“Ospedaletto” literally means “a small place offering hospitality” – and in fact, the ospedale in the Middle Ages gave rest, respite, and nourishment to the pilgrims trekking through Europe. And not only: housing was offered there to widows, orphans, infirm and those ostracized by society. After the 14th-century outbreak of the black plague, medical assistance, too,…
The brass band from Florence, Funk Off, always wows the crowds at Umbria Jazz in Perugia in July. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the gemellaggio (literally, “twinning”) – or sister city tie – of San Francisco and Assisi at the end of June, Assisi invited Funk Off to kick off the celebration: Few people had…
For the celebration of Corpus Domini (sixty days after Easter), the floral tapestries of Spello – le Infiorate – are certainly the most famous here in Umbria. You need a full morning to stroll all the piazzas and medieval alleyways of Spello to take in the floral wonders which have taken hundreds of infioratori (“makers of the flower…
Of course you need days to uncover all the wonders of medieval Assisi. But if you’re there in the summertime, do take an afternoon or evening pause to head to the tiny village of Palazzo (pop. slightly over 1000), on the plain below Assisi. It’s worth the jaunt just for the ice cream. Right across…
Memorable adventures can even start with just an espresso in a small-town bar. Pino and I had stopped at the only cafe in Rioveggio, a wink of a town in the Bolognesi Appenini. The Bologna area Appenines Enroute home to Umbria from a family graduation in Parma, we were on our way to nearby Marzabotto…
In early July, they told us at Castelluccio di Norcia that the wildflower varieties were fewer this year and the colors less intense due to drastic climate alteration. May 2019 was cold and rainy and scorching heat blistered Umbria in June with no rainfall after June 10th. The result? A rather timid spread of red…
On May 15th, friends and I relished our serene drive from Assisi through lush green Umbria springtime splendor to Gubbio. But on arrival in medieval hilltop gem, Gubbio, I knew we’d leave behind serenity for beating drums, blaring bugles, lively band music and an explosion of full-blown passione – as every year on May 15th for la…
About the time we were seeing the first photos of proud papa’, Prince Harry holding his baby Archie, I was taking photos of many a proud papa’ (and proud mammas, too) at Assisi’s Calendimaggio festival: ‘ Passione for the medieval pageantry of Assisi’s early May glorious festival starts at an early age: ..and the fervor…
Heading to L’Aquila is always a ride of stunning splendor as we head through the mountains in southeastern Umbria into the region of Abruzzo. And on a recent trip, splendor awaited us in L’Aquila at lunchtime: of a gastronomical sort. The sizzling meats on the grill near the entrance were the sign: Massimo Madama and…
One day in early April, I found myself again on top of a Vespa: a trio of appassioned Vespa-drivers from Emilia Romagna – Roberto, Stefano and Stefano – had insisted on boosting me onto one of their Vespas for a photo. They’d just arrived in Assisi for three days of festivities sponsored by the Vespa…