Today we bid farewell to the beautiful Puglia with its jagged Mediterranean coastline…its ancient stone towers and beaches with clear turquoise waters…its groves of ancient olive trees, and gorgeous little whitewashed towns carved into hillsides in tones of white and gold…and head for a new chapter in our adventure under the Tuscan sun.
We follow the stunning coastline of the Gargano peninsula before heading north and we excitedly notice a distinct change in the landscape and vegetation. There is great anticipation of the Tuscan leg of our trip…a huge dream come true for all…but that is still a couple of days away and today is our longest day of travelling, into the heart of Umbria.
Umbria is kind of like Tuscany’s poor cousin…except it’s not. Tourists just haven’t caught onto its amazing beauty…which can only be a good thing. Italy’s green heart, is a treasure trove of charming, medieval hilltop towns, many beautifully preserved and dramatically set. The Etruscans, Romans, feuding medieval families and Renaissance artists have all left an imprint. Everchanging, untouched landscapes…winding green valleys hills, mountains, hollows and plains, dense forests and lakes also make it a region that will never fail to amaze.
We break the trip with a detour to the tiny village of Castelluccio…
…dwarfed by the imposing Apennine Mountains…towering above the fantastic Piano Grande…that broad flat plain which is the valley that in springtime is literally covered in a mosaic of flowers. I would absolutely love to return and hike here during that season (I’ll just add it to my already ridiculously long bucket list)- photos care of Google.
But Castelluccio and it’s plains offer a magnificent landscape every moment of the year…
…and we enjoy the change of scenery before continuing on through Umbria to our destination for the night.
You know the romanticised version of Italy we’ve built up in our heads with the rolling hills, vineyards, charming old Tuscan homes, cobblestone paths and fresh olive oil in every restaurant? Yes, the picture that’s forming in your head right now…that’s Spello…although we are not quite in Tuscany yet.
It is an ancient hillside town still surrounded by Roman walls, among the most significant and intact in Italy. When you enter it’s ancient fortress walls, you step back in time…
…walking through medieval gateways…past Roman ruins… a higgledy-piggledy ensemble of rose-coloured stone houses with crumbling terra cotta roof tiles and weathered wooden doors…spilling down a hillside, guarded by three stout Roman gates and chess-piece towers.
When you follow the main street up the steep hill to the top of the town, the quiet lanes become impossibly picturesque…
and there are views of the rolling green hills of the Umbrian countryside through the many stone archways.
Vibrant flower pots bejewel balconies, walls and stairways and although they may not have been in full bloom in September it must be a riot of colour in spring. I would love to return for the Infiorata flower festival when the streets are covered with intricate flower designs.
Spello has been called ‘the prettiest town in Italy’ and it’s honestly perhaps the most beautiful town I’ve ever been to, and no photos could possibly do it justice…we are all totally under its spell. Of anywhere we have visited, this is where we did not feel ready to move on and would love to have stayed another night…or year….
and I think to myself what a wonderful world 