Scott Barronton (00:00)
You're listening to our Umbria Mini Episodes, short daily updates from our self-guided walking adventure through the heart of Italy with Max Adventure. In each episode, we'll share the day's walking route, the distance we're covering, and the special moments, whether planned or spontaneous, that made that day memorable. Join us on the journey.
We're Scott and Melissa, the Sunshine Travelers. We're all about exploring the world and sharing the journey with you. Whether you're a seasoned traveler, dreaming of your next adventure are just here for the stories. No matter where you are on your travel journey, we've got firsthand experiences, tips, and plenty of inspiration from some of the most amazing places on Earth. So buckle up and get ready to travel with us.
Good morning, we are in Rome. We're headed out to Montefalco today to get started on our max adventure tomorrow.
We got into Rome late last night and we had decided to stay near the train station in Rome so that we could leave out this morning, headed up to Monte Falco. so we're glad we did. Our flight was delayed just a little bit, And the guy at the hotel was really nice. He talked to the restaurant next door and said, hey, feed them, even though it's late before you close your kitchen. So that was really awesome. So we're super excited to get started on this.
So we're on the train from Rome, headed to Montefalco. That's where we're starting our Max adventure. This is really nice because we got into Rome late last night. We rushed to get to the hotel, try to get something to eat, slept for a few hours, got up this morning and rushed back to the train. So really this is our first opportunity to just kind of start the slow down process.
Yeah. And so once we got to the train, it's about, but a little less than two hours stops at some different little towns and just have some scenery along the way. So that's a nice break from just rush, rush, rush travel. So we're super excited to just take in some of these views, visit some of these smaller towns that will feel a little bit more off the beaten path travel, I think as well. Yeah. Umbria is lesser known than Tuscany.
but I think we're gonna have some of the same magnificent views. Yeah, so super excited just for today. So we will arrive at the Foligno train station and then Max Adventures We let them know what our train travel arrangements are and they've already arranged for the taxi to pick us up. Taxi will then take us to the town of Monte Falco and we'll get checked in and just have a chance to just relax today. And then tomorrow we start
Okay, so we've made it to Monte Falco. It was so easy. Our taxi driver, he was there waiting for us at the train station. He called our name and quickly whisked us away to the hotel. We got there, our room wasn't quite ready, but that was okay. We left our bags and she got all our information. We really just wanted to spend some time looking around. It was really cool. So our hotel is actually within the walls of the city. So he drove in.
like underneath the archway. so we were just really anxious to start exploring. It's absolutely gorgeous. We've only been here, what, a couple of hours maybe, and we've already probably taken thousands of pictures. Yeah. Monte Falco is known as the balcony of Umbria. you've got these 360 views all around the city, and you can really start to see why, if you're looking at these views below us, they're just
magnificent and spectacular. And so that's really where it gets its name from. As Melissa said, we drove through the wall in one of the gates. It is an ancient walled city or an ancient medieval city. We enjoyed a little bit of lunch when we got here, had an outdoor cafe and tried for the first time the wine that's made here locally. It's called the Monte Falco Rosso it's a
really wonderful day to be out and exploring Monte Falco. The skies are so beautiful and clear. And it's just nice to relax and just wander around and just be here. There are people here, but not like a ton of people. You know, most of the people that we've seen have been in that piazza where we had lunch. So you really do feel like this area is a hidden gem.
especially right now, just waiting to be explored. We've been in some of the churches and there is a lot to just see in and among the different little streets and alleyways and walk around outside. The skies are just absolutely beautiful blue, so we can't wait to see what else we can explore in Monte Falco.
We've spent a couple of hours walking through the streets that twist and turn and looking over some of the overlooks over the wall. And based on a few of the signs, we have learned that there are several wineries right here within walking distance of the town of Juan y Falco. And what we really want to learn more about are the wines that are made from the specific grape called the Sagrantino and
They're unique to this region. So we're going to go see if we can find someone to tell us a little bit more about this important wine region right here in Umbria.
So we're joined today with Albertino and he and his family have a local winery just here in Monte Falco. And so thank you for joining us today. Thank you to you guys for the opportunity. So do you mind just telling us a little bit about the wine region here in Umbria?
and then also the special grapes that you grow. Of course. I will be very proud to say that Monte Falco area, wine area is a part of Umbria region, which is in America probably you will call state It's just in the middle of Italy. It's one of the few regions that doesn't have a border with the sea.
So it's surrounded by the mountain. So it's one of the peculiarity of the region that also will be easy to understand why some grapes developed here than knowing the other place or was kept to cultivate here instead of the other place. And yeah, a very, very small area, very hilly. Actually Monte Falco where we are is a hill.
middle of the valley so the normal name of Montefalco or the nickname was the balcony of Umbria because if you come here you walk around you can see a 360 degree and Montefalco is a small village coming from medieval times, a castle but was building on the ruin of the Roman army camp because it was on the top of the hill and army stay on the top.
control the valley. The big city was near the near the rivers in the Roman times. So Bevagna or Spello. So today we're inside your family's winery. Yes, today we are inside the family winery. My great grandfather started the winery with the brothers. that's why the winery name is Cantina. It's the winery in Italian. Fratelli is brother and Pardi is the family.
So Cantino Fratelli Park is where we are at the moment. Well, thank you. I appreciate you taking some time to meet with us today and to share a little bit about the region. It's a pleasure. Scott Albertino was so nice to spend time with us and sharing about his family and their family winery. We also learned from him that at one time they actually stopped producing wine for a while and made textiles. Yeah, that gave you guys something to connect about.
And it was so nice too, because before we left, he gifted us with a bottle of their sparkling wine so that we could take it home and enjoy it.
we're winding up the first part of our day in Monte Falco. We just finished a nice dinner at the hotel where we're staying. Had some delicious local cuisine. Melissa had the pasta with the truffles sauce. we just had a really good day.
We went today and learned about Monte Falco area wineries and the wines that they produce here. Melissa, which one was your favorite? interesting enough, I think it was like the whites. we went to a couple of places and I think they just really stood out. One of them was a sparkling one and they were just really, really good. But it's interesting to learn.
that and then what's the name of that grape? Grecchetto. Are you talking about the Sagradino? Yeah, the fact that is the only place in the world and it's right around this region is where you can where you can get that. And then several of the other ones are blends and yeah just absolutely fantastic. So we had the opportunity like Scott said to visit a couple of them that were just really close within walking distance and yeah just taste a few and
Enjoy! Yeah, the white wine that you liked is called a Grequetto. Had a little bit of that dinner tonight. It was really good.
Scott Barronton (09:54)
So with that, Melissa, I think we should probably turn it in for the evening. We've got a long day tomorrow and we're going to start our first walk and we will be back for more.
Scott Barronton (10:04)
Well, that's it for today's Umbria update. We'll be back tomorrow with another snapshot from the trail. More miles, more scenery, and hopefully another max moment or two. Until then, thanks for following along.
That's a wrap on this episode. We hope it gave you some inspiration for your next adventure. If you enjoyed the show, we'd love for you to leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps others find us and keeps the travel conversations going.
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