Quick Note: So, this post has been sitting in my drafts for going on three weeks and I was none the wiser. Here is a quick update on all things Umbria. Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen for coming longer posts on Brussels, London, and Florence, Nice and Greece.
A couple days ago I celebrated my 1 month anniversary with Italy – and my oh my has Italy been good to me! I have spent the majority of this past month exploring Umbria, a beautiful region in Italy, a bit north of Rome. If you want to know how I feel about Umbria, please refer to the picture below and that should should tell you pretty much everything you need to know. And its important to note that this happiness came at 5 am in the morning after a long hike, so that’s saying something.
My first taste of Umbria was through the JFRC weekend excursion, at the beginning of September, to Lago Trasimeno, Isola Maggiore, Spoleto, Foligno, Todi, and Cascate delle Marmore. Of course, I wasn’t satisfied so I hopped on the earliest train back to Oriveto the very next weekend. It is really quite hard to describe Umbria in words (which I should note is why this blog post is coming so late (and now even later)). It is just magical (and I am not just saying that because I went to Il Mago d’Oz – a magic toy shop) in Orvieto. The towns I visited in Umbria were everything I imagined Italy to be before I arrived in Rome – quiet, lush with greenery, and sprinkled with little specialty shops.
So, I think to describe Umbria I will give you a little photo recap, because a picture is worth a thousand words and all that good stuff.
First, the JFRC Excursion:
September 4, 2015. This picture is taken at the farm we visited when we first arrived in Umbria. It is in a little commune called Passignano sul Trasimeno. We spent the morning at this farm squishing grapes with our feet, eating grapes from the vine, and drinking grape juice.
September 4, 2015. The entrance of the family run farm.
September 4, 2014. Our fantastic resident vlogger and another Ricci, Mr. Angelo Canta checking out the grapes (which were ridiculously delicious). Please check out his vlogs at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGUByQMo22GxarTHfR1S9Zw.
September 4, 2015. Adorable old man demonstrating his mad skills in basket-weaving.
September 4, 2015. Molly and I taking the obligatory photo with the grape vines.
September 5, 2015 – This is a replication of the baldachin in St. Peters, in the church (name escapes me) where we celebrated mass in Foligno.
September 6, 2015 – Me pretending I am Peter Pan in Spoleto.
Now on to Orvieto:
September 12, 2015 – This picture is at about 7 o’clock in the morning and was the happy conclusion to us running like madmen through Termini to try to catch our train. We bought our tickets about two minutes prior to the train’s departure…
September 12, 2015 – These two pictures are both from a little shop in Orvieto called Il Mago Di Oz (The Wizard of Oz). Me, being the child that I am, could not contain my excitement and emotion in this sweet little (expensive) shop.
September 12, 2o15 – I think this accurately represents how tired we were after a running through Termini at 5 o’clock in the morning. Angelo and Molly napping on the steps of the Duomo.
So, there’s a quick little photo recap of my two weekends in Umbria. Please stay tuned for more detailed, coming posts on Brussels, London, Florence, Nice, and Greece.
Ciao!!
-Em