Since every flower imaginable figures in Bucchianico’s astounding late May floral procession, la Ciammaichella, passion flowers must be there, too. We saw spindly branches of wild yellow broom, dangling wisteria, intertwining roses,…
Yes, Assisi’s early May Calendimaggio festival IS – above all – a festival of love: an ebullient demonstration of the love that all the assisani have for their annual celebration of the…
There’s a single religious moment in Assisi’s four-day medieval celebration of spring, rooted in pagan rituals: the blessing of the banners of the town’s two rival factions, la Parte de Sopra (“Upper…
A late December “freddo polare” (“polar cold” – which for Italy means anything below freezing temperature) – did not deter jazz appassionati from heading to hill town gem Orvieto for the twenty-second…
All over Umbria in late October, early November, medieval hilltowns celebrate autumn culinary specialties in a fanfare of festivities. Hazelnuts take center stage in Bevagna’s Festa della Nocciola during the first week-end…
Years ago, Pino and I spent a memorable week-end with friends, Silvana and Mauro, exploring Abruzzo abandoned hill towns. Rocca di Calascio was a highlight. A curvy mountain road winds up to…
If you’re in Umbria in October, you won’t want to miss the sagra of a small village between Assisi and Perugia, Pianello. Pianello only has about five-hundred inhabitants and there’s just one…
We took the motorcycle to Gualdo Tadino at the end of September to a medieval festivals where donkeys star (a draw for Pino, who has a few asinelli). During our nearly forty…
From early April to late October, sagras – outdoor village food festivals – animate the evenings all over central Italy. They all have common threads: ten-day festivals highlighted by outdoor dinners at…
In 2015, floral tapestries will carpet the winding backstreets of Spello and Assisi on June 7th, the date of the Feast of Corpus Domini. The united work of all ages for weeks…