO certification (Protected Designation of Origin) for the extra virgin olive oil throughout the region.
Assisi is part of the so-called Assisi-Spoleto Olive Belt, a unique heritage of culture and nature that has obtained the prestigious certification as a GIAHS site (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems), a rural heritage of global importance. The olive belt has also applied to be nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The oil produced in this area is especially delicious and constitutes an essential food to prepare and complete every local dish.
The regulations for producing extra virgin olive oil D.O.P. Umbria Colli Assisi-Spoleto state it must consist of three varieties: no less than 60% of moraiolo, the typical, characteristic cultivar in Umbria; leccino and frantoio alone or combined must not exceed 30%; other varieties must not exceed 10%.
The olives are harvested between October and November when they reach their ideal ripeness.
They are pressed as quickly as possible using the cold press technique, which enables the organoleptic properties to be preserved and those processes to be activated that give this oil its unique flavour.
The colour varies from dark green to golden yellow with hints of green and the aroma is intense and fruity on the palate with a slightly bitter, spicy touch. It is well-balanced and will enhance the flavour of every dish.
Wine is a typical, local product from the Assisi area, to the extent that the production area has been recognised as D.O.C. Assisi (Denominazione di Origine Controllata Assisi).
The wine productions of the areas tend to use not only autochthonous Umbrian grape varieties, but also popular, national and international varieties.
The wine production regulations for Denominazione di Origine Controllata Assisi envisages the following product types: White, Grechetto, Red, Rosé, Novello, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon reserve, Merlot, Merlot reserve, Pinot nero, Pinot nero reserve.
The vineyards in the Assisi area can be found mid-hill at a height of approximately 400 metres a.s.l. at the foot of Mount Subasio. The terrain soil is not very deep and contains elements from the calcareous rock of this mountain, on the slopes of which Assisi stands.
The Canticle Wine Road, one of the four Wine Roads in Umbria, runs right through this area.
This specially signposted route runs through places of great historic and cultural interest and strongly devoted to wine production.
The various wineries in the Assisi area offer guided tours and tastings.
Truffles grow spontaneously in the Assisi area, especially around the area of Mount Subasio.
This is a fungus belonging to the Tuber family that is highly prized and sought after as a condiment for numerous local dishes, e.g. strangozzi and other first courses, bruschetta, scrambled egg, thinly sliced beef.
Truffles grow at a variable depth of up to 40-50 centimetres on calcareous and chalky soils, next to oak, holm oak, beech and hornbeam trees.
Various species of truffles are found in Umbria: the prized white truffle, the prized black truffle, the summer and winter scorzone, the bianchetto, the black winter truffle and the moscato truffle.
The environmental and soil characteristics of the Assisi area mainly produce the black winter truffle, the summer scorzone and the white truffle. The strong aroma only appears when the truffle is ripe.
It has an irregular, round shape with a rough surface. It can vary between the size of a walnut and that of an apple.
It is harvested with the help of specially trained dogs. The search for this precious tuber is permitted only at certain times of the year in order to contemplate and respect the rhythms of the seasons and of nature.
The different truffles offer the opportunity to experience a truffle search and harvest in the woods of the area.
