Celebrating Good Friday in Assisi: World War II Jewish Refugees Remembered

The evocative early morning Assisi Good Friday procession is not to be missed. The 17th-century Cristo Morto image is carried through the Assisi medieval alleyways on a funeral bier, with stops at cloistered convents for veneration of the nuns. The route varies, year to year. I always try to go ahead of the procession to…

Near Deruta: Rural Cuisine and Rural Warmth

If you ask little Thomas about his most memorable moment during our visit to the farm of Giuseppa and Paolo, he’ll probably cite climbing up into the tractor with his Uncle Jerome and sister Isabelle: …..or mastering the tongs for the serving up of Giuseppa’s fresh garden salad to his family: …and for highlight for…

Assisi’s Calendimaggio: Living La Passione

May is the month of festivals in Italy: euphoria reigns in Gubbio every May 15th for la Corsa dei Ceri. Narni brings alive Renaissance splendor in mid-May. Food festivals, le sagre, animate small villages all over Umbria in May (and not only). Each of these festivals brings out the locals’ passione for their history and…

St. Benedict’s Feast: Assisi Celebrates with Norcia

Only the facade of the Basilica dedicated to St. Benedict still stands in his Norcia following the earthquake of October 30, 2016: a sobering backdrop to the celebration of his feast day this year. Declared “Patron Saint of Europe” by Pope Paul VI in 1964, San Benedetto, founder of western monasticism and born in Norcia…

In Assisi, Calendimaggio In the Making – Without Gina

This year, Calendimaggio, Assisi’s stunning medieval festival, animates our town with splendid pageantry on May 3, 4, 5, 6. Scroll to see the wonders: [slick-slider design=”design-2″ category=”49″ show_content=”true” dots=”true” arrows=”true” autoplay=”true” sliderheight=”580″ autoplay_interval=”5000″ speed=”1000″]   But preparations enliven the winding medieval backstreets for weeks (months!) before – with culmination of the feverish preparations just a…