A Pre-Christmas weekend in Umbria

In early December, we had a long weekend in Umbria, a beautiful province in the center of Italy.  Previously, we had stopped in Perugia (the capital of Umbria) on our way back from a weekend in Bologna and were so captivated by it that we planned this final weekend adventure for 2011 here.

Perugia is another jewel-like hilltop town, but a bit more lively than others we've visited thanks to the universities that call the area home.

Home base was the Hotel Brufani, situated at the edge of the hilltop, affording magnificent views of the surrounding Umbrian countryside.  What made this trip extra special was the proximity to Christmas, which meant even more adornment in the form of twinkling lights and Christmas carols piped into the cobblestone streets. 

Ron was particularly excited about a ferris wheel, set up temporarily just outside our hotel entrance for the holidays.  Although I'm afraid of heights, I tried to be a good spot and joined him for a go round.  It made for some nice picture-taking of the lit streets (and Tom).

Not so afraid of heights...

Wonderful lights all over...

Needless to say, we had some terrific meals, including one in which the chef/owner spent some time at our table to tell us about his cooking adventures in the US, from his restaurant in Texas backing up against the Bush family compound to his stints in Palm Springs and Tampa.
Through the hotel concierge, we set up an artistic day in which we visited a typical ceramics studio to learn how to paint ceramic plates in the style that is typical to the region.  The neighboring town of Deruta is well known for its ceramics and, as they say in the South, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a ceramics shop in Deruta.

The ceramics class was about 4 hours long.  The highlight of this was an older gentleman known as the Maestro, who came into the studio about a half hour after we arrived to help us learn the technique and helped us to erase our mistakes (mostly mine) so that the end product would be something we'd be proud to display.  The technique involves taking a stencil pattern that has holes dotted along the design and using a brush with carbon to dust the plate, thereby transferring the pattern from the stencil onto a blank plate.  Once the stencil pattern is in place, the student takes various artist brushes and pigments and fills in the design on the plate prior to firing it. 


Shhh...artist at work...

Stage 1 - Ron

Ron was an absolute natural at this, not surprisingly.  Maestro came over to him early on and asked in Italian whether this was his first time doing this kind of art.  When Ron answered that it was his first time, Maestro was clearly pleased and impressed with Ron's natural ability and praised him profusely.


Shhh...artist at work...

Stage 1 - Tom

 











When Maestro came over to my work station, the same question was not asked, nor was expected given how poorly I was doing in filling in the design on my plate.  Maestro used a razor blade through most of the session to help me erase my mistakes so that I could end up with a plate worth firing at the end of the session. 

Stage 2 - Ron

Stage 3 - Ron (next step firing)











The next day we headed to Assisi:


The countryside from St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral

Thusfar, I think that Assisi is the most perfect of all the picturesque Italian towns that we've visited.  Almost too perfect.  I joked with Ron that it was as though 6 gay set designers had come to arrange every rock and stone 'just so' - every corner, every vista, every view was even more special than the one before. 

Picture perfect...

Fryer collecting...

Even the perfect Vespa!



Tomb of St. Francis

The highlight. of course, is the basilica of St. Francis.  Actually, there are 2 basilicas, one built on top of the other.  The one on the top is newer, bigger, more elaborate - with frescoes wrapping around the walls depicting the entire life of St. Francis.  I read somewhere that St. Francis would probably not be so happy with the elaborateness of the basilica in his name.  Taking several staircases down leads you to the original, older basilica, which though still elaborate is a bit more humble and charming.  Yet another level down leads you to the remains of St. Francis in a fairly simple brick reliquary. 
Outside the basilicas we found a large, sprawling nativity featuring life-size statues:

After a nice lunch, we stopped in a little shop to pick up some hand made sketches/tintypes.  Most were of St. Francis or the countryside.  We picked up a few for gifts and for ourselves and asked the kindly gentleman behind the counter who the artist was who made these lovely pictures.  He proudly pointed to himself and we had to get a picture of him to share with you.  It is definitely one of the lovelier aspects of Italy, running into local artisans selling their handmade pieces out of little shops.  During this trip we overdosed on handmade Christmas ornaments.  Each one is a little gem and a little remembrance of our magical adventure here.  As I turn 50, I can't help but be thankful that Ron and I are able to do this now.  As we wrap up 2011 and greet 2012, we send our love to all back home.

We leave you with another stunning view of Assisi
from in front of the cathedral....Enjoy!

Up coming blogs will be more frequent, I promise (A Anno Nuovo Resolution)...hoping for weekly!
We have a lot to catch everybody up with: Fatta in Casa (homemade)Lemoncello, Richmond/New York - Tom's Brithday, Ron & Tom at Italian cooking class and much much more...
Be well, abbracci a tutti!
Tom & Ron