Linda Frey came to our birthday celebration last year and ended up getting more than a lousy t-shirt. Below is what our grand prize winner had to say about her week at our Umbrian villa. After reading, make sure to RSVP for Bella Italia’s 9th Birthday Bash on Facebook or by calling the store at (301) 654-2667.

I had read the Bella Italia newsletter sometime during mid-September last year, in which there was a general invitation to attend the annual birthday celebration on September 24.  Since no one has to twist my arm to visit my favorite store in Bethesda, I popped in on that day.  I signed up for their drawing, as I had in the past, and didn’t think too much more about it.

A couple of days later, I saw an email from Bill Menard dated 9/25 with the subject line” Bella Italia Prize Contest.”  I assumed that it was just a general email announcing the winners. I could not believe my eyes when I opened the email and read the first line:  “You are the grand prize winner of the Bella Italia Birthday Celebration giveaway!  Congratulations!” I replied to Bill, “Not only did you make my day, but you made my year!”

Over the next several weeks, I invited people I wanted to share this with, and looked over the itineraries of past Experience Umbria trips sponsored by Suzy and Bill.  In early December, I met with Suzy and Bill’s amazing Experience Umbria guru, Wendy Hart, who was visiting Bethesda from Perugia, where she lives, to start planning the itinerary.  I decided to follow some of the established Experience Umbria day trips and activities, and then add some independent ones toward the end of the week.

This is the note that I wrote to Suzy while I was still at the villa, with a few things that I added after I got home.

It’s not over yet, but it has been an extraordinary week.  Today the rest of my guests left, so I have some lovely quiet time.  I am sitting at the dining room table now,  writing this.

First of all, your villa is exquisite!  The rooms are so spacious and beautifully decorated. Of course, I have been in heaven seeing and using your Geribi pieces.  You have great taste!

The grounds, garden,  and especially the pool are fabulous.   We have gone swimming everyday.  The children who were here from Belgium were especially thrilled with it .  I love your big ceramic pots around the pool, the exquisite outdoor ceramic tables where we dined several times, and the great garden swing.

It’s been pretty hot during the day, but there is that cool breeze that Bill had mentioned every evening.  Plus, we had the pool!

All of your folks have been just great. Wendy has gone above and beyond.  She rescued my terribly lost sister the first night by going out somewhere near Perugia, finding her, and escorting her to the villa.  Marco was the one to greet us when we first arrived.  He has been extremely helpful with day-to-day issues, and made great suggestions of places to visit (and how to get there).

Maria Pia made us a fabulous welcome dinner, and lovely breakfast the next day. The cooking class with Simone went well, and we ate at his restaurant the following night.   We will all be rolling home from all the great food we’ve been eating!

The truffle hunt day was one of our favorite activities.  After the hunt, we went to the home and truffle museum of Gabriella and Savero. We very much enjoyed Gabriella’s talk about truffles, as we sampled the different types.  Gabriella prepared a memorable meal; we all applauded her at its conclusion. She and Savero could not have been more gracious. Afterwards, we had a brief tour of Citerna, which was really interesting (and cool!)

We had an excellent guided tour of Assisi the following day,  and had an equally wonderful tour to Perugia the day after.  The tour guides that Wendy selected for us were superb.

We went to Gerardo’s store in Deruta on Wednesday morning.   He is such a lovely man. I have turned my sister and friend Penny into Geribi fans as well.  We took lots of pictures, and I’ll send them to you when I get home (from all of the activities).

From Wednesday afternoon on, we planned our own activities with some good recommendations from Marco and Wendy.   We went to Lago di Trasimeno, spending a few hours in Castiglione del Lago, also lovely. The following day, our guests left.  Allen and I were on our own, and played more the typical tourist–except that we had a palatial dwelling to come home to!  We visited Bevagna, Montefalco, and more of the beautiful hilltowns, including Orvieto (via funicular), Spoleto (via a total of 8 escalators), and Todi (via our legs).  Each one was unique.

The central location of La Fattoria del Gelso is excellent.  Most of the places we visited were anywhere from 10-60 minutes away, so we could see several sights easily with comfortable day trips.  It’s also not far from Tuscany–only about 2 hours from Florence.  We stopped in Arezzo on the way to Florence.  It was also a fabulous town, and could
also be a comfortable day trip from Cannara.

I don’t have to tell you how fantastic the food and wine have been. We’ve gotten great recommendations from Wendy and Marco.  The gelato in Cannara was particularly good (our record for gelato was 3 in one day). Our last dinner in Cannara was at Ernesto’s Perbacco, an unforgettable way to end our Umbrian culinary experience.  As I predicted, we did in fact roll home from Italy!

Umbria itself is beautiful, with some breathtaking views.  The people have been exceedingly warm, welcoming, and helpful.  They have invariably been patient, and helpful, with my efforts at speaking Italian.

So, it has been a memorable week.  I am very grateful to you and Bill for affording me this opportunity to be in Bella Italia East.