Neal Winfield

Neal is a travel writer, painter and English teacher based in Italy’s Umbrian region. He lives in the upper Tiber Valley just outside the main town of Citta di Castello. When not working he relaxes by taking his dog Barney for walks around the beautiful Italian countryside on his doorstep.

"When you live in the place where Saint Francesco walked, Raphael was taught and the very earth that gave rise to the pigment umber, you cannot help but be moved by the area. Every village has something significant and of interest, each day brings a new sagra, festa or reason to eat plenty and the friendliness of the local people make the whole experience even more fascinating".

Born in Coventry, he spent most of his formative years in South Africa.
After returning to the United Kingdom he studied Glass Design and Art History in Stourbridge College of Art before moving to Cardiff where he spent the next 22 years.

A series of Italian holidays led him to believe that living “la dolce vita” would be a better way of life than chasing the rat race. So two years ago he moved lock, stock and barrel to Italy’s green heart – Umbria.

He now spends his time researching, painting and writing about the treasures, cuisine and secret places that abound in his backyard.

Travel experience

The best way to find the tourist trail is to ask a tourist. Neal is lucky to be a tourist every day, constantly searching out new experiences in the Umbrian wilderness, different restaurants and dishes to try and novel, exciting traditions to witness.