ABC Wednesday: U is for...

Under the Umbrian Sun...

Umbria...beautiful neighbour of Tuscany. If (hopefully when) I return to Italy, I could happily spend my entire time exploring the nooks and crannies and hilltowns of Umbria. Mom and I spent a couple days driving around the western edge of Umbria when we stayed in Cetona (S. Tuscany) last summer. We stopped in the tiny hilltop town of Montegiove, a frazione (sp?) of the commune of Montegabbione in Terni province of Umbria. What a delightful place. In my dreams, I think I will live here!

On the drive to Montegiove, you will pass by an enchanted forest...

Marvel at the stunning views of other surrounding hilltowns...I think this might be Montegabbione, but don't quote me! It might be Monteleone d'Orvieto instead.

In Montegiove itself, there are gorgeous courtyards like this one...

A church...a must in my books. I certainly meet God in creation and under the open sky, but I also love and appreciate the deepening of faith that comes with intentional worship in community.

Montegiove also has a most wonderful wine bar! Mom and I enjoyed a very delicious lunch here during our travels. a dish of melted cheese with black truffle on top - my first time tasting truffle. It was very good, but I suspect truffle is an acquired taste to truly appreciate its flavour.

La Bottega Menno e Gilda has a fabulous selection of wines from all over Italy, as well as a few other countries. (U also stands for Under the influence! The downside of being the designated driver was that I couldn't partake in much wine sampling...but driving in Italy was worth it, for me!)

If you choose to relax on the terrace while enjoying your refreshments, there is also a feast for your eyes...

After lunch, you can wander around and admire the charming remains of arched walkways... 

 ...and intriguing old buildings that appear to be in the process of being reclaimed by mother earth...

...and get carried away with dreams of buying a piece of abandoned land and creating your very own room with a view...sigh. Yes...I really could see myself living Under the Umbrian sun.

I wonder what others make of the letter U...let's find out over on the ABCW website!

ABC Wednesday: I is for...

IDLE...sometimes I have to just stop my engine and let my body and soul idle for a while. Which is what I did recently. Just idled away a couple days at the camper...not doing much of anything other than sitting around the bonfire...until we got rained out (or more accurately, ice pelleted out!)

I don't have a photo of this week's idleness, but here I am idling in Castiglione del Lago last summer...

Let your IMAGINATION run wild with the participants of ABC Wednesday this week!!

Saturday photohunt: Fluffy

The Saturday Photohunt this week is FLUFFY.  Now I could post pics of my uber-fluffy big boy cat Winston...or I could post pics of some fluffy reading material (for which I am kind of thirsting, I must admit, since all I have read in months are textbooks!)

But instead I have decided to post some fluffy flora photos...

Azaleas in Halifax's Public Gardens

Fluffy trees and field near Cetona (sigh...Tuscany...)

Blossoms on a tree in the south end (aka home of the rich and famous, relatively speaking) of Halifax

Look! Fluffy trees! This is a spot in Umbria, somewhere between Montegabbione and Montegiove, that felt like an enchanted forest to Mom and I.

My mom's spectacular rhododendron bush

More plants in the Public Gardens. I really love the texture and shades of this plant...if anyone knows what it is, please share your knowledge by leaving a comment - thanks!

Pop on over to the Saturday Photohunt page

and see what other fluffy photos you can uncover!

A day in Orvieto

One of our daytrips was to Orvieto. We had read a lot about this town (city?) and wanted to see it for ourselves. Mind you, we went on Monday so the museums were closed, but the magnificent Duomo was open, and that was the main attraction for us anyway. When we arrived, we found the free parking lot at the bottom of the hill by the train station, and rode the funicular up to the top. (People can diss Rick Steves all they want, but his guidebooks are a fantastic resource for things like parking, public washrooms and information points!)

A walk up through the town brought us to the Duomo - wow, is it huge! Impossible to fit into one photo, given the tight quarters (it sits in smallish piazza surrounded by buildings, so you really can't get back far enough to get a photo from any distance). I could barely squeeze the facade in, nevermind the rest of the church, which stretches out behind in black and white striped marble. Very reminiscent of the Siena Duomo, which I hadn't realized. I snapped several shots of the details, such as the old rose window, some of the mosaics and bas relief on the facade. I don't seem to have any interior photos...must not have been allowed!

After our cultural hit, we were ready for some food! But weren't in the mood for anything fancy. This little cafeteria struck our fancy, and it did not disappoint. I had a fantastic veggie pizza with tomato, zucchini, eggplant, mushroom, potato and carrots on a crispy thin crust. Mom was very pleased with her pizza as well. We also "split" a half litre of red wine...the split being half a glass for me, the rest for Mom! (I was driving so obviously was being careful not to consume any quantity of alcohol.) I had been joking that I would need a detox period after this trip, but now Mom joked that because of being the designated driver, perhaps I would escape that fate but that she might need double!

We wandered into the church of San Andreas after lunch. It had some lovely fresco fragments, an eye catching ceiling, and some other interesting features.

We left through a side door, and on one of the buildings just outside, we came across an odd piece of art, I think it is a scene from Pinicchio but have no idea why it might have been on a tiny small side street in Orvieto!

When we made our way back to the funicular, we came across a park where Mom found a great shady bench on which to have a rest. I wandered about the small park for a few minutes, then we had to move because...I discovered a castle tower! With people on it, so clearly accessible - I must go there!

Fantastic views of the city walls and surrounding countryside, plus inside was a wonderful shady park with a pretty fountain.

Finally we returned to Cetona, to have a quiet supper at 'home'. I made meat and potatoes and veggies...which tasted much more mouthwatering than when I make such a basic meal at home! I also made a stew for the following night (and it turned out there was enough stew for another meal as well, and it tasted even better the second time!)

This particular day happened to be August 8, which was Dave's and my 24th anniversary. So I toasted him, and us, with my wine and wished he was here too!

Naturally the meal ended with dolce...in this case cafe gelato, made by Baci of Perugia, very tasty!

A tour around Lake Trasimeno

One of the things Francesco (and others) had recommended to us was a visit to Lake Trasimeno. I wasn't entirely sure if I felt drawn to the idea at first, thinking meh, waterfront resort towns and ferry ride...why spend my Italian vacation time doing things I can do at home? But - this being Italy - of course a lake experience is an entirely unique one! We set out to circle the lake and stop at a few towns along the way. First stop was Panicale, a town I first learned about when Dave and I brought the girls over in 2007. I was quite taken with this lovely town, based on what I could find online, and we nearly rented an apartment here. However at the time, we weren't ready for driving in Italy, so abandoned the idea in favour of renting in Florence and Venice so we could easily travel around by train. So it was fun for me to visit it now. I can see why it is very popular with British tourists (or so I have heard.)

How picturesque is this little shed, perched on the hill just below the street?


And this gorgeous brick house


There are parks and pathways all over the place over here, I've noticed, and Panicale is no exception!


We parked and walked to the main piazza (whose name I forget!) but is through the Perugia Gate. The fountain is from 1473, and used to be the town's main well.



  Of course we had to check out the church of St Michael the Archangel, dating from the 11th century. We were quite taken with the 14th century annunciation fresco, having read that it was accidentally discovered under some plaster during a renovation and is attributed to Tommasino Fini called Masolino.


And the adoration of the shepherd painting from 1519, by Gianbattista Caporali, a student of Il Perugino.


We were ready for gelato by this point...lo and behold, here is a cart promising the best home made ice cream in Umbria. Who are we to argue?! I had a combo of limone and pescarancia (sp? peach/orange), and it certainly was tasty!



After this refreshing treat, we wandered around a bit, then headed along to Castilione del Lago, right on the shore of Lake Trasimeno. We found ourselves on the beach lined road running along the lake...hmm, we better check this out and stick our toes into the water! We found a stretch with a dock running out into the lake and very few other people around, so we made ourselves comfy...a heavenly hour of lying in the hot Umbrian sun with the cooling lake breeze dancing over our skin.








Eventually the other plans of the day beckoned and we roused ourselves and carried on our way.  A church (I know, how predicable am I?!) was our next stop. I especially liked this bas relief of the woman washing Jesus' feet...I have never actually seen this bible story depicted in sculpture or painting before, so was intrigued to find it here.

I also thought these choir gowns were beautiful, and I imagined a big choir filling the place with joyful song. I'm a bit puzzled that the gowns all had clergy collars on them, at least that's what they looked like...a choir consisting solely of priests, perhaps? Probably a mystery that will remain forever unresolved for me!


Then we walked along to the castle and the adjoining museum. I didn't seem to be particularly interested in the museum, so I left Mom to finish checking it out, while I went outside and sat on a stone wall overlooking the lake and the castle. A moment of bliss. When Mom joined me, into the castle we went. To get there, we had to make our way through a loooong narrow passageway. (Although it wasn't nearly as dark as the passageway I took to get up into the tower in Rocca Maggiore in Assisi!)

You can walk all around the ramparts of this castle, with an optional climb to the top of the highest point. I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that I made this climb! Mom opted to find a perch on the wall and wait for me, lest she put undue stress on her knees. I bounded up the stairs, fidgeting impatiently as I neared the top and got stuck behind a family puffing and panting their way up. ( Apparently they have not been doing as much climbing as I have lately...this particular climb felt like a walk in the park to me!) And it was worth it - wow! I thought I was high up when we were on the first tower! Stunning views of the sweeping lakefront and of the town. The cathedral really looms high over the other rooftops!








Down I came, gathered up Mom, and away we went to continue our tour around the lake.  We stopped at Passagnano sur Trasimeno to check out a painting we'd read was in the church there...but we never found it! We did find lithium batteries for the camera (an item which had thus far eluded us on our trip!), and wandered around a bit, so it was still a worthwhile stop.   In the photo below, the shadowed doorway on the right lead to a tiny staired passageway to the street above...so cool! 

Mom parked herself on some steps while I climbed up to the fortress at the top of the town. I didn't explore inside it though. I was more intrigued with the nooks and crannies of this neat place.

 Alas, the afternoon was drawing to a close, so we called it a day and headed back to Cetona for supper. This is a beautiful area...and we barely scratched the surface in our day of wandering!