Umbria is a small, beautiful region in the centre of Italy (click here for map), rich in history and art, with a landscape of medieval hilltop villages, castles and monasteries.

Unlike its neighbours, Tuscany and Lazio, and despite its scenic beauty and cultural treasures, Umbria is a region largely untouched by large-scale tourism.

Its towns include Perugia and Assisi.

The region is famous for its truffles, which give great character to the local cuisine.

It has such a great abundance of truffles that festivities are held each autumn to celebrate the season, when the truffles are sniffed out with dogs and pigs and pulled out the ground.

The following description of how truffles are put to use in Umbria is by food writer Claudia Roden:

"truffles are so plentiful that they are put into everything – spaghetti, omlettes, scrambled eggs, salads; they are served with fish, cheese, as garnish for grilled meats, and as a spread for toast; and they are in the sauce of almost all the roasts and stews. Great handfuls are used grated, chopped up, and in shavings... They are even mashed up with garlic and anchovies or with black-olive paste or chopped mushrooms."

As well as being used fresh in season, they are preserved in jars and cans, frozen and vacuum-packed, and eaten all year round.

Best known are the black truffles of Norcia (also famous for its pork), but Umbria also has the lighter bianchetti and white truffles.