Blogs from Urbania, Marche, Italy, Europe

Thursday 14th June, 2012 - Urbania Today is our last full day in Urbania. The last two weeks have been a great experience. We have enjoyed mostly great weather, seen some wonderful sights, enjoyed some delicious meals and met some great people – from Gail’s teachers and fellow students to the shop assistants, restaurateurs and wait-staff, to tourist bureau staff, bus drivers, taxi drivers and our landlord and his family. Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming – and accepting of people who can’t speak the language all that well or in Steve’s case – not at all! We leave Urbania with a diploma in Italian language which feels barely earned, but will look great on the wall! Thank you to all Urbanese – you are wonderful. We leave for the ride back to Arezzo tomorrow ... read more

Saturday 9th June, 2012 - Urbania After Gail finished two hours of school this morning, we visited The Church of the Dead, - a most unusual tourist “attraction” in Urbania. Back in the 1500s, when Urbania was still called Caste Durante, people who couldn't afford a proper burial were buried under one of the churches. In about 1804, some of these bodies were discovered in a perfectly mummified condition. This was due to a certain mushroom that dehydrated the bodies, slowing decomposition. About 15 of these bodies are on display at the church. It was a weird feeling being in a room with these mummified corpses, which are all in a room behind the altar of the church. Our guide explained in Italian/English, how the bodies were discovered, how the mummification process with the mushrooms works, ... read more