Looking to find a fresh water fish restaurant in central Italy? Then you can't beat the carp cooked over a wooden fire or the 'tegamaccio' a type of fish soup stew made from all the types of fish from Lake Trasimeno and cooked with the best olive oil, white wine and herbs.

Umbria is one of Italy's most delicious regions and as well as the famous olive oil and wine includes such fine products as Norcia ham and Castelluccio lentils. The typical dishes can be described as both refined and rustic and Orvieto con Gusto in the first 2 weeks of October is worth a visit.

As the seasons change in Italy, so does the daily diet. Not just because spaghetti with mussels tastes fantastic in mid July or you can't find fresh cherries in October, but the body has different requirements for the hotter and colder months.

The end of Lent used to be celebrated in Italy with the devouring of many special Easter dishes which had been prepared throughout the previous month. A collective ritual which involved cheesecakes and typical sweet Easter cakes all made from excessive amounts of eggs.

Besides 'prosciutto', the area around Norcia produces many other typical pork related meat preserves. To begin with coppa is the Umbrian version of the so-called 'head in a basket'. Once the tongue and brain have been removed, the head is boiled in water with celery, onion and carrot added. It is then de-boned and the pieces of meat, together with diced orange peel, are used to fill a large calf gut. Coppa can already be eaten after twenty four hours.

The Spoleto Valley is where much of the olive cultivation and olive oil production in Umbria is based. This is the valley which runs all the way to Perugia and passes by Foligno, Spello, Assisi etc. There are over 200,000 trees on the slopes stretching between 80 and 600 meters above sea level.

The cheese and olive oils from Todi and the surrounding area complement each other perfectly. Whether the best olive oil comes from Umbria, Tuscany, Liguria or other, is open to debate, but its the combination of the locally produced flavors which is what the intelligent visitor should really look out for.

The local gastronomy of Todi is hearty and honest. Pizza with cooked greens, pork and beans and dried bread soaked in sliced tomato, basil, onion and olive. They sound so unappetizing when written in English!

You can also find the fantastic 'squab with drippings' or 'lepre alla Todina'.

Visitors to Italy might like to bear in mind that the word 'primi piatti' is plural and there is no harm helping yourself to two servings of pasta or soup for your lunch. Anyone who has been to an Italian wedding will also appreciate that the 'primi' never end.

The Castelluccio plain, famous for its prized lentils and set against the backdrop of the legendary and mysterious Sibillini Mountains, takes on a fantastic appearance during late Spring.

The annual Eurochocolate festival in Perugia is one of the modern food 'sagre' which has caught the attention of everyone .. and who doesn't like chocolate!

It's difficult to wait a whole year for the return of this delicious event, but the festival takes place every October taking over the whole of the historical centre of the capital of Umbria.

Turin, Rome and even Naples at Christmas have held big chocolate events in recent years, but the one in Perugia is now a mammoth 10 day affair and worth a visit. Just make sure you don't need to  take the last train home to Rome over the weekends.

When and where are the best truffle markets and festivals in Umbria? Between the 'Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo', the 'Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Nero Pregiato' and the 'Mostra Mercato Nazionale del tartufo bianco e dei prodotti agro-alimentari' which do you choose?

The National Truffle Market takes place every year at the Centro Fieristico Borgosole near Fabro during the last two weeks of November.

It is organised by the mountain communities of the Valtopina, Monte Peglia e Selva di Meana and Monte Subasio near Assisi.

A picnic in Umbria or rather a 'Pic & Nic' in Trevi is a wonderful idea.

The event is put together by the Comune di Trevi in collaboration with the Association Strada dell’Olio Dop Umbria.

It is basically an excuse for an early Spring jaunt to the countryside, but the town of Trevi also puts on a show over the course of a weekend.

Piazza Mazzini, Piazza Garibaldi and the 'Sentiero degli Olivi' or olives trail are the places to be for tastings, music and more.

Great idea, but like many local tourism initiatives from the Italian regions, the website is only in Italian, but do check out the links for Where to Stay (Dove Dormire), Where to Eat (Dove Mangiare) and Olive Oil Makers (Produttori di Olio) where there are essential links.

'Frantoi Aperti' literally means 'The Olive Press are Open' and who can say fairer than that. A wonderful opportunity to taste the new olive oil and spend a weekend in Umbria. Typically the event takes place over 5 weekends starting from the first week of November. The zone to head for is Trevi in the Umbra Valley.

The event has been held for more than a decade now and is organised by the Strada dell'Olio Extravergine di Oliva Dop Umbria and the Comunità Montana dei Monti Martani, Serano e Subasio, in collaboration with the Consorzio di Tutela dell'Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva Dop Umbria & the Associazione Città dell'Olio. So all the big guns then.

It really is a month long celebration of olive oil featuring walks, theatre presentations, music and general 'buon vivere'. To get you in the mood, check out the video below.

Now we consider ourselves an authority on porchetta. Or the ancient culinary culture of crispy pig skin, or pork scratchings, if you like.

Many believe that the town of Ariccia in the Roman hills is the Italian capital of porchetta, but there are many other places either side of the Apennines where the preparation of roasted pig is a passion. The Monti Sibillini in the province of Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche comes to mind, as does Campli in Abruzzo.

Following its launch in 2009, Porchettiamo aims to be the Festival of Italian Porchetta. It is held in Gualdo Cattaneo in central Umbria in the town of San Terenziano every May. This is the zone of Sagrantino wine and Dop Umbria dei Colli Martani extra virgin olive oil.

The Associazione “Strada del Sagrantino" or 'Sagrantino Wine Route' sent us a 16 page analysis of this fine wine from Umbria to coincide with annual 'Settimana Enologica'. It would take too long to mention everything here, but these few nuggets of information caught our eye.