The Chronicles of Narni
Part I : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“Even I never dreamed of Magic like this!” –
We just got back from Narni.
Narni
Umbria was a new region to travel to, for both of us. It borders Lazio, Tuscany and Le Marche. Our destination was Amelia, to catch up with friends, Montefalco to try wine and Narni to find a little Umbrian magic.
We drove to Amelia, via L’Aquila’s impressive 10 kilometre tunnel, that passes through the Gran Sasso mountains, on towards, Rieti and then Terni.
We were welcomed at Zanchi wines, by the founder’s grand-daughter, Flores Zanchi. She suggested a sunset stroll by the vines, to look at the grapes (which are all hand picked at harvest) and meet their resident fallow deer. And as we walked, we talked about wine and Flores shared her vast knowledge about the varietals from the region and a little about the history of the vineyard, established back in 1970.
After some time, Flores invited us back to the winery’s main building, where she showed us a selection of the wine available, including a display of a new collection that we would be sampling. We were ushered into a old cellar, where a tasting had been prepared for us, along with rustic bread, crostini, Umbrian salami and local Pecorino cheese.
We learned about the different grapes of the region, such as Sangiovese, and tried a tasty Trebbiano, with a complex structure. We quaffed and chatted and quaffed and chatted some more, about wine and about life. The wine flowed. It felt like a Friday night.
Our visit to Zanchi winery was a perfect start to our time in Umbria. Unhurried. We couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome to Umbria. And if you are in Umbria, make time to visit this very special wine estate. We plan to go back.
Our weekend was spent with friends, who we hadn’t seen since last summer. Their beautiful home looks out over their olive trees and the Umbrian hills in the distance. Bubbles were popped. We were treated to a sensational sunset and a delicious dinner.
Amelia is an ancient hilltop town, with picture postcard views across Southern Umbria. We gazed at the colossal Roman wall, stopped at Chiostro San Francesco for local produce at the farmer’s market and meandered up steep streets to the Baroque style cathedral. From there, the views were stunning.
The next day we made an early start to reach the Pissignano antiques market, near the town of Trevi. Markets are a great insight into local culture and the community. And you give your money to real people, instead of to retail chains. It’s something we’ve always enjoyed. Pissignano is the biggest antique market in Umbria and possibly one of the largest in the country. The market takes place on the first Sunday of each month. Many people attend, including some antique dealers who travel from across the country.
The next part of our trip took us to Narni. C.S Lewis had come across the name in an atlas. From that, the fantasy world of Narnia was created. In his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children have encounters with the wicked White Witch, talking animals and a protective lion, the amazing Aslan.
Have you read it?
We went off in search of adventure too. Our trip took us to different parts of both provinces, Terni and Perugia, though we didn’t make it to up the city of Perugia, which has a reputation for great chocolate. Another reason to return.
We meandered through the cobbled streets of Narni, admiring the many medieval buildings. We didn’t find a wicked witch, and we didn’t stumble across a magic wardrobe, though our friends were looking for one at the Pissignano market. But I did I find this stone lion, in the centre of the town.
We had gone in search of wine and a bit of magic. And we definitely found a bit of magic in Umbria, an enchanting part of Italy, with its medieval hilltop towns, rolling green hills, delicious food and some amazing wines. But the real magic was in the welcome from the people that we encountered along the way; our friends in Amelia, Flores at Zanchi and our hosts at Il Collicello Agriturismo in Narni.
Have you been to Umbria? Where did you go?
© Maggie M / Mother City Time
Read more
http://www.cantinezanchi.it
https://www.umbriatourism.it/homepage