Umbria’s Pasquarelle: Singing in the Epiphany
January can be icy cold in Umbria but a month of warmth, too: the warmth of the locals celebrating January... View article
Anne's Blog / Folklore
Assisi to Greccio: On the St. Francis Christmas Trail
Pino and I headed into Latium to the Franciscan sanctuary of Greccio on our first icy cold December day. We... View article
Olive Oil Stars in an Assisi Festival
November is the month of the olive oil harvest all over Italy – and this year, it’s my month to... View article
Spello’s Olive Oil: That Umbria “Liquid Gold”
Umbria’s “liquid gold,” olive oil, is world-renowned and celebrated by the umbri in glorious festivals. These feste celebrate the olio nuovo (the... View article
That Wine Mystique Splendor in Ancient Rome
My October 17, 2020 ZOOM presentation, “Italy’s Wine Mystique in History and Art” included – logicamente! – an exploration of the... View article
Calendimaggio: Flinging Medieval Banners – with Passion
Flags and banners are integral to the celebration of Calendimaggio in Assisi and not just those representing the two districts,... View article
Flags Wave Over Assisi’s Calendimaggio: Literally
Preparing my September 26th hour-long ZOOM presentation “Assisi’s Calendimaggio: From Roman Rites to Medieval Splendor” has been a challenge: so... View article
Calendimaggio: See the Splendor, Live the Passion
Assisi’s glorious celebration of springtime, Calendimaggio, is above all una festa di amore, “a festival of love,” the love and... View article
That Culinary Mosaic of Sicily
What joy to do the research for my most recent ZOOM presentation, “Sicily’s Age-old Culinary Mosaic.” Such fascinating new tidbits... View article
Italy’s Uplifting (Literally!) Pagan-Christian Rites
Treasures of Italy include the peninsula’s glorious festivals and in my ZOOM talk, “Italy’s Uplifting Pagan-Christian Rites,” you’ll live the... View article
Agenzia Viaggi Stoppini in Assisi handles all technical support for my guided visits (bus transportation, organization of meals, etc)