Living on a hill overlooking Norcia…. …..the Benedictine monks – affectionately called by all “the Monks of Norcia” – are known today for their production of artisanal beers. But many centuries ago,…
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Best known as birthplace (in the late 5th-c A.D.) of San Benedetto, founder of western monasticism, and his twin sister Scolastica, Norcia’s history weaves back through the centuries. Most likely ancient Nursia was…
January can be icy cold in Umbria but a month of warmth, too: the warmth of the locals celebrating January festivals. An Umbrian winter festival absolutely not to miss is the late-January…
The creche art of Naples is truly an artistic representation of la vita napoletana, then and now. The presepe napoletano (Neapolitan crib scene), more than just a religious celebration, has become a way to…
For many in Umbria, Christmastime is inextricably linked to visits to the presepi viventi (“living crib scenes”) of medieval villages surrounding Assisi. The first to bring the Nativity scene alive was San Francesco in…
For periods of contemplation, meditation and restoration ,St. Francis of Assisi often withdrew to various retreats – grottoes, caves, primitive huts – in the areas of Italy now known as Tuscany, Abruzzo,…
Pino and I headed into Latium to the Franciscan sanctuary of Greccio on our first icy cold December day. We headed into the Valnerina and then south into Latium, medieval villages perched…
On this December 7th at nightfall, we weren’t able to gather around the towering blazing bonfire – il focaraccio (literally, “big ugly fire”) – up at Assisi’s 14th-c. fortress, la Rocca Maggiore. Due to COVID, the…
Why not give gold as a gift this year? “Liquid gold”: Extra-virgin olive oil of Umbria, “Italy’s green heart.” Our son Keegan is offering you some of the best, an olive oil…
There’s usually a life-sized creche scene on the lawn in front of Assisi’s majestic Basilica di San Francesco, right across the street from the Bar San Francesco of the Angeletti family. Since…