Umbrian interlude

Is there anything finer than sitting in a cafe with nothing particular to do? I’ll save you some trouble, the answer is no … unless you can do it while watching other people scurrying around madly.

That’s what I’m doing this week, spending a couple of days in Perugia where the sensational trial of Amanda Knox is wrapping up with a verdict expected soon in her appeal of an earlier conviction in the stabbing death of her roommate, Meredith Kercher.

Why am I here? Well, it’s a long story, but the short version is you need to be prepared to be flexible when you arrange to have a little holiday with a news reporter.

Perugia, which is in the Central Italy region of Umbria, is built on a hill and I believe I’ve already climbed about 5,000 stairs. Luckily, there’s a very cool system of escalators that zips you up and down some of the main thoroughfares with the greatest of ease. One series of escalators takes you through the remains of Rocca Paolina, once a powerful fortress five levels high and still impressive with its thick stone walls. I’ve ridden up and down a few times, just like a 5-year-old playing on the moving staircase in Macy’s.

Reporters here waiting for the verdict in the Knox case don’t seem to be having so much fun. I see them bustling around town, phones to their ears, or sitting in little bunches in cafes sipping espressos.

Inspired by all that energy I did a little investigative reporting of my own, checking out the local wines at sidewalk cafes. I found one I liked a lot called grechetto, a grape variety commonly grown in Umbria that produces a beautiful, pale gold wine. The aroma was a little bit of fruit salad and honey and the taste continued that theme with the addition of some canteloupe.

Nothing makes me happier than discovering a new white wine, so score a scoop for me. After all, my motto has always been “if it’s news to me, it’s news.”

Cheers.