Visiting Rasiglia can be a short, pleasant stop on the way to Tuscany. Tuscany is great for a weekend, but Umbria is also a beautiful region. That’s why, along the way, we stopped for a few hours in the town of Rasiglia in Umbria. 

This small village, with just 60 houses and 40 inhabitants, is nicknamed Little Venice, which I think is silly. I really don’t like comparing lesser-known places to famous ones. Nevertheless, surrounded by the Fogliano Mountains, Rasiglia was built on water in the Middle Ages. And since medieval architecture means stone houses and narrow streets, I was really excited visiting Rasiglia and ejnoyed seeing this miniature town.

What to see while visiting Rasiglia.

In Rasiglia, the houses are built from local rock, and some are decorated with flowers and plants. And all this is interwoven with small wooden bridges, under which rushing streams flow and from which you can admire picturesque waterfalls. A charming place.

Although small, the town historically played an important role in trade and exchange between the cities along the Adriatic coast and Rome. When this ended, Rasiglia relied on agriculture and crafts. Local artisans specialized in the production of precious textiles.

With its long history, the town  offers several historical monuments for enthusiasts visiting Rasiglia, such as the stone Roman Bridge from the 3rd century BC, the ancient fountain in the center, the ruins of a castle, and the Rocchetta watermill. The latter has been restored and houses a workshop where handmade items are stored. These can be viewed. Another interesting attraction is the laundry, where years ago women worked, washing and dyeing fabrics.

For a place of this size, tourists tired of visiting Rasiglia have a surprisingly wide selection of restaurants, bars, and food stalls to choose from. Local cuisine includes pork and capocollo sausages, black truffles, and desserts made with almonds and walnuts.

Where to eat in Rasiglia?

We decided to try the local business, Fattoria Monte Puro, a family-run farm producing cheese, cured meats, and yogurt.
The family runs a small shop, or perhaps it’s better called a tasting room/dining room with outdoor tables.

There, we had lunch consisting of cheese, ricotta, cured meats, yogurt, and beer. Among the so-called yellow/hard cheeses, the farm sells Pecorino made from sheep’s milk, which I don’t like when fresh because it’s bland. In my opinion, Pecorino only develops its flavor after it’s matured for a few months and becomes sharp. I really like that kind. I can also enjoy fresh Pecorino with flavorings like truffles, onions, or herbs. And these are the cheeses you can find in the small shop.

Cold cuts and cheeses are bought by the slice; we ordered a slice of cold cuts (I don’t eat them) and two slices of five different flavors of pecorino. We were also given terrible bread at the checkout. Bread in northern Italy doesn’t contain salt, and therefore has no flavor. We also bought a yogurt each and a bottle of beer. We paid 34 euros. And we felt full; not stuffed, just okay. Besides, they also gave us a plastic bottle to draw water from the fountain.

Rasigilia is a somewhat picturesque open-air museum, where you can stay for more than a few hours, as there are many hiking trails around. However, visiting Rasiglia in just a few hours was enough for me. I almost forgot: the region is famous for its legumes, so if you want to buy really good chickpeas, beans, or lentils, this is the place to go.

Then we headed to our four-day base, Pistoia, where we began our Tuscany Weekend Adventure.