Blogs from Umbria, Italy, Europe - page 2

23rd March Perugia glass #heygo http://www.heygo.com After more than one hundred and fifty years the Moretti Caselli Studio is still working; Maddalena, who represents the fifth generation, carries on the family tradition. Maddalena Forenza was born in 1980. As soon as she was the right height – work-table level – she started to work seriously, or almost, reproducing her drawings with small scraps of coloured glass. Some more years went by, but passion and desire to learn increased, and so one day mother and daughter really did begin to work together, and Maddalena finally reached a decision: she would carry on the family activity. At present Maddalena executes and restores stained glass windows: it is a unique production because she uses the painting methods which were rediscovered, studied and revised by Francesco Moretti, b... read more

http://www.heygo.com 16th February - In the Footsteps of St. Francis Whilst the exact date of St. Francis birth is unknown, he was born around 1181-1182. He died at the age of 44 in 1226 We started ou tour today overlooking the statue of St.Francis’s parents. In 1182, Pietro Bernardone returned home from a trip to France to find his wife had given birth to a son. Far from being excited he was furious because she'd had his new son baptized Giovanni after John the Baptist. The last thing he wanted in his son was a man if God, he wanted a man of business, a cloth merchant like he was, and he especially wanted a son who would reflect his infatuation with France. So he renamed his son Francesco. The cloth draped over the arm of ... read more

http://www.heygo.com 8th February - Perugia - Italy Perugia is considered the green heart of Italy due to it’s location in the centre of the country as shown on the map that Patrizia, our guide, showed at the start of our tour overlooking the surrounding area of the city with great views. Patrizia made her way down the 700 year old steps to the Etruscan Arch, one of the 7 remaining arches that served as an entrance to the city of Perugia in ages past. Constructed in the 3rd century BC, this arch is one of the oldest pieces of architecture in the city and is considered to be the best remaining example of the cities original defences. The front façade of the arch features some of the original latin inscriptions. We continued our walk overlooking the ... read more

As usual John was up early and walking the streets looking for the perfect light. Lots of great pictures but one stood out because it was taken as the morning sun hit Perugia a lit up the entire city. Wow. So very sorry that the lens was not telephoto. Needless to say, it was quite special. John stopped on the way back to the flat for sweets which were consumed with a high level of satisfaction. And so began the day. Peggy was not feeling too well so decided to stay close to home for the day. So Ursula, Chad and John walked to San Damiano down the hill and outside the city walls. This little monastery was the place where St. Francis had the realization of his path in life, and later it became the ... read more

As our travels in Italy come to an end, we wanted to share the places we found that are definitely worth visiting on your next trip. In Orvieto we recommend: · Hotel Virgilio, Piazza Duomo 5 - 05018 - Orvieto (Tr) Italy Tel. 0039 0763 39 49 37. Small hotel facing the duomo. Very clean but the walls are thin and you hear everything going on in the bathroom next door as well as in the hallways and stairwells. · Osteria da Mamma Angela, Piazza del Popolo, 2 Orvieto 05018 Tel 0763 342790 anticarupe@live.it. Nice location on the piazza with great service and definitely a local flavor. Pasta dishes were excellent and the desserts worth ordering. · Trattoria del Moro Aronne, Via San Leonardo, 7 Orvieto 05018 Tel 0763 342763 info@trattoriadelmoro.info. Fabulous food and service. Small ... read more