Umbria, Terni - Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, Mummy Museum and Piermarini restaurant

I was recently invited on an educational tour of Terni, Umbria and the surrounding areas by Association GAL Terrane, a local action group that works in the Terrane, Narnese and Amerino area in Umbria (Italy) with the aim of promoting the area.

The weekend was a “wine and food experience” (they had me at that), that aimed to highlight an area which is a secluded one in Umbria, from an enogastronomic and cultural point of view.

Having visited Umbria many times, I knew it was the land of untouched landscapes, green rolling hills, delicious wines, hearty slow food and most importantly truffles. I had admittedly always whizzed passed the stops of ‘Terni’ and ‘Narnia’ on the way to the regions capital, Perugia and hadn’t given them much of a thought, I therefore jumped at the chance to explore them.

The tour was a weekend long, an action packed itinerary from Friday to Sunday therefore in order to not make a super long post, I will split it into three separate posts.

After a short bus trip from the Terni station, winding through the rolling hills on the curvy Umbrian roads, the first stop was the town of Ferentillo. Located in the valley of the Nera, it is divided by the river into two parts ‘Matterella’ and ‘Precept’. The area is characterised by unspoiled greenery, aristocratic palaces and fresco adorned churches.

One of the most noteworthy things to visit when in Ferentillo or in Umbria in general is the “Abbazia di San Pietro in Valle” the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, it is sunken between the vast green of the Umbrian hills and tranquility of the valley, it is truly a place of tranquility, beauty and peace.

The abbey, dating back to the 8th century and founded by the Duke of Spoleto Faroaldo, it is considered a national monument because it encompasses art from various periods (Roman, Lombard , Romanesque) and is one of the oldest of Umbria.

The exterior of the Church - The façade dates back to the 15th century

The church dedicated to St. Peter, is in the form of a long high hall with a triumphal arch is adorned by lively 12th and 13th century frescoes. The church has amazing fusion of Lombard and Romanesque styles, houses one of Italy’s most precious cycles of Romanesque paintings from the Roman age.

The abbey also has a noteworthy cloister and bell tower.

We were told by our guide that the church has suffered the effects of the earthquake and had since been restructured.

We were also informed that the adjacent Benedictine monastery has been converted into a stunning hotel hosting travellers in search of peacefulness and tranquility in converted monk cells.

After another quick ride on the bus, we arrived at one of the most interesting parts of the trips for me, the ‘Museo delle Mummie’ or the 'Mummy Museum’. Yes, you read correctly, I too was surprised to hear that the tiny quaint town of Ferentillo, hides such an interesting and unexpected surprise.

The Museum of the Mummies of Ferentillo is unsurprisingly one of the most characteristic and most visited museums in the area. The museum does not display your usual collection of works of art, but rather, naturally mummified bodies. Dating back to the thirteenth century, in a crypt twenty-four meters long, the museum houses around twenty exposed mummified bodies.

But how and why you might ask?

Our young and knowledgable guide informed us ‘La chiesa di Santo Stefano’ or the ‘Church of Santo Stefano’ in Ferentillo was rebuilt and replaced in the 15th century. The new, bigger church was built right over the top of the previous smaller 12th century church, so rather than waste that space, they used the old one as a basement, which was to be used for the burial of the dead. At the time, when someone died, they were placed in the basement as they were, without a coffin or casket (considered a luxury for the wealthy at the time). The lower church or basement was used as a burial ground from about 1500 to 1871, until a new set of burial laws required them to build a cemetery outside of town. The removal of the bodies lead to a mystifying discovery: mummified bodies perfectly preserved.

The skeletal mummified bodies, belonging to deceased people from different periods, the oldest dating back nearly four centuries ago, the latest being the nineteenth century were preserved in an excellent condition, some of the bodies still have hair, beards, or teeth intact and some still dressed in the clothes they died in.

Turns out, the natural mummification of the bodies is due to a number of peculiar factors: the type of soil; rich in minerals; a presence of micro organisms that react with the mummies skin and the air inside the church-turned-crypt which, through the constant ventilation creates a particular temperature and humidity that resulted in the natural mummification of the bodies interred there.

We discovered that when birds or other animals die in the crypt, the natural mummification still occurs today.

Mind blown

We learnt about the interesting stories of around the 20 remaining bodies in the crypt, we were kept in suspense as the guide articulately recounted the fascinating tales, for example, that one of the bodies was a lawyer who was murdered and the mummy next to him was his murderer.

The other mummies included several elderly people, a mother and a baby, priests, and the most unusual of the bodies, a Chinese couple on pilgrimage who were struck down by the plague on the way to Rome. Another well known body is that of a man killed by the bell in the church bell tower, along with evidence of the blow. Ouch.

The guide also told us that due to the excellent preservation, the mummies are able to tell us a lot about the people that lived in this mountainous tiny village and information about the historical period in which these people lived.

The mummified bodies used to be kept in the open air, but due to the increasing popularity of the museum and the fact that some visitors fancied taking some parts home as souvenirs (gross) the bodies are now kept in protective glass cases.

All in all a fascinating albeit spooky experience, who would have thought such a one-of-a-kind-museum would be found in a minuscule village of Southern Umbria.

The inscription written at the entrance of the museum -

“Oggi a me, domani a te. Io fui quel che tu sei, tu sarai quel che io sono. Pensa mortal, che il tuo fine è questo, e pensa pur che ciò sarà ben presto”.

which translates to -

"Today me, tomorrow you. I was what you are and you will be what I am. Mind mortal soul, that your end is this and consider also that it will be quite soon." - Spooky

After the museum, there was some time to walk around and explore the gorgeous greenery of the village

and marvel the precariously placed houses steeped into the side of the mountain.

After the excitement of the mummy museum I was happy that dinner was next on the agenda. Even more so because dinner was arranged at the Piermarini restaurant in Ferentillo. Most of this excitement stemmed from the fact that the restaurant had recently been selected by Eataly to represent the region of Umbria at the world Expo in Milan which was at the time was currently ongoing.

The Piermarini farm produces high quality olive oil and truffles, which along with wine just happen to be some of my most favourite things, I was definitely in the right place.

The restaurant is tucked away in the peaceful Taverna Valley, an oasis of tranquility, the gorgeous grounds, manicured lawns, pretty flowers and quaint furniture confirmed my suspicion that it held weddings and events as well as being a restaurant.

The external atmosphere continues into the spacious, formal, elegant and bright dining area, where we were greeted by the Piermarini family, all members at work. It soon became clear that they were a warm, friendly and very personable family clearly dedicated not only to producing great food but also to incredible hospitality.

The menu that represented the Umbria region at Expo Milan

Primo, the chef who started the business in which he involved the whole family demonstrated and explained in depth how to make the dough for focaccia bread, (which we later devoured and I can confirm it was delicious). Despite the expo fame and clear notoriety in the area, the lack of pretentiousness was evident, he happily chatted about the family history and dedication to producing high quality produce while effortlessly creating some fresh picchiettini, a speciality Primo, the chef who started the business in which he involved the whole family demonstrated and explained in depth how to make the dough for focaccia bread, (which we later devoured and I can confirm it was delicious). Despite the expo fame and clear notoriety in the area, the lack of pretentiousness was evident, he happily chatted about the family history and dedication to producing high quality produce while effortlessly creating some fresh picchiettini, a speciality from the area.

Picchiettini in production

The finished product - Picchiettini Pasta - only to be found in this part of Umbria

Primo explained to us and demonstrated how they do truffle hunts with their trained truffle dogs, apparently the dogs are trained to sniff out the truffles. Most interestingly, Primo explained to us that out of truffle season (which is from January until March for the black winter truffles), they cultivate sort of ‘artificial truffles’ to ensure a constant supply for the rest of the year, fascinating!

We were then escorted to where all the Piermarini magic happens, the kitchen. We were given an insight into how they make the delightful dishes they produce with a brief cooking lesson, a taster of the ones they offer, for both adults and children. I eagerly scribbled down notes thinking they could improve my own cooking skills, as we were shown how to clean and prepare a truffle properly, the perfect frying temperature for supply, and the secret to light fluffy batter.

The truffle cleaning procedure

Showing us how to make the perfect batter

With some assistance from his daughter, Primo showed us how they prepared the truffle sauce, which was surprisingly made from some previously frozen truffles, that had been cleaned and grated and then preserved in vacuum packed brick like slabs which was then ready to be mixed into olive oil and garlic before being combined with the eggy and golden picchiettini.

The secret the to the 'salsa di tartufo' or 'truffle sauce'

After all the watching it was time for some eating. We enjoyed an antipasto ‘umbra’ style of the previously mentioned lightly battered vegetables (including battered rosemary, a first for me!) and crispy supplì. Primo also sliced on the spot and served up some of the farms own prosciutto, all washed down with a glass of bubbly prosecco and a crisp Umbrian white whilst soaking up the surrounding atmosphere of the hills.

If the antipasto was anything to go by, I knew the dinner wouldn't disappoint, and boy it certainly didn't. If I was going to describe the cuisine of Umbria to anyone I would probably mention olive oil, truffles and pork, sure enough they were all present and as a self confessed truffle addict, I must admit they were one of the things I had been looking forward to the most so I wasn’t complaining.

First up was another favourite of mine - lentils. A delicate yet delicious bed of them served with a fresh piece of bread drizzled with the homemade olive oil. The pasta dish that followed was of course the picchiettini we had previously seen made with the black truffle sauce. Simple yet delicious. You could really taste the freshness of all the ingredients. The ‘secondo’ or main dish was locally grown roasted pork with seasonal vegetables for the meat eaters and a hearty, warming farro dish, (another thing they produce on the farm) a sort of spelt, with vegetables for the vegetarians. Suitably stuffed, a trio of deserts was served and tasted as good as it was presented. Again, all washed down with an Umbrian white wine which complimented the menu perfectly.