All over Italy on January 27th, a myriad of events in the schools, theaters, and museums commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in November, 2005.…
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On December 14th in Rome, we met our first Sardine heading up the escalator from the San Giovanni Metro stop. A woman in a red jacket – from Parma and in Rome…
That huge crackling and spitting focaraccio (literally, “big ugly fire” i.e., “bonfire”) near Assisi’s massive medieval fortress, La Rocca Maggiore, is said to light the way for the arrival of La Madonna…
Si! Certamente, ovviamente, logicamente the focus of an Umbria guided hilltown tour must be the art and history of this bellissima region, aptly called “Italy’s green heart.” But what makes a tour…
On October 4th, a floral tapestry depicting San Francesco and the dove of peace carpeted the piazza at the entrance to the lower level of the Basilica di San Francesco. The floral…
In a past note on the Assisi’s October 4th festivities for the Feast of St. Francis, I started by summing up Francesco’s top ranking for all of the Italians. This is what…
The hills undulating down from Montefalco are laced with vineyards of the Sagrantino, a prized grape indigenous a to very limited area of Umbria. ….and mamma mia, how these wines – and…
As we arrived in Bolsena on July 24th, the locals were gathering together in front of the 14th-century castle across the road from the San Salvatore church. At the conclusion of the Mass…
“Ospedaletto” literally means “a small place offering hospitality” – and in fact, the ospedale in the Middle Ages gave rest, respite, and nourishment to the pilgrims trekking through Europe. And not only: housing…
Memorable adventures can even start with just an espresso in a small-town bar. Pino and I had stopped at the only cafe in Rioveggio, a wink of a town in the Bolognesi…