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Located in central Italy, with Tuscany on one side and Le Marche on the other, Umbria is commonly referred to as Italy’s “Green Heart.” The region’s stunning landscape is a panorama of rolling green hills, dense forests, and charming towns filled with and surrounded by medieval architecture. The only region in Italy that doesn’t border another country or open water, Umbria offers visitors an opportunity to experience true Italian countryside life – where beauty and nature are intimately intertwined.
Visitors to Umbria are entranced by the sun-soaked vineyards, the misty olive groves, old stone houses, and gravel farm roads. But the flowers may be the most truly unforgettable. In spring and early summer, the lush Piani di Castelluccio plain bursts into a riot of color -- the naturally synchronized blooming of red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow daisies, wild mustard, white lentils, yellow tulips, and orchids overtakes the fields in a spectacular rainbow of colors.
Through native brand Skin & Co, Umbria also offers some of the finest natural products for skin and body, perfect to freshen up your springtime routine. With ingredients like verbena, rosemary, and the powerful black winter truffle, Skin & Co. delivers the ultimate in “farm to face” beauty.
History of Umbria
It’s fitting that the rich, reddish-brown color known as “umber” derives its name from “terra d’ombra,” the earth of Umbria. This is a region known for its deep connections to the land and agriculture. Still, despite its bucolic landscapes that sing of sunshine and tranquility, Umbria has been the home of fierce battles and territorial conflict for millennia. It was at Lake Trasimeno in central Umbria, with the lake on one side and hills on the other, that Hannibal defeated the Romans in 217 BC.
The Umbri people settled in the region as far back as 1000 BC, and the Etruscans later established towns – including the capital city of Perugia – and powerful city-states. Despite pillaging and plundering by the Romans for centuries, Umbrians embraced Roman citizenship around 90 BC. After Rome fell, the region once again became subject to invasion and economic struggles. Facing starvation, warfare, and plague, people hunkered down in their medieval hill towns, and the new Christian religion flourished. One of Christianity’s most beloved figures – Saint Francis of Assisi – was born here in the 13th century.
Umbria’s capital city, Perugia, is located about 100 miles north of Rome and is famed for its universities, cathedrals, and festivals, including a well-known annual jazz festival every summer.
Umbrian Cuisine
Umbria is the single largest producer of black and white truffles in Italy – and these underground mushrooms are like diamonds to Umbrians, who shave them onto everything, most commonly scrambled eggs, risottos, and pastas. Truffles grow underground close to the roots of oaks, willows, cedars, and other trees and are hunted during winter and summer. Some families have carried on the truffle-hunting tradition for centuries. People visiting the region often will take a break from museums and churches to join a guide (and truffle-sniffing dog) in the woods for a truffle-hunting adventure.
But truffles are only one part of the rustic, flavorful Umbrian cuisine, known for its prosciuttos and wood-fired beef; homey fish and meat stews; thick pastas; incredibly tender lentils; specialty breads, cheeses, and sausages…and wine. Whether participating in a local cooking class, foraging for truffles or enjoying one of the many local dishes inspired by the seasonally fresh foods of the area, Umbria is a food lover’s ideal destination.
Natural Umbrian Beauty
From this magical place where nature choreographs flower shows and culinary delicacies spring from the forest floor comes a fresh source of Umbrian beauty. Skin & Co Roma specializes in “farm to face” products that balance nature and tradition with science and modernity to create a luxurious set of products for vibrant, healthy skin. Each ingredient is harvested and handpicked from Skin & Co Roma’s Umbrian farm to create the perfect textures and formulas.
The family behind Skin & Co Roma have farmed this land for more than 60 years and are deeply tied to the land’s health and well-being. Respecting and sustaining their ancestral Umbrian farmlands is one of the company’s most passionately held values.
The company also is passionate about the healing power of Black Winter Truffle, one of the most valuable and sought-after species of truffle due to its robust flavor and limited availability. It is rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins – and antioxidants derived from Black Winter Truffles are perfect for protecting, repairing, and fortifying tired, damaged skin.
Skin & Co. Roma’s one-of-a-kind Truffle Therapy Collection is masterfully slow-crafted in the company’s hometown of Montecastrilli in Umbria. Their luxurious skin and body care formulas harness the power of Black Winter Truffles with their active ingredient, Superoxide Dismutase, which sooths fine lines, hyperpigmentation and blemishes while regenerating healthy skin cells and protecting from future damage.
Some of our favorites at Mozzafiato include:
Truffle Therapy Midnight Dew Mask
Truffle Therapy Eye Concentrate by Skin & Co Roma
Truffle Therapy Ultra-rich Body Oil by Skin & Co Roma
Truffle Therapy Morning Dew by Skin & Co Roma
See how our CEO incorporates this one into her everyday morning routine.
And from their all organic line:
Organic Rosemary & Verbena Body Milk by Skin & Co Roma
Organic Rosemary & Verbena Body Gel by Skin & Co Roma
We can’t think of a better recipe for welcoming in the spring than by pouring a glass of Orvieto and treating yourself to some truffle therapy courtesy of Skin & Co Roma. Then sit back and picture that lush plain in Italy where the first blooms of the world’s most spectacular natural flower show are just starting to awaken. We have beautiful days ahead.