E Vien Calendimaggio …in Assisi

“E vien Calendimaggio..” As the medieval ballad intones, “Calendimaggio will soon be here.” All over Assisi, you’ll see the signs of feverish preparation for our stunning medieval celebration of spring’s arrival, Calendimaggio: workers pound together the bolts of the bleachers in the main square, Piazza del Comune, while across the piazza, others hammer planks for…

Tasting Easter in Assisi

Easter is a sacred time and in Umbria, even Easter breakfast must be sacred. Before Easter as you wander the Umbrian countryside, you might see whisps of smoke curling up out of the wood bread ovens. What’s inside? Huge cheesebreads. Many. Probably fifteen to twenty. There is no more appreciated Easter gift than a homemade…

Sunset Poetry at Morano Calabro

A sunset private poetry-reading on the ruins of an 11th-c. Norman castle in Calabria?  An unplanned pre-dinner treat on the drive down to Sicily last August.  We’d booked a night at the Agriturismo Aria Fina near Mormanno – on the border between the regions of Basilicata and Calabria – to break up the long drive…