Easter in Italy – Prato di Sotto in Tuscany Umbria

Prato di Sotto in Umbria Tuscany

Travelling to Italy for Easter, you would assume that shops close down, churches fling open their doors, and the people disappear on sombre processions followed by nine-course dinners.

Well, you would be partly right.

This Easter, I travelled to Prato di Sotto, a stunning  retreat in the hills of Umbria, 14kms from Tuscany.

Prato di Sotto offers a choice of four medieval buildings set above the 13th century hamlet Santa Giuliana. Prato di Sotto includes a 15 metre infinity edge pool, a wisteria-covered terrazza overlooking the hills, and is home to owner Penny Radford and her 3 ducks, 6 chickens and 4 dogs.  This was my second trip to Prato di Sotto, and I couldn’t think of a better place to spend Easter with my boyfriend, Mum, Uncle and Aunt.

Prato di Sotto Umbria Tuscany

After driving from Rome airport and forsaking a GPS for our phones and some hand-drawn maps, my boyfriend and I arrived at Prato di Sotto late on Good Friday. We had been assured by  Penny that things in Italy would still be open on Saturday, so we tucked in to her delicious home-made spaghetti bolognese and fell into our huge bed before waking up on Saturday morning to head down to the local town of Umbertide.

Just as Penny had promised, the local market at Umbertide was bustling with market traders offering us a sample of their local produce. Thankful that I had skipped breakfast, I tasted local proscuitto, cheese, Easter cake and even a few liqueurs by 11 o’clock in the morning. We returned to Prato di Sotto armed with everything needed to make an Easter Sunday feast, and to await my family’s arrival. Shops and markets would be closed on Sunday and Monday, so we took baskets of food (and crates of vino), back to the house, hoping that we had covered everything anyone would want.

Food and Wine at Prato di Sotto Umbria Tuscany

Thankfully, my family were not disappointed. After driving up to the very top of Penny’s hill to visit the Monastery holding vespers, we tucked into legs of lamb, antipasti, roast potatoes and a selection of Montefalco Rosso, the local Umbrian speciality wine, for Sunday dinner.

We spent Easter Monday in Gubbio, the medieval town a short drive away, and left my Uncle to play golf at the stunning Antognolla Golf Course, which sits nestled beneath a castle.

Antognolla Golf Course near Prato di Sotto Tuscany Umbria

By Monday evening, we were appreciating La Dolce Vita, sipping vino on the Terrazza at Prato di Sotto. Flying home on Tuesday and getting into the chaos of the real world at Rome airport, I think in the Easter tradition, we all felt a little reborn!

EASTER IN ITALY FACTS:

• Many stores and markets in Italy operate normal opening hours on Good Friday and Saturday
• Most stores and markets are closed Easter Sunday and Monday
• Many towns in Italy hold a traditional evening procession on Good Friday, beginning around 8pm.

PRATO DI SOTTO FACTS

• Prato di Sotto is located near Umbertide in Umbria and is a twenty minute drive from Perugia, 14kms from Tuscany
• Nearby attractions include Gubbio, Assisi and Cortona, with Florence and Sienna a 90 minute drive away
• RyanAir flies directly to Perugia from Stansted airport
• Prato di Sotto caters for up to 14 people and is open Spring – Summer – Autumn

For more information visit www.umbriaholidays.com or check out Prato di Sotto on Facebook and Twitter

Related articles

• Umbria; A Travelers Perspective (europeanhomerentals.wordpress.com)
• Off to Tuscany (millyandolly.com)

Gear Review – Backpack and Down Jacket

With three weeks to go until my trip, I did a ‘test pack’ yesterday. Yup, I pulled out all my winter clothes and all my summer clothes, and stuffed them in the relevant bags. Summer stuff was AOK, but winter? I got one pair of boots, a jacket and one pair of jeans in my bag and that was it. Hmm. So my towel, toiletries, T-shirts, bras, knickers and scarves are going….where exactly?

 

As I stood at the foot of my bed examining the situation in front of me, I decided it was time to take the plunge and buy one of those heartbreakingly expensive, rollable, waterproof, travel-perfect jackets, that usually sport a logo like ‘North Face’, and keep German hikers snug and warm in the middle of the Alps. Yes, it cost the equivalent of 10 days in Asia, but I figure I didn’t have to buy a backpack this time around, so why not invest in another decent piece of travel wear.

So, my new jacket is the snuggiest, lightest, featheriest thing I’ve ever seen. Somehow, even with a layer of down, it actually manages to be quite shape-fitting, meaning that I don’t look like the black version of the abominable snowman every time I leave the house. At the beautiful thing? It rolls down into a tiny wad like a sleeping bag (but much smaller) so I can actually pack around it now. Yay!

I’m rolling all of my winter gear into a small carry-on sized suitcase, but my summer gear is going into a 25litre backpack. Ahem, some of you may know this as a daypack, but I have decided it will fit everything I need, and if I carry more than five kilos I will be whingeing and moaning for much of my trip.

I’m a bit in love with this backpack anyway. I bought it to do the Oxfam Trailwalker - a 100km walk in 48 hours through all kinds of terrain. Realistically, I only need something small enough for a camel pack and the odd snack, but I went a bit wild thinking that I would be starving in a forest (yeah, surrounded by 10,000 other walkers and god knows how many volunteers, and our ‘support crew’ at every fifteen k’s, that turned out not to be an issue) so I got the bigger one. Trailwalker also meant I am now fully equipped with all my thermals, good shoes, and walking poles. (Well, that is until I threw the walking poles out this afternoon….) Anyway, after buying this pack, I learnt all the things you’re supposed to pay attention to in a backpack. For starters, it has a cushioned back that means the pack sits off your back, meaning you don’t get so hot. It has entry from the bottom and the top, so you can pull things out more easily, OR zip the bottom section shut to keep your shoes and nasties. It of course has side pockets for water bottles, a small front pocket for keys etc, and is generally super comfy.