Two weeks to catch up on. You can tell we've been too busy (or relaxed) to update our blog. We'll try and keep it short!

 

Ian and Angie arrived on an unusually chilly day but still enjoyed a stroll around Assisi before returning to our snug home for dinner. The next day was windy and cold so we headed an hour or so south to Orvieto, an ancient town built on a huge rock. Angie and Ian explored the Etruscan caves while we found a cosy restaurant for lunch.

 

 

Angie was keen to brush up on her Italian (her family is from Calabria in southern Italy) so we met up with Piero and Birgitta for dinner at Mr Grumpy's down the road. Birgitta enjoyed the respite from translating while Angie and Piero chatted all evening. We were all invited back for breakfast the next day, more eating and talking and laughter before driving Ange and Ian back to the station to return to Venice. Two brief but action packed days!

 

We were up early the next morning to collect Vicki and Graeme and their friend Christine from the station. (We see a lot of the Assisi stazione!) This is Chris' first holiday overseas - in fact her first real holiday for 30 years, thanks to several 'friends of Assisi' who helped fund her airfare.

Do you like this photo? One way of us all getting in the shot!

 

 

Early next morning, Marg took the new visitors to the mountain hermitage and then to San Damiano (photo above) to start their 'St Francis crawl' as Marg irreverantly describes it. Both places touched them with their simplicity and tranquility.

An afternoon at the Collestrada shopping centre to restock the shelves was quite a contrast!

We packed a lot in the next day...

 

 

A feast at our favourite picnic spot on Monte Subasio - cheese, prosciutto, salami, crusty bread, wine, fruit tart and sunshine. Perfect! Then...

 

 

... up to the top of the mountain for amazing views of Umbria. Jan tried to make friends with one of the (wild?) donkeys and horses which roam this wild place.  Then we sped back to Collestrada so Vicki and Chris could try and iron out some aches and pains with a massage. That's when Graeme informed us we were going to Venice on Monday with them for 3 days. What a wonderful surprise!!

 

Then off to Deruta for a ceramic painting lesson from beautiful Laura...

 

 

Chris with her creation.

 

 

 Vicki was going crosseyed painting her design!

 

 

Graeme painted the Medici crest (we think).

 

.... then a late dinner at Mr Grumpy's on the way home. Phew!

 

Vicki and Chris are reading Under the Tuscan Sun so they were keen to visit beautiful Cortona in nearby Tuscany (photo above). While G&V took off to the top of the town, Chris, Marg & Jan sat down to a leisurely lunch at the Teatro ristorante where Jan made sure Chris got a taste of chianti (she usually only drinks white).

 

 

Two Dutch chaps at the next table started up a conversation which led to an entertaining discussion on politics, economics and God. They bought us limoncellos and we left feeling richer - one of those golden moments in a holiday.

 

 

Friday morning markets at Bastia, 10 minutes from Assisi, are an experience. Everything from dried fish to potato peelers to tablecloths to cheese to jumpers. Marg's buying a large chunk of pecorino and salami with fennel seeds. Delicious!

  Most fruit and veggies are 99 euro cents a kilo. Plump, red tomatoes. Sweet peaches and nectarines. Fresh capsicums with mud from the garden still clinging to them. Buonissimo! 

Back to Assisi to explore and then home for lunch.

 

 

This photo is of Porta Perlici, the gate we enter and exit Assisi almost every day. Note that only one car - or bus or truck! - can enter at one time. Exiting vehicles get right of way, if you're quick enough that is.

The two energetic ones, Vicki and Graeme, visited Spello in the afternoon while the rest of us rested.

Saturday was lots of fun. Birgitta drove us to Lago Trasimeno, a huge lake that sits across Umbria and Tuscany.

 

 

Here Marg and Birgitta show off their matching shoes (purchased on our shopping spree on the way to the thermal springs) and bags (purchased in Goulburn).

 

We hopped on a ferry to Isola Maggiore...

 

... then across the water to the town of Castileone del Lago.  A long and happy day.

 

 

Monday morning, up bright and early to catch a taxi to the station for a train to Venice. Whoo hoo!

 

Two hours, then first stop, Florence where Chris and J&M did a quick tour on the 'see-Florence-in-an-hour' bus and then munched on panini as we strolled around the streets, while V&G dashed to their favourite leather shop to buy gifts for friends and family.

 

 

Back on the bullet train mid afternoon for the two hour trip to Venice. This sleek comfortable train reaches speeds of 170+ kph. We arrived in the early evening to a rainbow and remnants of a thunderstorm. So beautiful!

 

 

Graeme booked us into a converted monastery. Simple and charming. Here's Marg eating breakfast in the courtyard. We were blessed with perfect weather during our two days.

 

 

Lunch of beer, ravioli with sage and butter and salad overlooking the water. Bellissimo!

 

 

We love the way Venetians live so comfortably on the water.

 

This fellow played classical music on Murano crystal glasses. Such a pure sound! An amazing skill.

 

A stroll around San Marco square in the evening to listen to the many orchestras is an essential part of a visit to Venice.

 

We arrived home in Assisi Wednesday evening to find our taxi driver waiting for us at the station, bless him. We were exhausted but very happy!

Umbrian food, music, peace and friends - a story in pictures

Expecting to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies at the Saturday morning market in Assisi, we were surprised to find it wasn’t on. No problemo! Di, Jan and Marg enjoyed finding supplies in the shops tucked in the back streets of Assisi.

 

 

Fascinated, we watched a Franciscan priest buying a litre of white wine in fruit and veg store, dispensed from a vat into a plastic bottle (1.80 euro for the wine – about $2.20 – and 60 euro cents for the bottle, which could be returned to be refilled). We had to try some, so lashed out and bought a litre of white and red. The white was drinkable, the red is only good for cooking - just.

 

Poor Win's leg was still terribly painful on Saturday, and Birgitta kindly offered to go to the ‘ospedale’with her. A helpful doctor allayed fears re heart problems and blood clots, and prescribed stronger pain killers. Dear Birgitta then drove several kilometres to Bastia to find a pharmacy open after hours, dropping them home after 8.30pm.

   

 

We booked tickets to see Chiara di Dio on Sunday afternoon, an enchanting musical which tells the story of St Clare in dialogue, dance and song. Clare was an amazing woman who’s devotion to God, example of service and love for Jesus continues to touch lives today. Win and Di saw the short version in 2008 and Marg has seen it many times. We invited Birgitta to join us, and she was as moved as we were by the beauty of the story and music.

Jan has seen the musical a few times so stayed home for some quiet time.

 

 

Monday we bought a thank-you gift for Birgitta in nearby Bastia, had a brief peek at the old town...



... then headed back to Santa Maria degli Angeli for a delicious lunch in a ristorante behind the imposing basilica.

The next day a brighter Win was ready for more activity so we drove to nearby Spello, a delightful little town which has fewer tourists and lots of lovely shops selling hand made goods such as woodwork, jewellery, paintings, linen and clothing. Jan and Win retired to a café with a panoramic view from the terrace to have coffee while Marg and Di spent time in one of the many churches in the town, revelling in its glorious frescoes.

They joined the other two then for ‘prodotti tipici’ (typical local produce) lunch on the terrace – cheeses with fig jam (also good with honey - try it!), cold meats and salad with ‘torto al testo’, a flat bread common in Umbria.

Hmm, we seem to mention food quite a lot, don’t we? Our clothes still fit so must be doing enough exercise to balance out the intake!

 Win and Di were leaving on the train for Rome and home on Wednesday afternoon, so Di and Marg squeezed in another early morning at the hermitage ...

....and then off to lunch at Birgitta and Piero's. A nice way to finish off their time in Assisi.

 

 

 

Savouring the serenity

After a catch up and a good sleep, we were ready to face Collestrada, a small shopping centre with an enormous supermarket/department store. It takes a long time to walk around it and almost as long to go through the check out. A relaxed night of dinner and Scrabble and then bed. 


Marg whipping up chicken filled
with buffalo mozarella and basil,
wrapped in prosciutto.

 

Predinner nibblies on
the terrace

Tuesday was our first trip into our beloved Assisi. After some exploring and shopping, Jan, Marg and Win indulged in pizza and wine in one of our favourite laneway restaurants while Di immersed herself in frescos.

Jan makes friends in a cafe

The next morning while Marg was out walking and the rest of the house sleeping, Jan spotted a herd of deer grazing in the field next door. She wanted desperately to tell someone but had to settle with sharing it with God. Since then the deer have been seen twice as well as a cute black squirrel. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by countryside here.

Wednesday we headed for Deruta, the city of ceramics. Our first stop was Senor Tomassini’s factory where we were greeted as old friends. We had emailed to let them know we were returning to Italy. They said they knew we had arrived because they recognised our laughter! Win and Di made a few purchases and we then drove up to the old town and renewed acquaintances with some shopkeepers. We had a delicious lunch at Taverna Gusto before ordering a few beautiful pieces of ceramics from delightful Gabriella.



Lunch at Taverna Gusto - yum!

Thursday was a great adventure. We met Birgitta at Mr Grumpy’s and she drove us to some thermal springs in Tuscany, near Siena. She thought we might like to go to the factory outlet en route to do a ‘little shopping’. This place was amazing: designer clothes and household goods spread across an acre or two. Three hours later we dragged ourselves away and with a full boot headed to the springs.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but San Giovani Termopolano was amazing! The first pool is around 39 degrees where the water spurts from two scary stone faces. The temperature gradually drops as the water flows down through a series of pools. It felt strange underfoot as the calcium and minerals settle like silt on the bottom. Many people smeared this chalky substance on them for its claimed cleansing and healing properties. We entered the water at 3pm and came out 4 hours later. What a wonderful experience - swimming in bath temperature waters with a back drop of Tuscan hillsides and hilltop villages. Jan decided she was born to be Italian!

 

Birgitta makes herself beautiful with a mineral mask

 

Jan enjoys the hot springs from the grumpy faces



Note ancient hilltop town in the background

Bathing beauties?

Finally dragging ourselves away we hit the road again – flying. Birgitta is a confident but FAST driver. When Jan saw the speedo hit 154km per hour she shut her eyes. We mentioned that in Australia we have a speed limit of 110km on our freeways and after a little thought Birgitta said, “So does Italy”. (Note speedo in photo below.)

Di and Marg rose early yesterday to visit Eremo delle Carceri, the hermitage in the forest of Monte Subasio. It’s hard to describe the tranquillity of this place. Those of you who have been there will understand. We separated to spend time with the Lord. Di has been to Assisi in 2008, but hadn’t seen the other places special to St Francis and St Clare, so we proceeded on to San Damiano, the peaceful convent where Clare lived with the Poor Sisters, then Rivotorto where Francis first camped with his friars. A wedding was about to start in the church. There was the appropriate amount of bling among the guests!

 

While we were visiting a church in Santa Maria, Marg received a call from Jan asking us to come back immediately. Win has had a lot of pain since bumping her hip a week ago, and decided she needed to see a doctor. We know the emergency department of Assisi hospital – Marg and another friend needed their services in 2010. An x-ray revealed no breaks and so anti-inflammatory medication, pain killers and rest was recommended.

 

Today was perfect weather for a picnic, so we packed a hamper with cheese, tomato, cold meats, salad, bread (rosemary and tomato foccacia) and wine and headed for Monte Subasio. Delicious food tastes even better in the fresh air.

 

 

 

We've arrived

Greetings from beautiful Italy!

37 hours from door to door and only 4 hours sleep, but worth it all when we drove up the track and unlocked the door to Eremo Paradiso. A real sense of coming home. Especially when our neighbour's dog Luna greeted us with delight! (Those of you who have followed our blogs since 2010 will remember her moving in before.)

 

All went smoothly with the flights and transfer in London to the plane to Rome. Jan has not been well but managed to cope with the flight remarkably. She's grateful for the prayers of many for that.

 

After a scorching summer here (hottest for 100 years), the weather has decided to become kinder and the temperatures will drop below 30 degrees this week. We may even get some rain, which we can’t complain about since there has been little here for many weeks.

After a simple dinner of cheese, crackers, peaches (flavour and sweetness bursts in your mouth!) and a glass of red wine shared on the terrace, we were off to bed at 7pm for 11-12 hours of delicious sleep.

 

We awoke to the sound of gun shots and remembered that hunting season began yesterday. Some shots were quite close and we decided eating breakfast indoor may be wise.

Today we’re having lunch with Birgitta and Piero, then picking up Win and her daughter Diane this evening from the station.

And so begins a new chapter in our Italian holiday journal. We are very blessed...

 

 

We're off again!

On Friday 31st August, we board a plane for Rome for another two glorious months in Eremo Paradiso.  Again an assortment of friends will be joining us to share the wonders of Assisi and Umbria - many have been before, a few will experience it for the first time. We're wondering what the weather will be like. Italy has been baking in the hottest summer for 100 years, and my weather app says this week it will be in the mid to high 30's all week. From 5 degrees in Crookwell (today's temp so far) to 35 will be a shock!

For those who are interested, we'll be adding to our Italy blog again. Watch this space...

HIGHLIGHTS, AND THEN ARRIVEDERCI

This time, some highlights and favourite things from our last two weeks in Paradise (apologies for the lousy formatting, blaming blogger, not me...)

• 
• Four days on our own when we explored new places and roads, had a dip in Birgitta’s ‘piccolo’ pool and got to know her better, and selected ceramic tiles for a mirror from some friends in Deruta.

• Discovering a beautiful lake fed by natural springs near Spoleto.

• Watching hot but earnest cyclists whizz around the town of Bevagna in 35+ degree heat – several times.

• Gazing on and exploring beauty of the Spoleto valley with its neat stripes of grapevines, grey green olive groves and freshly plowed fields.

• A magic evening under the stars in Spoleto listening to a brilliant pianist playing against a backdrop of the beautiful duomo with Birgitta, Piero and her mum. In true Italian style, the concert started 40 minutes late.

• 
  

• Marg scoffing more amazing gelati flavours like lavender, rose, fig, tiramisu, orange and peach - bellissimo!  (Diet starts when Marg gets home.)

• Sharing the beauty of this place with our friends and family and seeing their delight in Umbria too.

• Introducing the family to Birgitta and Piero at a beautiful remote Umbrian restaurant known only to the locals.  There was no menu or wine list; they serve food until you said NO!  We counted 10 dishes.  We actually didn’t knock any back.

• Bumping into Sue’s husband Neil on his bike in the middle of Assisi - he had cycled over 250km from Rome in three and a half days!

• Filling water bottles from the natural spring and watching Alan and Neil chatting to the locals.

• Getting the view back at Eremo Paradiso as Alan pruned the olive tree that had been blocking the vista.

• Drinks on the terrace.  Quite a few drinks in fact...

• Dinner on a restaurant terrace watching the sun set and the lights in the valley below Assisi sparkling like stars as it became dark.

• Watching four studious painters learning the art of painting ceramics guided by Italian goddess Laura.

• Duelling cameras with Sue, Joan and Heather...

• Driving back from Santa Maria deli Angeli and feasting our eyes on our beloved Assisi. We never tire of the grandeur and beauty of this wonderful town.  
• Realising again and again how privileged and blessed we are to call Eremo Paradiso our Italian home.  We can bear leaving only because we know we'll return again next year, God willing.

Hot August nights (and days)

Genelle & Marg arrived by train last Monday from Lake Como via Milan. They fell for the spell of Eremo Paradiso immediately. It was good to hear about their adventures over pasta and a glass or two of vino before we all had an early night. They spent most of the next day getting reacquainted with wonderful Assisi (they have both been here before) until we picked them up and took them to the supermercato to experience Italian grocery shopping.

Laura explains the painting
technique

The weather has been heating up so it was just as well Marg took our guests early to the cool, peaceful Hermitage on Mount Subasio. It was hard to leave the tranquillity, but the arrival of tourists and pilgrims mid morning sent them home to collect Jan and head for the ceramic town Deruta.  Arriving at lunchtime, we headed first for the cool vaulted-ceilinged restaurant Taverna del Gusto (our favourite). The ladies were thankful that we only took them to our two favourite shops in the old town, as they were totally overwhelmed by the variety of beautiful, colourful ceramics.

Jan puts the finishing touches
on her masterpiece

We had arranged with Laura to show us around the factory of her uncle Senor Tomassini in the industrial area of Deruta. It was so good to catch up with her again and yes, for those of you who have met her, she is as beautiful as ever! Genelle, Marg D and Jan all had a go at painting a plate under patient instructions and encouragement from expert painter Laura. She was kind enough to put an outline first onto the plates so we had a starting point. There was much laughter that afternoon. Marg D and Genelle caught on quickly and did well whilst Jan… well… one day you may see her masterpiece when it’s displayed at home (probably in the twink)!

For a change Jan did the ‘Francis crawl’, taking our friends to San Damiano and the church at Rivotorto. The church proved to be the highlight as we were introduced to Franciscan friar from the Sydney suburb of Merrylands. Brother Jack had been in Rome for four years studying theology. He was visiting Assisi to assist at the church during the summer holidays.
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With Brother Jack from Merrylands in
Rivotorto church

What was so delightful was his enthusiastic desire to minister to the down and outs back in Sydney. Last year he and another brother spent four days around Kings Cross, taking only a sleeping bag. They begged for their food and were touched by the many people who readily helped them. He will finish his studies next year and will return to his Franciscan base at Kellyville.

Last stop of the morning was Santa Maria degli Angeli where we popped into the basilica to visit the tiny chapel enclosed in its cavernous interior which St Francis restored and where he loved to worship.

Italians sunbathing in a paddock
 on Mt Subasio

Returned home to pick up Marg who had prepared a delicious picnic lunch. We headed up Mount Subasio but found our favourite picnic spots overflowing with people. This forced us up higher to an open plain next to a small forest and set up our picnic under the shade of the pines. Mt Subasio is a popular summer destination for Italians. Genelle was gobsmacked by the hordes of Italians of all shapes and ages who had stripped down to their swimmers and were baking themselves on their sunbeds in the middle of the paddock!!!

A funicular with
a difference!

Gubbio was on Marg D’s ‘bucket list’ – since seeing our Italian holiday DVD, she really wanted a ride in the birdcage-style funicular. We arrived mid morning on Friday to a packed town and full carparks. Marg eventually found somewhere to park ten minutes walk out of town. We’ve noticed there have been crowds in Assisi as well all week, presumably Italians on holiday (August is when most Italians take a break and schools are out at the moment as well).  The weather was again very hot and there wasn’t even any relief up the mountain. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the ride and the typical Umbrian lunch at a restaurant at the top.

Gubbio is an impressive, interesting
and well preserved medieval town

Back in the town we visited a museum which houses the Eugubian Tablets. These seven bronze tablets bear inscriptions in three languages - Umbrian, Etruscan and Latin - and are dated between 250-150BC. They are extremely valuable, the only record of the ancient Umbrian language. Climbing to the roof we had a spectacular view over the city of Gubbio and surrounding plains and hills.  Bellissimo.


It was late when we returned home but we still had one more treat left; dinner at Birgitta and Piero’s. Again we were greeted with warmth and were treated to another Birgitta feast of prawns and bread, pasta with truffles, an assortment of cold meats and cheese, watermelon and then a dessert that Birgitta’s German mother had made for us. We returned home tired and very full.

It was not surprising that the next day we stayed at home and slept, read, ate, slept, read and ate again. Oh, it’s such a hard life!

Spello has many lovely
corners

Sunday morning and it was already hot when Marg A, Marg D and Genelle arose early to attend an English Mass at the Basilica San Francesco. Sitting in this magnificent church surrounded by frescoes to the glory of God and honouring Francis was very special. The charming nearby town of Spello was the next stop. This week had been their celebration of their Roman history and there were some ‘sets’ of ancient Roman scenes in the back streets and a couple of toga-attired locals.  Genelle and Marg D bought supplies for dinner, we managed a short rest, then we all trooped into town to see the musical Chiara di Dio (6^th time for Marg, 3^rd for Jan, and we enjoyed it still).  Our guests spread out an antipasti feast of cold meats, cheese, roasted vegetables, crusty bread and wine under the ripening grapes on the terrace. A perfect summer night and a perfect way to end their holiday in Umbria. 

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Dinner under the grapevine

Before taking them to the train this morning we squeezed in a drive up to Rocca Maggiore.  From the ruins of the old fort that towers above Assisi is a panoramic view of the valley and of this beautiful pink and white town.  The drive back through narrow lanes was exciting – they held their breath as Jan expertly negotiated the streets designed for carts not cars.  The two of us spent the rest of the hot day reading in front of the new fan M & G thoughtfully purchased for the house.

We then treated ourselves to dinner in Assisi. We sat on the terrace of the restaurant where we could watch the sun set and see the twinkling lights of Santa Maria and the many towns scattered across the wide valley and distant hills. The owner of the restuarant lives further up our track at Paradiso (we met him last year) and gave us free espresso to finish a delicious meal. It was still 30 degrees at 11pm when we arrived home.  Locals are over the heat too!