4. Saluti da Todi. April 14 2023

Saluti da Todi-

Got a bit of a late start this morning, partly because we had a whole bottle of wine with dinner… getting oriented and deciding where to begin our exploration of Todi, beyond our walk in the rain and dark last night and our entry into the town in the pouring rain.

Todi is perched on a two-crested hill overlooking the Tiber River and has great views in all directions (which are a bit obscured for us due to the cloud cover and intermittent rain). It sits at an elevation of nearly 1,500 feet and has a population of 17,000 (about the size of Albany, California). Legend has it that the city was built by Hercules in 1330 BCE. In the 12th Century CE it had 40,000 inhabitants. It’s located in the Umbria region, and was historically a defensive stronghold for the region. It has an exterior medieval wall and a more inner Roman wall, and the most inner wall is said to be Etruscan.

Like many medieval towns and villages, Todi is comprised of stone houses, many palazzi, and several churches. The town is totally connected through a network of steep and very narrow backstreets that meander up, down, and around. It’s one of those towns that is totally photogenic and you feel compelled to stop and shoot every few steps… and so we did, despite the intermittent rain which at times was more than a drizzle. The main square, Piazza del Popolo has the typical arrangement of Italian squares of the period where secular and religious powers face one another. Our house is about a 5-7 minute walk (uphill) to the piazza so we began our walk there and also had lunch at a lovely place, Pizzeria Ristorante Cavour that would normally have a great view. We started—naturally—with an artichoke dish and since the name of the place said “pizzeria” we went whole hog… a great pizza with eggplant, tomatoes herbs and buffalo mozzarella. And some wine.. of course.

Then we did some serious walking and climbing in an effort to both see the town and also to walk off some calories. Stopped in a few churches, but mostly just took in the beauty of the town and marveled at its condition. And despite the narrow steep streeets, cars seem to meander well and deal with blending in as cars come from the other direction to share the narrow road, by backing up or waiting as one car finds a slightly wider section of the road. Most streets are one way and they loop around the town. We came back to the house for a short time to put on heavier clothes; it’s been chilly here in Todi and without sun it feels even colder.

And then we trekked uphill again for dinner at Enoteca Oberdan— a very tiny bar with a teeny backroom that has about 8 tables for two. The chef/owner, whom we met because she spoke some English, grew up in Rome and moved to Todi in 2006. We had a fantastic meal from the daily handwritten menu that is presented on a brown paper bag: a dish with ricotta, artichoke, and mint followed by short pieces of one-inch diameter pasta tubes with tomatoes and pistachios (and I’m sure many other ingredients), followed by a wonderful dish of very tender beef that has been cooked with tomatoes, chopped red peppers, and herbs and I think enoki mushrooms. And ofcourse some local wine which is really good, and yes, the poached pear for dessert (can’t help it). After dinner, we strolled back to the palazzo… this time the walk was all downhill and quite pleasant (but could have used another layer of clothing).

A few things to note, prices for eating in Todi, no matter how high end the restaurant, is about half what it is in Rome. And that’s the same for everything else as well. And, I should note that even Rome was less expensive than the Bay Area. A glass of nice local wine here in Todi is only about $6 or $7; bottles go for about $25-ish. No dish on tonight’s menu was more than $18. So this came as a pleasant surprise. Todi is not inundated with tourists, so you run into locals most of the time at restaurants and about town. I guess no need to gouge anyone since they are your neighbors. I can see that it would be easy to feel comfortable here and use it as a base to visit other towns in the region.

We’re deciding whether to walk more in Todi tomorrow or take a day trip to Orvieto. The verdict is not yet known.
That’s it for today…. All good here in the magical land of Todi.

Fern

PS – for those of you who asked:
– After spending a lifetime working what seemed like 24/7 and in addition commuting for many years to teach and traveling a lot for work, and always having to take our trips in December when most organizations/clients slowed down and when universities were shut down, we felt that (although still working, but less intensely) we could travel during other months of the year. And we sort of made a pact that we’d try to do three big trips in each of 2023 and 2024. So the Middle East trip that stretched from December into January is one; this Italy driving trip is two; and we are hoping to go to Korea and rural Japan in October/November. Our plans for 2024 are more vague, but probably Uruguay and Argentina; possibly Iran, depending on the political situation; and West Africa… But it’s all a long way off, so stay tuned.
– Regarding my book…. It is now about 95% written; just trying to finish the concluding chapter which I have with me and which I worked on on the flight coming here. Hoping to get that done by the time we return. Then I need to do the basic layout and final selection of photos and some graphic elements. I am about to send the 95% part out to a copy editor, in the hopes that a less involved writer can find some places to tighten things up. It’s been a slow trod, but I feel good about it.