Well, months of work by Pino and his stonemasons resulted in a gem of a countryside guest house. And you can see the our lovely new guest house here (note the solar panels on the roof), just behind our own farmhouse (also a Pino “restoration masterpiece”). Our first guests? a New York family of four…
“It is a rare travel experience when you don’t feel like an outsider just passing through,” wrote Diane to me after her recent stay in our Assisi apartment, Il Nido Tranquillo. Her few days here were full ones. On her first day here, a full Assisi introduction as she joined in one of my guided…
Whether staying in our Nido Tranquillo apartment for two in the Assisi backstreets or in our countryside guesthouse, our guests are more than guests. We like to welcome them into our family. Like Yolanda and Renee who just recently left. They joined us for dinner in our home, met all the family, shared in a…
Carracci’s painting, “The Bean-Eaters” (1590) lives on in a modern version at the Sagra del Fagiolo in the tiny village of Cave di Foligno (pronounced “ka-vay”) along the Topino River near the city of Foligno. At this “bean celebration,” locals unite for ten days to celebrate two fagioli varieties grown just in the area along…
Years ago, Pino and I spent a memorable week-end with friends, Silvana and Mauro, exploring Abruzzo abandoned hill towns. Rocca di Calascio was a highlight. A curvy mountain road winds up to Rocca di Calascio, named for the massive 13th century medieval rocca (“fortress”) towering over the tiny mountain village of Calascio as well as…
Pino often asks, “Quando andiamo di nuovo a Tagliacozzo?” (“When are we going again to Tagliacozzo?”) Tagliacozzo (population about 6000) seems to hang on to the limestone cliffs backdropping it and the town’s medieval houses and Renaissance palazzi seem to climb the rocky face of the mountain. The main square, Piazza Obelisco, pulse of the…
If you’re in Umbria in October, you won’t want to miss the sagra of a small village between Assisi and Perugia, Pianello. Pianello only has about five-hundred inhabitants and there’s just one coffee bar in the tiny main piazza. But drive out towards the soccer field and look for all the cars parked under an…
Abruzzo: forte e gentile (“strong and gentle”) is the description of an old traveler’s guide. This region has captivated us and we’re spending a lot of time there now: Pino’s restoration team is working on earthquake restoration (due to the 2009 earthquake). “Strong” certainly are the fortified medieval borghi (tiny village cluster) clinging to the…
We took the motorcycle to Gualdo Tadino at the end of September to a medieval festivals where donkeys star (a draw for Pino, who has a few asinelli). During our nearly forty years living in Umbria, we’ve been assiduous followers of all the many festivals, most of them celebrating a competition among districts of the…
You might associate October with pumpkins in the US, but in the medieval hill town of Trevi, October is the month of celery. Not just any celery but the famous sedano nero (“black celery”), characterized by long dark green stalks without filaments. Once loaded onto ships leaving Genoa for the New World as food for…