Todi, Italy

Today we leave Castello di Petroia in the north of Umbria and head to the hill town of Todi in southern Umbria. We started out with a nice breakfast and got to say goodbye to one of our favorites at the Castello – Isabella.

We had fun trying our Italian and having her applaud and give us a bellisimo or language instructions. We had more lessons than bellisimos, but we had fun trying. Though Isabella was our favorite, everyone at the Castello di Petroia was wonderful and made our stay perfect. Sad to leave, but the adventure continues. Checked out, loaded up the car, took a deep breath and hit the road.

Despite our worries, the ride over was not too bad. Sue had mapped out the route and is a first class navigator. For my part, I listened to her directions, watched the cars tail-gating and then zooming by and tried to avoid the crazy drivers on the highway. We only had one close call, but I’m writing this so you know we made it safely.

Arrived in Todi and started the winding drive up to the historical center of the city. When we turned into a small piazza our hotel was on the right – The Hotel Fonte Cesia.

Sue ran in to see where we should park and the two women at the desk came out with her and grabbed the bags. Then one of the younger girls hopped in the car with me and I thought we were driving back to Gubbio.

Since there are mostly one-way streets, we had to unwind down the city center to get to the parking area. The streets were so narrow, I had to close the mirrors in some spots. The hair pin turns were meant for horses or walking people – not cars. Finally we reached the parking area and I wedged in.

I’m sure we won’t ever see the car again; at least not if I have to find it.

Now, it was a climb back up to the hotel. Debenetta was bounding up the stairs, Tom was trying not to look like an escaped oxen while gasping for breath. Yikes!

By the time we arrived back at the hotel, Sue had already checked in and the luggage was up in the room. She met me in the lobby, I signed the paperwork and then she walked me up to the room. I knew something was up, but didn’t know what. When she opened the door, I knew what was up.

She was extremely excited about the room. It was spacious, nicely decorated and was sparkling clean. Then we discovered the additional surprise – the terrace. We thought it was one of those Juliet balconies where you could stand and look over the square, but it turned out to be a large, private terrace. Just gorgeous and it gets the afternoon shade – perfect!

Todi – Hotel Room

Todi – Hotel Room

Todi – Hotel Room

Todi – Hotel Room Terrace

Todi – Hotel Room

We relaxed for a while and had a glass of Prosecco out on the terrace. I could really get to like this.

Sue had made dinner reservations when we checked in at the hotel’s restaurant – Le Palme. We were both hungry by dinnertime, so this would be a treat. The woman at the counter told Sue she would make sure we had a nice table and she came through for us. Nothing like dining al fresco on a beautiful evening.

As for dinner, yum! We both started with a gnocchi dish; Sue’s with black truffles, mine with a gorgonzola cheese sauce. Both were scrumptious. Then I had a chicken breast filet with rustic baked potatoes, while Sue had thinly sliced veal with mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. We enjoyed our first bottle of white wine – a Grecchetto from the Todi region that perfectly complimented our dinners. We were both so full, we even skipped dessert.

We waddled ourselves back up to the room to relax and digest our meals before bed. Weatherman says rain tomorrow, hopefully it won’t be a total washout.