Monday morning we wandered down the hill to meet Andrea at his reataurant, Nove Cento. We've booked Andrea and his London Taxi for a trip to the nearby wine producing area of Montefalco. What a a fantastic day out with Andrea in his taxi. We left Spoleto at 11am for a drive through the countryside to Montefalco. We spent about 45 minutes wandering the streets of Montefalco and checking out the shops for some of their great handmade goods. The area specialises in damask fabrics, majollica ceramics and woodwork.
Then it was back into the taxi at about 12.30pm for a drive to the Romanelli Winery and Olive Farm. We had a fantastic time at the farm and learned a lot about their olives/olive oils and grapes/wines before being treated to an olive oil and wine tasting with some food - antipasti, bruchetta, cheese and sweet biscuits - chosen to match the wines. The Romanelli's farm is family owned and produces organic olive oils and a number of the local Sagrastino wines. They use natural methods to control pests and have small bird boxes to house the small birds that control insects. There is also a large nesting box for falcons which control rodents. 
Back into the taxi again for a drive around some more of Umbria's lovely countryside, through Foligno to Fonti del Clitumno where we stopped for a walk around the park and spring taking photos of this oasis and its wildlife. The spring here is the source of the Clitumno River and the water is crystal clear. There are plenty of water birds, white swans, plenty of ducks and some juvenile geese which were intent on bossing the ducks around. There was also a female goose sitting on a nest on an island in the middle of the river. Then it was back to Spoleto and our apartment at about 3.45pm. This was much better than hiring a car as we could both enjoy the scenery and the wines.
We have a big day tomorrow as we're off to Florence for a few days
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