Assisi’s Good Friday Morning Procession: Remembered
I hadn’t missed Assisi’s evocative morning Good Friday procession in years. Until last year, due to COVID restrictions. And, anime’... View article
Anne's Blog / Italian ‘Passione’
In Assisi, a 14th Century Holy Thursday Ritual
I dropped in recently at Assisi’s Cathedral of San Rufino: I needed a couple photos. Built in the 12th-century on... View article
Gubbio’s Good Friday: Living Medieval Street Theater
Easter liturgies have incorporated early forms of performances and role-playing – varying from short text passages to long presentations –... View article
Mercato delle Gaite: Medieval Majesty in Bevagna
It all started with a celebration of roast suckling pig, la porchetta. As of the 1970’s, the Sagra della Porchetta had gathered the... View article
Preci: From the Benedictines to Pork Butchers
Living on a hill overlooking Norcia…. …..the Benedictine monks – affectionately called by all “the Monks of Norcia” – are... View article
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
Assisi’s Living Crib Scenes: Remembering a “Profound and Mysterious Event”
For many in Umbria, Christmastime is inextricably linked to visits to the presepi viventi (“living crib scenes”) of medieval villages surrounding Assisi.... View article
Umbria’s Prized Olive Oil: the Perfect Christmas Gift
Why not give gold as a gift this year? “Liquid gold”: Extra-virgin olive oil of Umbria, “Italy’s green heart.” Our... View article
From Naples to Milan: Christmas Solidarity in Italy
Glorious Naples is not only the Italian capital of pizza but also of espresso; in fact, here in Umbria if... View article
In Orvieto, Finding a Talented Young Artisan
On Orvieto’s Piazza Repubblica – and there’s one in every Italian town, commemorating the birth of Italy, “the new republic”... View article
Agenzia Viaggi Stoppini in Assisi handles all technical support for my guided visits (bus transportation, organization of meals, etc)