Guide to Montone

"With its laidback atmosphere, good food and Gothic church, you could be forgiven for thinking this Umbrian town is just like the rest – but this Italian dream's true charm is a well kept secret."

Upon arriving in this wonderful little town you could be forgiven for thinking it is very picturesque, but also not very lively. You would, of course, be right on both counts. But the longer you stay within the town's ancient walls – themselves adding to the Montone's sense of history – the more you will be seduced by the unhurried pace of life. For it's in Montone that you will have time to stand and stare. At the immaculately preserved six hundred year old Gothic church of San Francesco. At the exquisite frescoes painted so rapidly and with such a sure hand onto wet plaster. And at the paintings of the early Renaissance by old masters like Bartolomeo Caporali. You will also have time to indulge your taste for great food cooked in traditional ways, following family recipes that have been passed down over the generations. Around the main square are irresistible restaurants serving specialities like the famous torta bianca made simply from flour and water, but baked over live coals to become the perfect accompaniment to flavoursome Umbrian sausages and fresh vegetables. Or perhaps you'd prefer a picnic. Choose your spot high in the soft Umbrian hills, beneath the shade of a majestic old oak – the area is famed for its oak trees, truffles and porkers – to admire the dreamy view over the Carpina and the Lana rivers, as they wind and wend their gentle course through the picturesque Tiber Valley. And once you're thoroughly relaxed, you'll realise you've discover the secret charm of Montone.

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