The recent concert performance of the Lumber Jazz Duo, headliner of the second musical event of the “Musical Fridays” festival at Casale Viridi, was very well received by the audience. Alessandro Petrucci’s voice and trumpet playing, along with Ilario Dominici’s piano alternating between songs, evoked the jazz standards and the classics of Italian music, from swing to funk. The duo’s repertoire included hits by Paolo Conte such as Vieni via con me, and original songs in the Brazilian tradition.
Before the concert, Marco Angeletti, the co-owner of the venue situated along Narni’s Tiberina street, met with journalists to explain the program of events organized by Casale Viridi. The season’s robust schedule includes oeno-gastronomic, cultural and sports itineraries and the “Musical Fridays” series.
The Green Week
There are many places in Umbria that can be visited in a single week. For example, by stopping in Terni or Narni, it’s possible to reach little known places in only minutes. Arnaldo Pomodoro’s winery, in the shape of a giant turtle shell, is in Bevagna, nestled among the hills with its rows of vines, just fifty minutes from Terni. The structure, according to its creator, is reminiscent of a ziggurat, the Mesopotamian tower built for religious and sacred purposes to unite heaven and earth. Then there is Rasiglia, located an hour from Terni, known as the “village of streams” or the “Venice of Umbria” for the waterways that run through the small town center and enchant its streets. The gorge called Gole del Forello, located in Todi, is where the Tiber River flows into Lake Corbara – only thirty minutes from Terni. The Museum of St. Francis in Montefalco is composed of the Church of St. Francis, the Civic Art Gallery, the archaeological section and the monks’ cellars.
The e-bike Tour
The e-bike tour departs daily from Miralago Beach in Piediluco at 9:30 a.m. (reservations recommended.) Free parking is only 50 meters away, with helmets also provided, in addition to the bikes. The total distance is about 36 km, with a maximum difference in altitude of 200 meters, and a difficulty level of easy to medium. The tour connects Piediluco Lake with the Lungo and Ripasottile Lakes Natural Reserve through a fascinating and engaging nature trail. The 36-kilometer loop features a mixed surface of dirt and asphalt, without significant climbs, away from cars and surrounded by greenery. The ride begins on the coast, in the shade of its dense vegetation, and reaches the upper Lazio through quiet dirt roads. The great Lake Velino, born millions of years ago and now dried up, has left a dowry of precious land rich in water and lakes – land that man has been able to reclaim and cultivate. The Romans, in third century B.C., carried out great hydraulic works, creating, among other things, the impressive Marmore Falls. A tree-lined natural cycle path leads to this vast plain, an open space reminiscent of the Dutch countryside. To the left and right, the streams become thinner and thinner, with plowed green fields. As you travel up the Velino River, you will reach the natural reserve of the Lungo and Ripasottile Lakes. This area is the perfect spot for bird watching, where one can observe birds nesting and migrating in their natural habitat. It is here where we see the immense biodiversity that inhabits Umbria. We return to the Colli sul Velino, the chain of hills that separates the Sacred Valley, in the province of Rieti, from the Piediluco Valley, in the province of Terni. On the way back we pass the remains of the ancient Roman villa of the Consul d’Assio, characterized by high stone vaults built with opus reticulatum, still perfectly preserved.
Aperitif in a Barn
From the total dark to the sensory dinner, the trend of eating in specialty venues is on the rise. In Terni, it’s possible to enjoy an aperitif in a renovated barn dating back to the 1800s. At Casale Viridi, the property was owned by farmers who worked the land. In the second decade of the 2000s, the Casale was renovated and turned into a lodging house. The barn became the new kitchen and the rooms on the ground floor housed a bar and the farm restaurant, where you can taste stuffed bombette, local salami and cheeses, and ciriole alla carbonara, made by hand from the flour of ancient grains. And don’t forget a glass of local Umbrian wine.
Introductory Wine Course
There will be four session and in each three different wines will be tasted. With the tasting you will learn the techniques of visual examination of wine, olfactory, taste, from aromatic to young red to aged red. Analyzing the production, we go from fermentation to its evolution, telling the difference between sparkling wines, passito, late harvests, fortified wines, still wines, etc. The course provides the tools necessary to understand restaurant etiquette from opening a bottle to storage, from serving temperatures to precedence.
Società Agricola Petra Umbra S.r.l.
Via Tiberina 1380, Terni, Italy
casaleviridi@gmail.com
