I left my heart in Umbria

Love at first sight.

One look at the sweeping bucolic vistas of Umbria and I was hooked.

If the Umbrian region, known as Italy’s "green heart," had been a person, I’d say it was a gentle lady blessed with grace and charm, and above all, a tranquil and contemplative character.

Vineyards, wheat, corn and sunflower fields punctuated by olive trees and majestic cypresses stretch out and rise at varying levels into hills or mountains in Umbria. There is a gentleness and a genteel-ness about Umbria that invited me to pause, to take a deep breath, to be in the mood to commune with nature and to dwell on higher aspirations.

To their credit, even way back in Medieval times, Umbrians respected and used the natural contours of their lands to great advantage, positioning their communities on the highest elevations. This was evident in the places I visited–Amelia, Orvieto, Spoletto, Todi, Assissi and Perugia–upon the invitation of two of Italy’s largest manufacturers of their kind who are also two of Umbria’s pride: pasta maker Federici and olive oil maker Pietro Coricelli. Jun Cochanco, president of Fly Ace Corp., the exclusive distributor of Federici and Pietro Coricelli in the Philippines, led our group of 11 in our almost week-long stay in Umbria.

That the Umbrians have been moved to live up to the natural beauty and richness of their environs is evident in the picture-perfect architecture of Medieval houses lining cobble-stoned streets, in churches whose artistry is as high as their spires and towers, and even in the way Umbrians enjoy their cuisine. Even with such an earthly concern as dining, Umbrians, it seems, aspire for the heavenly.

While there I was reminded of a scene in the film Kate & Leopold where the 19th century Duke of Albany (played by Hugh Jackman) passionately declares that in his century–unlike our modern one–serving food demanded contemplation and deliberation. Well, I discovered that the same contemplation and deliberation do go into the making of pasta and olive oil in Umbria; it is considered not merely a business enterprise but in typically-Umbrian fashion, an art form as well.

Which goes without saying that the pasta and olive oil here are heavenly to eat, of course.

Ah, Amelia...

The Medieval town of Amelia has an old part and a new part. Some of the walls in the old ones are even older than the Roman Empire. In the elevated and winding part of the old one, we visited the Cathedral of Amelia which was first constructed in the 15th century.

One of my most vivid memories of Amelia was being awakened by the merry chirping of swallows outside our inn, the Anita, the only one in town. Another was hearing the somber dong! dong! dong! of the church bell every 15 minutes–even during bedtime.

The highlight of our visit here was a tour of the 26,000-square meter Federici pasta factory. No less than the hospitable Giuseppe Spazzoni, Federici’s vice president (he is also a co-owner of the popular Perugian soccer team) and export manager Mario Angelini toured us around the complex.

Giuseppe heads the Spazzoni Group, a leader in Italy’s durum wheat trading. His group now owns 35 percent of Federici (the other 65 percent is owned by the Podella Group, one of the most important Italian producers of durum wheat semolina, headed by Salvatore Podella).

In the factory, we marvelled at how Federici has artfully combined Amelia’s tradition of pasta-making with modern technology. One of Italy’s largest pasta producers, Federici has produced pasta since 1888 and to date exports over 100 cuts of pasta to 87 countries. It uses only the best milled durum wheat or hard wheat which has a protein content over 13 percent, giving the pasta its distinctive taste. The wheat is then kneaded with Amelia’s water and after being drawn, dried at a low temperature no more than 70º for 14 hours. Semolina with high protein content may take longer to cook but it definitely tastes better.

"You can tell superior quality pasta," explained Mario, who enjoys high-quality pasta even with cheese alone, "because it smells good even without the sauce."

Mario shared these tips: "When you cook pasta, use one liter of water per kilo. Use salt according to your personal taste. There’s no need to put oil if the pasta is of good quality. Just stir slowly from time to time for the strands to separate."

We learned that Federici’s eight production lines produce a staggering 3,000 tons of pasta a day or 900,000 tons a year (we had to crane our necks to look at the towering piles of pasta in the warehouse) and that Federici’s top three sellers are spaghetti, fusilli and rigate.

Maybe it was the sheer sight of so much pasta–or maybe it was having to eat mostly pasta for the next days–but before our trip was over, this mostly rice-and-seafood eater had become a pasta binger as well. (To be concluded)

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E-mail the author at: annmondo@yahoo.com