We wish you a merry Christmas and the happiest 2014!

May this new year bring you to Umbria so we can meet, show you round and share some of the secrets of this beautiful part of Italy. And in the meantime, we hope you have a restful break and indulge in some wonderful food and tantalizing wine 🙂

A presto!

It’s one event after the next in December in Castiglione del Lago. This weekend for instance we had a local kmO fresh produce market (unbeatable freshness and great prices) at one end of the old town, lots of craft stalls across the main street and a Christmas tree decorating activity for kids at the castle. The restaurants also cooked ‘new olive oil’ themed menus to go with the ‘Frantoi Aperti’ (open oil mills).

The lights are on and the decorations up; it is well worth a visit!

Joan and Prakesh from Nottingham visited Casa Leone earlier this month and produced this lovely watercolour in our guest book. The landscapes in Umbria and nearby Tuscany are an inspiration to many and now it’s olive picking season again, so the colour palet is green and black. Thank you Joan, come back soon!!

Italian food is famous the world over. Pizza, pasta and coffee are national staples, whislt ‘niche’ products like the fagiolina lake bean or saffron spice are cherished locally. Visiting Umbria is a great way of experiencing the Mediterranean Diet – and if you come in October, you can make the most of Perugia’s Nutrition Days from 3 to 6 October, three days packed with events about traditional food, cooking and eating. Check out the programme.

To keep us entertained these upcoming months, Castiglione del Lago will see a new market every third Sunday of each month. There will be stalls selling antiques and vintage gear amongst others. We will let you know what we find. And in case it is already cold and horrible where you live, you might like to know that it is still sunny and warm here 🙂 Time to book your stay in Casa Leone for next year?!

The Freccie Tricolori planes flew over Lake Trasimeno today. The setting was just amazing, with the lake and the islands as a backdrop and the view of the castle to the side. Before they did their show, we were treated to a helicopter performance (it actually landed on the water) and other fighter planes: a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Umbria Jazz has only just come to a close with many international artists gathering in Perugia to rub shoulders with local musicians and please the crowds. So now it is time for a spot of Blues with the Trasimeno Blues Festival which opens on the 18th of July and runs until the 28th with concerts all around the lake, including in Castiglione del Lago. Check out the official website for the full programme: http://www.trasimenoblues.it/

If sailing is your thing, you should make your way down to Castiglione del Lago this month for the 27th edition of the World Championship of Lightning. Check out the different events at the yacht club down by the lake (and a five minute walk from Casa Leone). It’s a great honour for our town to be hosting such a prestigious event and with the amount of rainfall this winter, Lake Trasimeno is quite stunning. The event is held from 2 to 14 June. www.cvcastiglionese.it/ for more.

If you go down to the woods in Pozzuolo (a 6 minute drive from Casa Leone) this weekend, you will find a host of fabulous classic cars and bikes to look at. This impressive private collection also includes tractors and military vehicles. It’s well worth a visit!

For more information and details on how to get there, see www.collezione40.com

It started yesterday and will go on until Sunday, Coloriamo i Cieli – the Kite Festival – is one of the nicest of Castiglione del Lago’s spring events. It sees four days of flying folly as people congregate at the local airstrip to get kites of all different shapes and sizes into the air.

Next time the skies will be full of action will be for the Meeting di Primavera (10-12 May).

If you are planning a holiday in the area, here is a list of things happening next month: events_june2013