Anne's Blog / Rural Life

Umbria’s Pasquarelle: Singing in the Epiphany

January 1, 2021

January can be icy cold in Umbria but a month of warmth, too: the warmth of the locals celebrating January... View article

December 12, 2020

Why not give gold as a gift this year? “Liquid gold”: Extra-virgin olive oil of Umbria, “Italy’s green heart.” Our... View article

November 6, 2020

Quiz for the day: what is a “trunk-shaker with a reversed umbrella interceptor”? Here it is: It’s the mechanized tool... View article

November 5, 2020

When we first harvested olives here in the Umbrian countryside in an icy December, 1976, the picking was all done... View article

October 25, 2020

For my October 31st ZOOM talk (my twelfth!), olives and olive oil in Italy’s art, history, cuisine, medicine, folklore –... View article

July 14, 2020

Who knows when I’ll again be able to share the wonders of Italy as a guide? Due to travel restrictions,... View article

May 2, 2020

In past years in May, I’d be walking the labyrinthine Assisi medieval backstreets nearly daily, taking in the floral splendor... View article

April 25, 2020

All over Italy on April 25th, flags wave from balconies and windows as Italy celebrates la Festa della Liberazione –... View article

April 22, 2020

There’s a wise old assisano adage, “quando Subasio mette il cappello, porta l’ombrello” (“when Subasio wears a hat, take your... View article

April 20, 2020

Italians are cooking more than ever these days: after well over a month into lockdown, cooking and sharing the goodness... View article

Agenzia Viaggi Stoppini in Assisi handles all technical support for my guided visits (bus transportation, organization of meals, etc)