Top Ten Italian Things I’ll Miss #10 (or, TTITIM): Beers at Bar Pina

As there are only (please pass me the Kleenex now) ten days left in our Italian pre-tirement in Northern Umbria, after which we have two days of driving and flying before we’re back in Seattle, I thought I’d take part in what’s normally an end-of-the-year (or season) pastime, a Top Ten list. This one isn’t in exact order (though a little bit), but does represent the ten things I’ll miss most when we aren’t living here in the Niccone Valley. I’m sure I’m missing a few things on the list here and there, but also think that what I have on the list are definitely things, people, food, and more that I’ll daydream about when back in the Seattle W-A. And the first one on the list is Bar Pina, the little bar/café outside of the Umbertide where we’ve spent many sunny afternoons having a beer, Spritz, coffee, mirtillo juice, crossiants, veggie sandwiches, and more at on the outside chairs, as well as having the same inside when the weather is rough. With a charming lady (Pina herself) and her husband always greeting us with friendly smiles, we don't just stop for the eats and drinks—we also stop for the company. We probably brought everyone who visited us by Pina at least once, on the way to somewhere or back from somewhere. Even Dr. Strange loved sitting outside Pina with a cold one when the sun was high in the sky, and he and us will miss it lots:

Italian Breakfast, Bar Pina Style

I think I’ve mentioned Bar Pina, outside of Umbertide, before on the blog—and know that Natalie has mentioned it on Bella Cinghiale. It’s perhaps our favorite spot to sit outside in the sunshine and have a beer, or vino off the spina, and where we meet wonderful landlords and pals Andrew and Marianne before lunch or when running an errand, and where many folks meet before heading one way or another. But whenever I may or may not have mentioned it, I know I didn’t mention that when we’re going off exploring, or taking visitors down into Umbria, we often spot at Pina for coffee (Natalie) and mirtillo succo (for me) and pastries before hitting the highway. I love me some mirtillo succo (or blueberry juice) and a croissant stuffed with crèma:

An amazing start to the day. This particular day, we were stopping by for Italian breakfast with pals Angela and Bobby, before heading into the Umbertide mercato, and they enjoyed the Pina, too (it doesn’t hurt that the day was absolutely beautiful):