Ottobre 19

Today we witnessed Autumn in all her glory riding electric bikes through the Umbrian hills. Our first stop from Spello was Bevagne where we stopped at the very hospitable Cafe Miccheletto in Piazza Gramsci. They plied us with their freshly baked rosemary focaccia ​which supplied us with the energy to proceed up the long winding ascent to Montefalco although only a limited amount of our own effort was expended.

We stopped towards the top to marvel at the glorious panorama of gold, yellow, orange, green and brown drenched in bright sunlight and capped by a flawless blue sky.

We were spoilt for choice at Il Ristorante L'Alchimista who showcase the best of the season's produce, at this time it was the renowned black celery. 

Descending the hill at considerably higher speed than we ascended was an exhilarating experience and as we reached the flat outskirts of Foligno we were enfolded in cascading leaves falling from the breeze rustled trees lining the strada.

A magic experience that none of us will forget.  Thank you to our manager Anja for organising the bike hire.

Ottobre 10

These last few days in Spello have been mild to warm and perfect for a trip up to Collepino for a lazy Sunday lunch (al fuori) at Ristorante San Silvestro lapping up the sunshine with other groups and families.  The 5 kilometre walk back to Spello along the Roman Acqueduct was a pure joy (no doubt helped along by the vino di casa).  We picked late ripe figs and collected wild herbs along the well marked path and watched locals gathering their olive crops.

Settembre 25

These beautifully clear and sunny autumn days are perfect for a drive up Mount Subasio.  The vegetation changes from olive groves to oaks to a more barren landscape as you reach the top at 2900 metres.  You will come across cyclists and hikers also enjoying what Mt Subasio National Park has to offer. 

One drives past the charming little hamlet of Collepino to the little 11th century church of Madonna Della Spella (meaning panorama) which offers the perfect vantage point to view the surrounding hills and valleys.

Settembre 23

Una vista spettacolare e straordinaria! 

Civita Bagnoregio

This very special town close to Orvieto is an easy day trip from Spello, by car only one hour 15 minutes.  It is definitely worth the drive to see this unique and enchanting place.

Also  known as the crumbling village it has barely survived earthquakes and water erosion. In Etruscan times it was a thriving city above fertile valleys but now is home to a maximum 100 people in summer and about a dozen in winter.  There are many bars and restaurants in which to sit and enjoy the unique ambience. 

Settembre 19

Investigations into 4 Via Giulia reveal this building was used as a priory for an order of brothers (fratelli). Seating is all around the room of contemplation and prayer which is highly decorated and painted with pictures of holy people, probably saints and popes.  Of particular interest is the musician's gallery and trompe l'oeil decoration which would appear to have been added more recently possibly in the nineteenth century.

Spello is continually revealing its secrets and an exciting project is underway to restore a Roman Villa discovered near Porto Consolare whilst excavating near the car park. Five central rooms at Villa Sant'Anna have so far been unearthed, the two main rooms have mosaic floors of black, pink and white tesserae. The image below shows a nude man pouring wine from an amphora into a cup held by another similar figure, overflowing into a receptacle below.

Settembre 15

We are back from three days in Florence exploring ways to find relief from the unseasonable heat. We enjoyed iced coffee in the Bardini gardens and aperitivo in several rooftop bars where we found a cooling breeze and stunning panoramas of the city.  Check out La Rinascente, Continental Hotel and Grand Hotel Minerva. 

Bardini gardens

Meanwhile back in Spello more on the annual photo expo. This exhibition is a double delight as the exhibits are displayed in places not usually open to the public.  We particularly enjoyed the following. 

This beautiful villa in Via Giulia is now uninhabited

My mission is to find out what family history these walls contained.  I'll keep you posted. 

Settembre 12 2016

Adrian and I received a warm welcome on our arrival in Spello, literally as we arrived pale and exhausted from a Melbourne winter.

The city of art was living up to its name presenting us with its annual Spello Photo Fest (more on that next time). But what we were not expecting was a magical dance performance in our own (late 16th century) back courtyard. We watched the afternoon rehearsal and 9pm performance from our own rear window.

MAGGIO 29

Preparing ourselves for an all- nighter Adrian and I fill up on lasagne and valpolicella at Enotecca Properzio. Its then all hands on deck. 

MAGGIO 26

Everyone lends a hand to pick petals off the gathered wild flowers. Disability no excuse! 

its a wonderfully bonding activity as well as being extremely therapeutic. 

I think petal picking is the new meditation technique!

MAGGIO 23

Yesterday Adrian and I were happily drafted into the beautiful fields near Spello to pick daisies for a 25 metre long flower carpet which will adorn Via Giulia.  Each individual petal is then picked off by hand - 'He loves me, he loves me not' !

MAGGIO 22

Spello has welcomed us again with sunshine and flowers in this wonderful month of 'L'inforiata' . This celebration has occurred in some form since the early 1900's until today when about 80 flower petal carpets are made by the local townspeople to adorn the streets of Spello. The meaning behind these works of art is to honour the Day of 'Corpus Christi' which falls this year on 29 May.

Walking the fragrant streets of Spello in the early morning ensures the freshest looking photos; but photos cannot do this beautiful town justice, you really have to be here to participate in the excitement of this event and to smell the roses and summer jasmine.

Italian is the perfect language to describe this event -: meraviglioso, bellissimo, colorato, spettacolare, stupendo, favoloso, fantastico e straordinario!

You too can speak superlative Italian! 

The wonderful handmade clothing boutique below our apartment

Quindicesimo

I am in awe of the more senior citizens in Spello. After two months of huffing and puffing my way up to casa mia most days I am wondering how the elderly Spellani cope with uneven cobbled surfaces and the demanding gradients.  I express my admiration to several locals and they tell me that the secret is 'piano, piano' - slowly, slowly!

Ciao

Sue

Quattordicessima

My favourite walk is along the Roman Acqueduct from Collepino to Spello.  The views are breathtaking.  It is an easy 5 kilometre walk one way to Spello but much harder hiking uphill to Collepino, a hamlet on top of a hill.  On the way and depending on the season one can smell wild herbs and fennel and pick wild asparagus, figs and peaches. There are also the ever present gnarled olive trees (today full of fruit).

A real treat is to arrive in Collepino by taxi in time for lunch and dine at La Taverna San Silvestro.  The owner and his wife go to extroadinary lengths to provide delicious seasonal home cooked meals, cooking both meat and vegetables on a grill over an open fire. The restaurant itself (the only one in Collepino) is atmospheric and cosy.

As we approached Spello on our return it was bathed in a heavenly glow.

Ciao

Sue

Tredicesimo

Just beside the imposing and beautifully frescoed Basilica in Assisi there is a somewhat hidden gem called 'il bosco', the forest of St Frances which comprises sensitively restored natural woodlands leading down into the valley.  This place was once a microcosm for Franciscan nuns and friars who lived and worked here in the monastery, hospital, church and mill. 

This is a place where art communes with nature, and history with spirituality; a place of peace and meditation​.  

As we continued downwards The Basilica receded gradually into the distance but there was always the sense that St Frances had trodden this same path.

 The terrain was at times wet and slippery and I made a mental note to wear sturdier shoes next time.  It was a slow descent and when we eventually reached The Vistor's Centre my friends and I were delighted​ to discover a charming restaurant just over the bridge.

what a totally satisfying day!​

Ciao

Sue

Dodicesimo

One of the greatest experiences you could have is cooking with one - star Michelin chef at Enoteca Properzio.  Local chef Marco Gubbiotti demonstrated some wonderful umbrian cuisine using local seasonal ingredients including wild herbs, fennel and olive oil with the starring role going to black truffle (as now is truffle season in Spello).

Each dish was beautifully paired with local wines from The Enoteca Properzio cellar and served by Roberto.​

i can't wait to try these recipes out myself when I return to Melbourne and relive my memories of this special occasion​.

Roberto and Luca (2nd from right and 1st left) with three inspired amateur chefs

Ciao

Sue

Undicesimo

I had no idea how many children attended the two schools in Spello (elementary and secondary) until today when I saw close to 400 children walk down the hill from the centre of town. 20 minutes later the same children walked back up the hill. Could this be part of the curriculum to promote healthier and more attentive students?​

I asked Leticia at Bar Bonci and she told me that it was a practice emergency drill in case of the occurrence of 'terramoto' (earthquake).

Ciao

Sue

Decimo

Spello has so much to offer ......... 

E Città dei fiori

The Umbrian earth is parched but the flowers in Spello are still blooming.

Andrea Roggi (2015) -  L'amore apre i cuori è la nostra mente

A Roman mosaic floor unearthed during building works this year. 

Exploring alleyways in Spello always brings surprises! 

I much prefer la dolce vita

Ciao

Sue

Nono

The culprit (il colpevile) 

The last few times I have been in Spello I have noticed a very persistent bird call. In fact I have marvelled at their indefatigability. Following several failed attempts at googling birds of Umbria with unusual calls my curiosity was at a peak. I eventually mentioned it to a neighbour who laughed and told me ...'Non e un uccello' (it's not a bird). My imagination went wild - what sort of creature could it be then? It is not any type of creature, Paula told me, it's a recording created to keep the pigeons away. Her friend Elsebee proceeded to escort me to Raimondo at the Civic Office to make a formal complaint. Apparently this recording has been driving the townspeople living around the Piazza Republica crazy. I was a bit embarrassed to make a fuss so I asked Raimondo if it was possible for the recording to be 'meno forte'.

Ciao

Sue

Otto

We have discovered some interesting modes of transport in some of these hill towns. In Perugia there is a mini metro that takes you from the main station right up to the Centro storico​. On the way up one is rewarded with glimpses of the approaching town.

In Spoleto we discovered a series of elevators and lifts which take the hard work out of reaching the Roman Acquaduct at the top of the hill. Unfortunately we didn't discover it until we were on our way down. 

Sunday lunch was memorable for several reasons. Most importantly because it was a degustatione at our favourite Enoteca Properzio and also because we sat outside under a large umbrella listening to the thunder as the rain poured down around us in the fading afternoon warmth. We soaked up the wonderful vintages we were offered with relish.

Ciao

Sue

Settimo

A scuola last week all i studenti were gathered together for a special lecture which was given by Elena Ottaviani on 'di restauro' of The Basilica San Francesco following the September 1997 earthquakes in Assisi - terramoto.  We watched in complete horror as the video showed the collapse of two sections of the basilica after the second 'terramoto' and sadly took four lives. The middle section remained intact which was where the journalists and cameramen were standing (they were there to record the damage to the structure begun in the first quake the night before).

Elena proceeded to instruct us on how the small pieces of the fallen frescoes were collected and sorted then painstakingly reassembled, like a complicated jigsaw, and reinstated onto the ceiling facades. It was a process of two years and was clearly a labour of love for many specialised artisans and student volunteers who came from all over Italy.