Pastry Shop Survey

Welcome to the Pasrty Shop Survey.  Which do you think looks best?

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Please select one of the following:

   A.  #1

   B.  #2

   C.  #3

   D.  #4

   E.  All of the above

   F.  I decline to vote until I have tasted one of each

Grazie for participating in the survey.  Ciao.

Fonte Maddalena

Noticed this sign coming down Monte Subasio a few days ago.  It doesn't point directly to any path, doesn't say what Fonte Maddalena is (a place?) or how far it is (100 meters... or 25 kilometers?)  "Fonte" means "fountain."  Seemed worth exploring the nearest path, so this morning I started up, then went up some more.

   

Up and up went the trail.  There was a marker where a narrow path went off to the side, but it gave no indication of a "fonte", so I continued on ahead, enjoying glimpses of mountains and valleys, the "uccelli cantare", and the certainty that if the fonte ever revealed itself, it would mark the start of an almost entirely downhill walk.  Suddenly, there it was!  Fonte Maddalena!  An old water source.

Okay, so it's not the Trevi Fountain.  But the views were great, and there was a nice bench nearby for resting.  And it was a pleasant walk back.

Back in town, here is a nice arch close to our place:

And, looking directly overhead while standing under an arch by the center of town, one sees: 

    Ciao.

Getting Lost

Getting lost, or at least wandering off the main path, is a good way to experience more of Italy. It can be a bit challenging, like the first time Cheri and I arrived in Venice. While searching for the hotel we managed to lose each other. Mark Twain wrote about one night getting lost in Florence while trying to make his way back to his hotel. After about four hours of wandering he enlisted the aid of a young soldier to help him find "Hotel d'Europe." Twain wrote, "We walked a hundred or a hundred and fifty miles, it appeared to me, and then he got lost."

This morning's walk to Rivotorto involved strolling through the Umbrian countryside with a general sense of direction, but no specific itinerary. With Monte Subasio and Assisi as background, one could hardly really get lost. Interesting old farms, along with the sounds and blossoms of a Spring morning, made the walk as good as reaching the destination.

Odds n' Ends

This morning's walk began with a steep descent from one of Assisi's gates to the Tescio River. There, one crosses the river on this bridge which, according to a 14th Century document, was crossed by Charlemagne's troops as he was on his way to Rome to be crowned emperor. A 1066 document refers to it as Pons Gallorm. The church behind it was a hospital in 1276. As with many structures, history seems to have left behind occasional descriptive documents, then it won't be mentioned again for centuries before resurfacing. A bit of Assisi can be seen up above looking through the tree branches.

Throughout Assisi one sees curved iron bars on many of the older walls. Why are they there? After six or seven or eight hundred years, even a well built stone wall can start to bulge a bit. Rather than tear down a bulging wall or have it deteriorate further, a hole is drilled and a rod run through it, securing one of these iron bars on the inside with one on the outside, serving as effective reinforcement.

Also, here's a typical doorknocker, and a closer glimpse of some pink Subasio stone.

Here's some pretty flowers and a pretty unsuspecting walker.

Finally, over 150 years ago a cedar seedling somehow made its way to the top of an abandoned tower, somehow found a patch of dirt to survive in, and somehow continues to grow to this day. The tower is hollow on the inside, so the tree lives a solitary but peaceful existence. Ciao.

Monte Subasio

Climbed to the summit of Mount Subasio today. This picture was taken just a little above Assisi. Our apartment is to the right of the tower in the middle of town. The higher structure on the right is an old fortress. Santa Maria degli Angeli is on the top left. Great hiking weather, probably high 30's to the top. Incredible Umbrian views with snowcapped mountains in the distance. The lower part of the trail is forested, the higher part is mostly rugged, rolling hills, steep enough to ensure a good challenge. Just beautiful views in every direction. Here's me standing at the summit.

Temperature warmed to the 60's on the way down. One interesting site was a group of horses gathered on the top of a high knoll. There's plenty of pasture surrounding the knoll, so it's hard to understand why they would all move to the top. Maybe to catch the first rays of sunlight? Maybe to enjoy the views? Maybe only one horse was up there and the others decided to be neighborly?

"Buon Giorno" greetings are commonplace beyond the edge of town, and maybe a few added friendly words. My favorite encounter was on a dirt road I was descending, when a guy came zipping up in his Fiat-like auto, lady-friend at his side, window wide open, one arm waving and hollering out a hearty, "BUON GIORNO!" as if to declare this one of the best days ever. Perhaps it is.

Piove

Piove (It's raining). Walked a couple of miles to Santa Maria degli Angeli to pick up some food supplies, only to find the main market closed for Easter Monday. Guess that makes as much sense as closing the day before Christmas. Went to a smaller market, then trudged back up the hill, with beautiful views in every direction.

Keep meaning to share a photo of a plate of pasta. The bright tomatoes, freshly grated parmegian, olive oil, and other ingredients tend to make for a photogenic plate, along with the pane (bread) and vino rosso. However, thus far, when il momento of truth arrives, and the delicious meal is ready, the inclination to lose time taking pictures suddenly disappears, only to return well after the dining experience has been completed. Having just finished such a meal, I'll tell you it was quite wonderful.

Easter

Happy Easter! Rather than going to one of the large churches this morning, decided to attend mass at San Stefano. It was built in 1166. That's about three centuries before Columbus. The stonework you see above is original. The interior is similar, arched stone with a couple of faded frescoes. Seating for about a hundred people. About that many were at this morning's service, which was, of course, in Italian. However, it was not difficult to share in the joy of the Easter celebration.

There is a legend that when Francis died in 1226, a mile or two away from here, the bells of San Stefano spontaneously started ringing.

Yesterday, we had tea with Ezio and Laura. How they met seems out of a 1960's Audrey Hepburn movie. She was a U.S. college student studying in Europe, he an Italian scholar, a native of Assisi. They met at the fountain in the main square of Assisi, had a pleasant conversation, and parted ways, likely to never meet again.

Two years later Laura was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. She was accepted into an overseas program that the School operates in Rome. When she arrived at the Rome location, she was surprised to encounter Ezio. She asked, "What are you doing here?", he responded, "I'm the director." They married a year later.

Uccelli

The Italian word for "birds" is "uccelli." It's important to say "uccelli" aloud because it is a musical word that captures the beauty of birds singing. It is pronounced oo-chEHl-lee. Say it as if you were singing, and imagine birds perched in olive trees accompanying you on a Spring morning.

The word for "trees" is "alberi" (AHl-ber-ree). So, now you can imagine the uccelli in the alberi, happily cantare!

A Peaceful Place

Hope to write more about food in the weeks ahead but, for now, I'm sure some of you will appreciate the following:

Assisi is so peaceful. However, it hasn't always been that way. After the Romans replaced the Etruscans, who replaced the Umbrians, centuries of wars followed. San Rufino, who brought Christianity in the third century, was martyred by drowning. Barbarian invasions followed, and enventually Charlemagne's armies took over. In 1160 Frederick Barbarossa put Assisi under his jurisdiction. Additional changes of authority led to the establishment of the Commune of Assisi, which soon was waging an unsuccessful war against the neighboring city of Perugia (Francis, a participant, ended up in jail for about a year). When not fighting invaders, the nobility and the working class of Assisi took to fighting each other. At one point, the people of the "upper part of town" battled those of the "lower part of town." The centuries of sackings included a 1503 invasion by the troops of Cesare Borgia. In the early 1800's came the troops of Napoleon, but I'll stop here, as it would take volumes to cover all of the conflicts. One can only hope that all places where war is now being waged eventually become as peaceful as Assisi.

A Few Pictures

Here are some pictures. The first is a glimpse of Assisi from above.

Next is the historic Temple of Minerva. The columns were put in place by the Romans over two thousand years ago. A few centuries later it was converted (so to speak) into a church. The steps are a nice place to sit on a sunny day.

Here is what a properly flowered front door should look like.

From out our front door, we turn right and look down these steps to the center of town. When carrying groceries we look up these steps and realize an earned appetite only enhances the meal.

Ciao.