During an Assisi guided tour, tour guests often ask me if San Francesco is the patron saint of Assisi. Per niente! (“For nothing”, ie., “no way”). San Rufino, 3rd-century martyred bishop, is…
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Ah, Italy, land of the endless discoveries. And although we’ve lived in the glorious region of Umbria, “Italy’s green heart,” for over fifty years, Pino and I are still continually discovering new…
Floral tapestries carpet the winding medieval streets of more than one Umbrian town for the Feast of Corpus Domini (60 days after Easter – and June 2nd this year.,) but Spello, Umbrian…
The Feast of Corpus Domini is celebrated wtih astounding floral splendor in the flower tapestries winding through Spello’s medieval backstreets – as you can see in the Spello Infiorate Facebook page. Thousands…
For four days in early May (May 8 – 11 in 2024), the assisani unite in grande passione in their festival celebrating the arrival of spring, Calendimaggio. Work goes on for months…
My Perugia/Deruta tour is a favorite…and a rural feast with dear Giuseppa at her farmhouse near Deruta is always a highight of that day. Recent tour guests, Scott and Sheryl can confirm…
Madonna Primavera – Lady Spring – will reign in glory over Assisi’s early May festival, Calendimaggio. On April 30th, five damigelle (damsels) from “Upper” Assisi, La Nobilissima Parte di Sopra (“The Most Noble…
In mid-March, the Umbrian city of Foligno becomes an open market – il Mercato Europeo – as over 80 vendors offer cuilinary goodness and artisan creations from their booths lining the Foligno…
On a recent visit to friends near Pisa, Pino and I decided to head off the usual autostrada route for our return trip to Assisi. We had a full-day ahead of us…
After over a year’s work by skilled young fresco restoration experts in Assisi’s stunning Basilica di San Francesco, the late 13th-c. fresco Cimabue fresco la Maesta’ has returned to splendor: The unveiling…