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…
We first headed to Sirolo, Marches region seaside gem, in the early 1980’s with our sons, toddlers then (Giulia not yet born). And we’ve been back uncountable times since then. For us, no Sirolo stay is complete with a seafood lunch at Ristorante Da Giustina. Just outside Sirolo, this pleasant family-run restaurant in the midst…
I asked Lorenzo, owner (with all his family) of Hotel Il Parco in Sirolo about how business was this past rainy summer (the coldest, wettest in 240 years, they say) and he smiled, “Bene, grazie a Dio.” He added, “We worked quite alot this summer as we have so many return clients who come back…
From early April to late October, sagras – outdoor village food festivals – animate the evenings all over central Italy. They all have common threads: ten-day festivals highlighted by outdoor dinners at long tables (under tents in inclement weather) of typical local cuisine cooked by volunteers (often local farm women) and served by other volunteers…