[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
April 26 - The Umbertide Market
Today is market day in Umbertide so after breakfast we headed over there with the Millers to check it out. Dieter and Hildegarde left early to go to Todi and Orvieto in southern Umbria so it was just the four of us with no particular schedule.
After wandering around the market for awhile and getting Margene a warmer coat (for all of 10 euros!) we retired to the Caffe Centrale for cappuccino and people-watching. Very civilized! Then it was a grocery run before heading back to the house to handle the first round of laundry.
Italian washers take about two hours to do their thing, so we put the clothes in before we left so they would be ready to hang out when we got back. Clothes dryers are almost unheard-of here so the laundry dries in the sun ... unless of course it rains.
I thought we might avoid any problems from the darker clouds that came over today, but I made the mistake of getting the car washed and you know what that means. We got back from carwash just before the skies opened up. Dieter and Hildegarde weren't quite so lucky and drove the last half of the trip from Orvieto in the downpour.
By evening the rain had passed so we headed out to dinner to a restaurant that featured typical Umbrian cuisine. As it turns out, it was a special treat ... not just for the food but for the spirit of hospitality that glowed from its owner, Marco.
© 2006 Restaurant Doctor