Umbria

 From Lake Como the route south bypasses Milano on the network of motorways running through northern Italy's industrial heartland. Past Parma, Modena and just beyond Bologna, almost on the east coast, we turned west into the centre of Italy - now hilly and green with ochre villages - heading for Perugia and beyond.

By mid afternoon there was a view of a slice of Umbrian hillside from a bedroom window in a house surrounded by olive groves.

The sunflowers were drooping and finished by now, in mid-September

but the hillsides and vineyards were deep green from Italy's rainy summer that had done wine production no good.

Vineyards at Tenuta Castelbuono winery, producers of Montefalco Rosso and Sagrantino wines

Avenue of cypresses at the Fattoria Colsanto in the Montefalco DOC

And the sun was shining in the little walled Roman town of Bevagna in Umbria's wine producing region

Simple good food at a taverna in Bevagna: panzanella, truffle omelette, gnocchi with Sagrantino wine sauce.

Umbria, Italy, September 2014

Italy trip