Experience Italy in a way you never dreamed possible!
Assisi/Umbria Revelations
ASSISI
Climb to the Heavens:
Viewing Fresco Restoration
in Assisi (9/2002) MUST READ!
Five years ago today, 2 areas of the frescoed vault of the Upper Basilica di San Francesco here in Assisi, crashed to the floor when an earthquake struck. The frescoed vault section over the door has just been returned to the world.
Rural Life Revisited: A Tribute to the Past, to the People
This new tour is targeted at providing participants with an "inside" look at rural life of the past, as still lived by so very few.
Euro up? Enjoy Italy More... for Less!
Euro up?? No need to miss the wonders of Italy! I have several economical options to offer.
Death of an Assisi Hero (2/2007)
The extraordinary life of Don Aldo Brunacci.
Medieval May Festival in Assisi
In the medieval hilltown of Assisi committees have been meeting
nightly since February to plan this year's traditional salute to spring,
the Calendimaggio.
Spielberg Honors Assisi Priest (1/2003)
Don Aldo, close to 89 years old, assisted the
bishop of Assisi in hiding Jewish refugees in World War II. For this event,
Spielberg chose to interview Don Aldo along with three other direct witnesses.
October 5th, St. Francis Street Fair Lives On
The day after the Festa, Oct 5th, the town becomes an open marketplace as the annual street fair, la Fiera di San Francesco, winds its way through the medieval alleyways of the town. Very early in the morning, 150 vendors (from all over Italy) set up their booths and most of Assisi is a street market until sunset.
Vigil FESTAtour December 7
The vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Here Comes the Pope! (1/2002)
When the helicopter was sighted, the crowds below started to yell in exultation,
"viva il Papa!" ... as did the friar, who was jumping
up and down in excitement.
UMBRIA
Why Umbria Entices
"I have never seen anything more pleasing", said St. Francis
of his own Umbria, often called Italy’s green heart.
January Festivals (Join the Locals)
Special feast days highlight January here in
Umbria, making it a wonderful time to visit. Mediterranean winter: clear,
crisp days in the 30's and 40's, hilltown gems empty of tourists, lower
prices and the opportunity to share in le feste with the locals.
Catecuccio: Eating and Dancing with "the Locals" (2/2006)
Carnevale is in full swing now. And I do mean "full swing": the rural people exuberate in ballroom dancing (after banquet meals!) every Friday and Saturday night, as well as Sunday afternoons.
Baking in the Outdoor Bread Oven (2/2005)
Pizza
is Naples' famous quickbread. The Umbrians, too, have a quickbread: torta al testo (torta generally means "cake" in Italian
- but not here in the Region of Umbria, where it denotes a delicious hearth
bread).
Easter Monday in Montone, Umbria
I've lived here in Umbria, "Italy's green heart", for well over
25 years... and finally this past year was able to attend the celebration
of the Sacra Spina ("Sacred Thorn") in the tiny walled
medieval castle-village of Montone, about 25 miles north of Perugia.
Walking Umbria and Tuscany in May
Walk through the green hills of Tuscany and Umbria with a "simpaticissimo",
knowledgeable guide: my friend Alessandro. Enjoy regional wine and cuisine
in country inns and wine cellars owned by Ale's friends.
Walking Tours in Umbria
My Umbrian friend, Manuela, is a superb cook, botanist, and the only fluent
(her husband is American) English-speaking licensed nature guide in our
region of Umbria. If you wish to enjoy a hiking experience
through the unsurpassed beauties of Umbria, "Italy's green heart",
you'll enjoy her tours.
Sagra: Joining a Local Festival (4/2003)
We've been attending the local sagre (singular: sagra) or
country festivals since our arrival here in Umbria nearly 30 years ago
and we certainly do have favorites
The Flowering of Spello (6/2003)
Article by Gail Sheehy.
A "Wonder" at Umbria Jazz
- Perugia (7/2004)
The hit of Umbria Jazz 2004
in Perugia this July was the 15-year-old Sicilian sax player Francesco
"Wonder Boy" Cafiso (so baptized when he played Carnegie Hall
last May with Wynton Marsalis).
2-Day FESTAtour: Gubbio, La Verna and Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi died October 3, 1226 after sunset and so his Feast
day is October 4th. Join us as we celebrate the San Francesco following
in his footsteps in a 2-day FESTAtour which delightfully combines
the "sacred and profane"...!
Spello and a Mountaintop Castle-village
A walk
through a "world-apart", stopping to talk with the "locals".
October: Black Celery Festival (10/2005)
Because Trevi's celery is not just any celery, this tiny Umbrian hilltown
dedicates its most important annual festival to the apium graveoleus,
a dark celery variety cultivated in Italy only in the outskirts of Trevi.
Olive Oil and Truffles: Umbria's Diamonds (11/2005)
Umbria is the only region of Italy's 20 regions which boasts only DOP
olive oils. DOP ("denominazione origine protetta") signifies
that the specific item in question may be produced only from ingredients
from that specific and limited area.
November 25th: "Umbria's Diamonds" FESTAtour
This new afternoon/evening tour will entice those whose palates wish to
savor art and history as well as Umbria's two gastronomical "diamonds":
olive oil and truffles.
Christmas in Umbria
The crib scene originated in Assisi with St. Francis who was the first to
create a "living manger scene".... In 1223 (3 years before his
death), St. Francis decided to celebrate the memory of the birth of Christ
at Greccio (south of Assisi, in northern Latium).
Raphel Fresco Just Discovered! (5/2003)
"C'e un Raffaello a Cerqueto" ("A Raphael in Cerqueto"...!)
leapt off the front page of Corriere dell'Umbria on Saturday, May
17, 2003. On the following Sunday, my husband Pino, one of our sons, Keegan
(23) and I attended the conference in the little town (pop. 500) of Cerqueto
(Marsciano) - not far from Perugia.