Brigolante holiday rentals in Assisi, Umbria

Self-catering apartments in Assisi's town center and nearby countryside.
7 comments

Perfect Picnic Places in Umbria: Costa di Trex (Assisi)

Table for two at Costa di Trex

Here’s whatcha wanna do, whatcha wanna do is this:

Go to Santa Maria degli Angeli and find the post office (about two blocks from the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli on Via Los Angeles heading in the direction of Bastia Umbra).  Right next to the post office there is a parking lot, primarily for tour buses.  And in that parking lot there are a couple of kiosks.  Head to the one that says “Porchetta”.  Get yourself a nice towering sandwich filled with thick slices of whole roasted pig spiced with fennel and pepper—an Umbrian specialty.  Make sure you order it not too “grasso” and not too “magro”…a nice mix of lean meat and rich crackling.

Go to the fruit and vegetable kiosk next door, and choose some fruit.  Anything marked “nostrali” is grown locally, so try some Umbrian cherries, apricots, figs…depending on the season.

Finally, head across the street to Lollini pasticceria and pick out some amazing pastries for dessert.  You can also get drinks here.

Now, head up the hill towards Assisi and follow the ring road as it curves around the historic center of town (never going into town) and meets up with the provincial road marked SP 444 (this road eventually goes to a town called Gualdo Tadino, so follow those signs).  When you get to the top of Assisi, the road leads you under a city gate called Porta Perlici so narrow that only one car can fit through at a time.  Once you pass under this city gate you will suddenly find yourself in the mountains…continue about half a kilometer, then follow the road marked Costa di Trex which climbs sharply towards the right.

La Chiesa di Santo Stefano at Costa di Trex

Follow this climbing mountain road for about 5 kilometers…there are some amazing views, so don’t miss them.  After about 5 km you will come to the Santo Stefano church on the left.  Leave your car along the shoulder of the road and set up your picnic on one of the two tables in the field above the church.

"Trex" stands for "tre chiese" or three churches which once stood on this slope of Mount Subasio. Santo Stefano is the remaining one.

Buon appetito!

7 Comments

  1. George |

    I’ll take this post as an invitation. I love porchetta!! And pastries, of course. And a nice bottle of bubbly San Pellegrino.

    • rebecca |

      George, when I finally abandon vegetarianism the first thing I’m going to down is a whopping porchetta sandwich!

    • rebecca |

      @George…so many have expressed the wish to be at my first meat tasting. I hope I don’t do something embarrassing like gag 😉

  2. maria |

    Are the places mentioned above, Porchetta and Lollini Pasticeria open on a Sunday?

    • rebecca |

      Hi Maria! Lollini is definitely open on Sunday morning, but I’m not sure about the Porchetta place. If you give me a couple of days, I’ll check!