TODI is where our Villa is at the top of this winding dirt road there we sit overlooking the dominant hills , while looking out any window in the Villa Or sitting out on the covered pergola with an outside pizza oven and would burning grill. We were hoping to make pizza and use the oven but by the time we return from the days adventure we were to tired.

On this our last day in Umbria we venture into the old town of Todi to get up to the old town we park and take a fenacular up (like an enclosed ski lift) up to the top of the city once again. 

 

The center of this beautiful city is triangular in design and seems to dominate the green valley formed by the river Tiber. The hill on which Todi stands is also encircled by the river Naia, and the Rio streams Arnata and Chiugena whose waters flow into the Tiber .There is a legend of the eagle and it is said that the men building the city wall were having lunch and an eagle came down took there tablecloth and put it at the top of the hill and dropped it. Frightened and bewildered the men took this as a sign that the gods wanted them to build on top of the hill and not along the banks of the river.

In this little town on top of the hill I found a shop with some beautiful dish towels which of course I had to purchase just a few more!   Momma will be so happy!  

One of our main missions today was to find this cheese shop that the owner of the villa said was in Todi.  So Don and Cindy went one way and Uncle Ralph, Mike and I went another.  We sat down and enjoyed a cafe and thought I might as well try Yelp to see where the cheese shop was.  After all so many people tell me they find us on Yelp, why not use the app myself!  Low and behold, we found a cheese shop in the il palazzo dei priori.   Mike found it was just around the corner from where we were sitting.  He said the man told him this is a fourth generation cheesemaker.  The Pecorino Romano cheese he brought back was delicious.  He and uncle Ralph went back over to buy some more cheese and we got his card.  It says they ship anywhere!  

 

Now it is lunch time and we head over to this quaint Enoteca O Berdan. Well you folks think my written menu is different you need to check this one out!  It reminded me of my little place when I am short handed.  I take the orders and go back  in the kitchen cook and bring it out again. Lunch was great. 

 

Heading back to the Villa we stop at the winery at the top of the street whose restaurant we ate at our first night in town. The winery is called Franco Todini.  We arrived just in time for tasting from 3 to 7pm.  In talking with the general manager she really gave us a lot of history about Umbria and their wines.  She also explains why there are not as many tourists in Umbria as opposed to Tuscany, even Puglia and Abruzzo. 

Back to the villa, Uncle Ralph and I decide to clean out the frigo and check out the garden for some tomatoes and eggplant. We took our leftover sauce added more fresh tomatoes from the garden along with chopped eggplant and herbs and made a wonderful pasta. So tomorrow is an early day as we head back to Rome, return the car hop a plane to head for home.   What a beautiful trip with lots of exercise and some personal treasure hunting. 

See you soon.