During Spring, Summer and Autumn...

During Spring, Summer and Autumn, Umbria is alive with events, festas, which the local people prepare with great pride and enthusiasm, featuring everything from tulips to snails, horses to furniture. Most villages and towns have their very own festivals celebrating their Saint days. Other festivities offer regional gastronomic dishes, local harvested produce, etc., usually held in the open air, and ending with jolly bands playing traditional folk and other popular music, for children, parents and grandparents to dance to "sotto le stelle", (under the stars). These events take place at Passignano, Tuoro, Lisciano Niccone, Mercatale, Calzolaro, Monte Santa Maria Tiberina, San Leo Bastia, Citerna, Monterchi, Selci Lama, Montone, Preggio, etc., and even our town of San Pietro a Monte at the end of June. The tunes of “Clementine”, “Tipperary” and especially “Roll Out the Barrel” are often heard, seemingly traditional local Italian songs; who pinched from whom I wonder. Other favourites include “Coming Round the Mountain”, “Old MacDonald”, “All over Italy They Play the Piccolino” and of course “Volare”.