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…
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,…
Perched on a porous volcanic rock plateau, the geology of Orvieto is characterized by layers of volcanic materials, such as lava, ash, and pumice, permitting the easy creation of caves, cisterns, tunnels…
As you enter the Cappella di San Brizio in the Orvieto Duomo (cathedral), the venerated Madonna di San Brizio will be facing you, reigning over the altar. Constructed in the 15th-century in the place of…
What has always uniquely characterized Orvieto is the harmony of the surrounding countryside with the tufaceous rock plateau on which this medieval gem sits: The thunderous action of an ancient volcano…
After you’ve viewed the splendors of the Orvieto Duomo (Cathedral) – taking in the mosaic splendor….. …and sculpted masterpieces on the facade – …as well as the many treasures of the interior… ….take time…
On Orvieto’s Piazza Repubblica – and there’s one in every Italian town, commemorating the birth of Italy, “the new republic” in 1860 – the dodecagonal belltower of the church of Sant Andrea…
Constructed in white travertine and black balsamic rock – for Orvieto was built on a volcanic plateau – the glorious Duomo (cathedral) dominates this Umbrian medieval hill town: And the splendor of the…