Orvieto: Winter Jazz and Winter Good Eating

It’s become a tradition now for us every December 30th: our anniversary lunch (or dinner) is always enjoyed at Trattoria del Moro Aronne, tucked away in Orvieto’s medieval backstreets. We’re always in Orvieto for a few days at that time, taking in the joys of Umbria Jazz Winter. In colorful photos of jazz musicians on…

In Orvieto, Simple Umbria Goodness at Pippo’s

When you’re near Orvieto’s splendid Duomo at lunchtime… …… you might want to head to Da Pippo, just steps away, for a bite – or a sip of local vino. We stopped in recently for a pre-lunch aperitivo….with perhaps just a few stuzzichini (“appetizers” but literally, ” little teasers”). Just inside the entrance, Pippo was…

Terni, the “Love City” of Umbria

Just after Valentine’s Day, over one hundred engaged couples – each woman holding a rose – celebrated their love in a church linked to Valentines, the Basilica di San Valentino, where the patron saint of Terni is buried. A pair of linked hearts in front of the 17th-c church were frames for couple-photos during the…

In Assisi, Il Giorno della Memoria Touches All Ages

In Assisi, Il Giorno della Memoria (“the Day of Remembrance”) was not just one day this year but many.   The city of Assisi put together a veritable portfolio of events to commemorate January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. An event had commemorated Don Aldo Brunacci, the priest who provided safe hiding spots for over three hundred…

Parco Beverly Pepper: Linking Art and Nature in Todi

When asked to comment on the twenty works she’d donated to Todi, the ninety-seven year old sculptor, Beverly Pepper, had said, “Many of my monumental works reach to the sky, seeking a tie with the landscape..” I reflect on those words now as I look at my photos of inauguration day, September 14, 2020 of…

Beverly Pepper Remembered – and Not Only in Todi

Our Giulia wrote these words shortly after learning about the death of sculptor, Beverly Pepper on February 5, 2020: “I always referred to Beverly as an ‘incredible’ woman. A word often used lightly but not when referred to a woman and artist like her. It was hard to believe many of her stories and achievements.…

Perugia: Celebrating San Costanzo with Il Torcolo

On January 29th – the Feast of San Costanzo (Perugia’s first bishop and one of the town’s three patron saints) – I headed to Perugia for the traditional fiera (a grandissimo outdoor street market on a saint’s feast day – or the day following) and the celebratory events highlighting il torcolo (the sweet linked to…