Michelangelo in Florence

From the David statue to the Medici Chapel ... unbelievable ... ENJOY!!

Gubbio

Gubbio is a town and commune int he far northeastern part of Umbria.  It is located not he lower slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines.

This weekend, they happened to have a Truffle festival!  Selling anything truffle you could think of ..

It is a beautiful medieval town, not too crowded, even with the festival, it was pleasant to visit with beautiful views overlooking the valley.

Pienza

Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany (central Italy).  It is located between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino.

This lovely town was a beautiful consolation prize when the earthquake this morning cancelled our planned trip to Norcia and to visit Abbey's in that area.

Pienza is a lovely town, well known for pecorino cheese and the drive to get there isn't too bad either.

 

Food, Food, Fabulous Food

For this region (Umbria), there are so many fabulous restaurants.  Not your "normal" or "run-of-the-mill" places that would be expected, but marvelous places with fantastic food that you would expect only in high-end restaurants.

Here is an example; in the small and lovely hill-town of Montefalco a restaurant by the name of L'Achimista.  Tonight's dinner included:

Pre-appetizer of pecorino ricotta with a fresh made pepperocino marmalata:

Appetizer:  cheese soufflé (isn't it pretty with the guancale and chive flower)

Pasta: Finta Carbonara

Meat dish ... Tagliata with rucola & grilled lamb chops

There are several other wonderful restaurants in the area; Serpillo (Torre del Colle) or Oscars (Bevagna) ... fabulous food in this area of Italy

The Umbrian Hill Town of Spello

An amazingly beautiful hill town, especially when it is full of flowers and plants in the spring and summer!

A Tale of Two Umbrian Seasons

Having visited this area primarily in the fall, it is a stark, yet beautiful contrast to see the same area in the spring.  Everything; trees, vines, olive groves, new crops ... all have their own "new growth" shade of green.  This in comparison to fall when the colors are so bright, different and varied.

Dear Abbey ...

Three unique and lovely Abbeys in this area of Umbria that you can visit and appreciate in one day.

Abbazia San Pietro in Valle: Medieval abbey built high in the mountains.  The Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro is among the main examples of high-medieval art in central Italy.  Once destroyed, the abbey was restored and expanded in the twelfth century.  At the top of the side walls there are a cycle frescoes from the twelfth century, with stories from the Old and New Testaments.

Abbazia di San Felice: The church rebuild in 1190, is an example of Romanesque Spoleto architecture and has a small annexed monastery that dates from he 15th & 16th centuries..  Only fragments of the frescoes remain on the walls.

 Abbazia di Sassovivo:  A Benedictine monastery built around the year 1000.  the finest architectural feature of the entire abbey is the cloister, was completed in 1229.

New (Italian) Eyes ...

Italian Festivals

Part of the charm and enjoyment of a visit to Italy is to run into local festivals and events, and two in one day is fabulous.  May 1st is a big holiday in Italy, so there were many to be discovered.

1st ... an antique market along the old highway in Pissignano (porchetta sandwich for lunch a requirement).   So many great ideas for furnishing a place in Italy!!  And a few things just fun to look at and enjoy.

2nd, In the evening walk through the medieval gates of Bevagna to experience Cibo del Mondo (Food of the World), and experience food from all parts of the world.

A trio of musicians sat up in front of this huge water will / mill located in an alcove of the Roman Amphitheater in Bevagna for a entertainment during a tasting.  It was beautiful to see and hear!