The green heart of Italy: Umbria

Before we say goodbye for the summer break, we want to share a special treasure with you: If you love Italy but don't like crowds so much, we recommend Umbria. Umbria is still a natural paradise and has one of the largest inland lakes in Italy, Lago Trasimeno (Isola Polvese in the middle of the lake can be reached by boat and you can take a nice walk around it and have a relaxed meal). Eating out in Umbria is incredibly delicious and cheap; we were amazed at how little specialties such as truffle pasta are prized in a small village trattoria.

Assisi is of course a must, especially for friends of spiritual places - it has an incredibly beautiful and loving atmosphere. We were particularly delighted by the animals in the garden of St. Francis of Assisi, who gurard his statue as if he was still here. But it wasn't just the spirit of the animal saint that inspired us, but also the beautiful town of Gubbio, where you can take a birdcage-like cable car up to the town hill and enjoy a wonderful view. Or Perugia and Orvieto, where you can eat great food and taste wine in the evening. We think Umbria is completely underestimated and has so many hidden treasures and the sea isn't too far away either. If you want to travel there by foot, the Via di Francesco is a great option, which is much less frequented than the Way of St. James.

By the way, our practice is open for emergency appointments in August, otherwise we are taking a creative break to start our next book project (the mindful travel guide for Austria will be published next year).