A Tasting of Some Local Delicacies.

 Buon giorno,

With my hot water restored, I enjoyed a hot shower and shampoo after breakfast. Then I headed out to the grocery store--a whole two minutes trek away, but it is up hill.

After I put my groceries away I set out. Eventually I want to take day trips. I have already seen most of Perugia's sights. There are a couple more I want to visit, but one of the things I particularly wanted to see, the National Archeological Museum of Umbria is closed for the next two years. Bummer.

Still walking around the historic center is delightful.  Numerous viewpoints are set up for those who enjoy panoramas. See the photo above. The light wasn't really optimal, but you get the idea.

I was in search of the minimetro. I want to take day trips, and that means going to the train station, and the minimetro is the way to do that. One gets tickets from the machine, and there are clear instructions in several languages detailing different methods of payment. Cool!

I then went to look at some famous buildings--Renaissance and Baroque but one is not allowed inside, so I strolled around the narrow streets of the Centro Storico.  It may not sound fun to you, but this is something I love to do. For example one comes upon side streets like this.  What would it be like to live in such a place? I think in winter it might be bleak.

                                                        

I walked down hill and around, and then up hill again getting a pretty good work out and noting some small shops I might have to visit.

All the products sampled today are DOP or Denominazione di Origine Protetta. Most European Countries have something similar.  It is an indication that the product has been created using specified and usually traditional methods and is a guarantee that the product will have regional characteristics. and is a guarantee of quality.  It does not necessarily mean expensive.

Let's start with the white wine from Orvieto. It calls itself "classico."  Orvieto is a notable wine producing region, and the city also has a famous cathedral among other attractions. It's quite a long way from Perugia, but maybe I can get there.  The wine is nice. I am not capable of discerning tropical fruit or grassiness. It's tasty and refreshing.

Now on to some DOP extra virgin olive oil from Noricia. It comes in a tin, so I might be able to bring some home with me. It smells of olives and tastes like slightly bitter vegetable, it did make me cough, so we know it's the good stuff.  The varietal used is Marfuga and the tin tells me it was harvested last year.

Noricia is more famous for its pork products and truffles than its olive oil. I bought a sausage that has truffle in it. I like truffles, but to be sure they are more of a scent than a taste. The sausage is on the hard side. I peeled off the rind. Now we are ready for a bite. Hmm. It's very chewy, and I think the truffle overwhelms the pork. It's also fatty, which European sausages tend to be. It's not bad, but I would not go out of my way to buy it again, but I won't have a problem finishing it.

Ciao for now