The Chapel dedicated to St. Martin and frescoed by Simone Martini in the 14th-century is certainly one of the masterpieces in our Basilica di San Francesco. St. Martin of Tours, 4th-century saint,…
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There’s only one way to greet guests at the 20th edition of medieval Trevi’s la Festa dell’Olio Nuovo: with a slice of hot bruschetta drizzled with just-milled olive oil, l’olio nuovo. Wearing…
As the Genovesi and the people of the Cinque Terre mourn their dead and shovel out the mud, the Torinesi keep a watchful eye on the Po, il Grande fiume, up 4.5…
In 2002, I wrote about the Pope John Paul II’s sixth visit to Assisi – and my memory of a personal encounter (so-to-speak) during his 1976 visit. That note follows below. On…
As I look forward to my 2012 February/March coast-to-coast U.S tour, memories of my memorable 2011 tour flood in. No single event takes the stage. Each one was unique, each one was…
Throughout October, the picturesque Umbrian hilltown of Trevi celebrates its renowned sedano nero (“black celery”) in a month-long array of cultural events. Celery is justly celebrated in Trevi: after all, celery is…
Yesteday on my Rural LIfe Revisited tour, we tasted Peppa’s mosto (grape juice on its way to becoming wine). Sipping Peppa’s mosto brought back fond memories of our first (and last!) vendemmia…
Yesterday when I visited Peppa, she was sitting on a bench outside of chicken coop, chopping walnuts open with a hammer. “Buonissime!”, she said happily as she munched the nutmeats. Her walnuts…
San Francesco is not the patron saint of our Assisi: He is the patron saint of all Italy along with Catherine of Siena. Most Italians aren’t practicing Catholics. Let’s just call them…
“Center of the Adriatic, center of Italy, center of the heart,” reads a brochure at the Sirolo Tourist Office. Sirolo certainly has a place in our hearts. When we have a free…