properties umbria

Trevi, Umbria - A week without TV

2010-01-27T04:26:00.000-08:00

The Italians - watch on average 28 hours of TV per person per week as compared to 28 hours of weekly viewing by the average Italian. In Italian homes there is nearly always a television in the kitchen as well as in other rooms and it is usually left on during mealtimes.

When a school in Trevi [Umbria] asked two classes to participate in a project in which not only the children but also their parents would spend one week without watching the television at all, then, the families foresaw a difficult seven days. However, 41 children between the ages of 8 and 11 and their families agreed to try, denying themselves the use of video and computer games as well, reports La Repubblica.

The project, called “Oltre lo Schermo” [“Beyond the Screen”] was the idea of Umbrian journalist and mother Giovanna Grieco, who only allows her own son to watch TV for a short time each day. He spends the rest of his free time reading stories and playing games with his family. Ms Grieco suggested games and activities that the children could do in the afternoons at school or at home instead of watching TV.

The emphasis was on interacting with the people around them.
In all, 28 children got through the “week without TV” and they kept diaries of their difficulties and discoveries of other ways to spend their time, such as helping their mothers with the cooking, reading in the school library or enjoying playing games with their parents.

“We enjoyed turning the TV off every time Dad switched it on”, reported eight-year-old twins.
It seems that the older children found the sacrifice harder than the younger ones. The school is happy with the outcome and may extend the project to include other classes in the future.

"What’s Fashion About?”

2010-01-14T14:05:00.001-08:00

"What’s Fashion About?” is the title of the 77th Pitti Uomo [Pitti for Men] Fashion Show which is taking place at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence until 15th January. This is the event that opens the international fashion fair season every year and exhibitors from all segments of the fashion industry participate, including textile manufacturers, garment makers, textile machinery and technology manufacturers, embroidery companies, makers of trimmings and accessories and even laundries. In all 730 exhibitors and 905 brands are participating.

The organisers say that, because of the recession, all fashion houses have been rethinking their strategies and Pitti have reflected this by breaking with tradition in the design of this year’s exhibition space. Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola has revolutionised the design of the main pavilion and, on the lower floor, she has created a “fashion district”. Here the exhibitors’ stands are smaller than in previous years so that there is more space between them to encourage people to stop and talk. “Give up a little of your space so that there is room for all” is the message.

Exhibitors hope that the autumn-winter 2010 – 11 collections will mark a turning point for the industry as it comes out of recession but everything depends on the army of international buyers – 22,000 of them attended the last winter fair - who can make or break a brand. The upturn in the industry’s fortunes is expected to begin with the export market which decreased by 19.6% last year. The fashion companies particularly hope to be able to export their goods to the USA.

Yesterday Lars Nilsson showed elegant outdoor wear for men along with brightly patterned scarves. The waistcoat is definitely back in his suits and evening jackets featured a Bogey cut. Japanese designer Jun Takashaki showed in Italy for the first time in the setting of the Boboli Gardens in the evening. Corleani are showing at the Pitti for the first time. Pitti_W Woman Precollections are showing simultaneously at the Dogana. These are collection previews taking place in an exhibition space designed by Oliviero Baldini.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/firenze/whats-fashion-about

Darwin Day - Perugia 2009

2009-12-07T03:34:00.001-08:00

To commemorate the centenary of Darwin's Evolution of the Species theory, the Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti di Scienze Naturali, the Centro di Ateneo per i Musei Scientifici have scheduled a long series of events throughout Umbria for Darwin Day from February through to December.

Email: segreteria@perugiasciencefestival.it

Forget Van Gogh's ear - it's Galileo's molar

2009-12-07T03:19:00.000-08:00

A private art collector who recently purchased a seventeenth-century box containing unidentified “artefacts” must have had a gruesome surprise when he opened it, for it contained a human tooth, a thumb and a middle finger, later authenticated as having belonged to none other than Galileo Galilei [1564 – 1642] who was condemned by the Vatican for claiming that the Earth moved around the Sun.

The collector contacted the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence and the Museum’s director, Paolo Galluzzi, pieced together the story:
when Galileo died, those close to him feared that the Church would refuse him burial in consecrated ground because of his “heresies” so his body was taken to a small room beneath the bell tower of Santa Croce.

In 1737, 95 years after the astronomer’s death, his body was removed from its “temporary” grave and placed in a monumental tomb in the Basilica itself. It was during this process that Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti, chief physician of the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova Gualtieri, removed the tooth, two fingers and the thumb from the right hand and the fifth lumbar vertebra. He wrote that he found it difficult not to yield to the temptation to remove the skull too, for it “had housed such extraordinary genius”.

One of the fingers was kept in the Science Museum in Florence and the vertebra was conserved at the University of Padua, where Galileo had taught.
The other body parts, however, were kept in a blown-glass vase inside a wooden container and this was passed down the generations of a noble family. Eventually, no one in the family knew what was in the container and they sold it. All trace of it was lost by 1905. Then suddenly it turned up at auction.

The rediscovered relics will be displayed in the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence when it reopens next year as the Museo Galileo.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/

Wine of the Month: Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia

2009-11-16T04:05:00.000-08:00

Ten years old and still going strong. First made in 1997 and released in 1999, Le Serre Nuove is a complex aromatic red by the acclaimed Tenuta dell’Ornellaia winery in Tuscany.

One of the Tenuta’s three wines, it came 12 years after the flagship Ornellaia and, like its big brother, it quickly garnered international praise.

Le Serre Nuove is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, mainly made with grapes from younger vineyards. Technically, it is a second vin, a byproduct of Ornellaia, because it is produced with base wines that don’t make the cut during the flagship wine’s extremely rigorous selection process.

But second vin doesn’t mean it is a second rate wine. Its combination of intense aroma, structure, balance, but also freshness, softness and approachability captured critics’ interest from the very early days.

Each of the base wines is fermented and aged separately, first in stainless steel vats, then in barrels. After 12 months, the blending takes place. Once blended, the wine is aged in barrels for three months, and in bottle for six more. The end result has been described as “gorgeous”, “mellifluous”, “very rich”, and “elegant”, and, over the years, was awarded a minimum of 88 points (for the 1997 vintage) and a maximum of 92 (for the 2004 vintage) by wine bible The Wine Spectator.

Now the tenth anniversary vintage, which dates from 2007, promises to be among Le Serre Nuove’s very best. The weather was perfect in September two years ago, with hot sunny days and cool nights, ensuring the grapes ripened to perfection.

"Having ideal conditions in September enabled a perfect, slow, steady ripening of the grapes," says Leonardo Raspini, general director and agronomist of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. "In this way, the grapes mature with a good concentration of aromas and polyphenols and without any hint of overripening.”
The resulting wine has “a complex bouquet, with intense red berry fruit, sweet spice and balsamic mint and eucalyptus accents," according to Axel Heinz, winemaker of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. “Ample and silky on the palate, it displays an elegant, deft tannic structure, fresh sweet fruit, and intense minty accents.”

The 2007 vintage of Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia is available now.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

2009-11-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

Why are young people [and some of their mothers] flocking to the small Tuscan town of Volterra?

Ah, romance is far from dead in the twenty-first century and these particular pilgrims have set out for the “shrine” where Stephanie Meyer, the author of “Twilight” and “New Moon”, set a particularly important scene between her heroine Bella and Edward, the vampire she loves.

Volterra is also where the elite vampire coven, the Volturi, reside in the books and films of the “Twilight Saga”.

The film version of ”New Moon”, starring Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward, is due to be released on November 20th in the USA and Italy and on November 27th in the UK. Despite a vigorous online campaign for filming in Volterra the Italian scenes were actually shot in nearby Montepulciano but that has not stopped the townsfolk of Volterra from making the most of the tourism opportunity which has come their way: you can book Vampire Tours, New Moon weekends and a tour called “Hot on the trail of Bella and Edward”. You can buy “New Moon” mugs, calendars and even soaps.

Should you be in the town and suffer from “New Moon fatigue”, you can always explore the walled city itself, with its Roman Theatre, palaces, Museo Etrusco Guarnacci and twelfth century Duomo. And should you need a complete change of scene, you can escape to the medieval hill town of San Gimignano.
“New Moon” is not Volterra’s only claim to literary fame as the Italian novel “Chimaira” by Valerio Massimo Manfredi is set there and the town is mentioned in Dudley Pope’s “Captain Nicholas Ramage” series. In real life the French author Stendhal had a disastrous encounter with his unrequited love there.

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/volterra/vampire-trips-volterra

Chestnuts: a rare treat, and versatile too

2009-10-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Hanging by a thread off laden branches, chestnuts sparkle like dark jewels.
They look like huge, fat raindrops, and gleam with a perfect deep brown gloss against the golden spines of the half-open burrs that hold them.
Deep inside—wrapped securely in the shiny peel's firm cocoon, sheltered by what remains of the prickly burrs—the straw-yellow core is ripening, getting ready to yield its sweet, nutty flavour to the voracious embrace of a roasting pan.

Soon starch will turn into sugar and the chestnuts will start falling with muffled thuds on the mossy undergrowth that carpets woods from Piedmont to Umbria.

Europe's oldest living chestnut tree, which stands in Sicily, is reputed to be more than 3,000 years old.
It is so big that legend wants it to have given shelter to a medieval queen, Joan of Aragon, and her escort of 100 knights on a stormy evening. If the story is true, it was already there when the Romans, who were great fans of the plant, started planting chestnut trees along the length and breadth of the Mediterranean basin.
The sweet nuts were so popular that even the empire's greatest poets sung of them in their work—in the Eclogues, Virgil recalled a dainty dish of chestnuts cooked in milk and eaten with cheese, while Martial raved about the roast ones he had in Naples.

In some areas, such as the Tuscan Apennine, chestnuts were the main staple since Roman times and throughout the Middle Ages - chiefly because of their nourishing qualities, though their reputation as aphrodisiacs can't have hurt.

Also from TuscanyIUmbria comes castagnaccio, a thin, textured, nutty cake made with chestnut flour peppered with pine nuts and rosemary.
Even richer is Monte Bianco, a rum-drizzled mountain of chestnut puree and cocoa, covered by a snow-white blanket of whipped cream.

And of course there are chestnut-filled tortelli, chestnut flour fritters,and the velvety marmellata di marroni—a chestnut puree blended with syrup and cooked until it becomes a deliciously sweet cream.

The best places to savour the nuts, both in traditional and innovative recipes, are the areas of production.
Virtually every hill or mountain wood in Italy will have a chestnut grove - they cover some 15% of Italy's wooded surface—but the most acclaimed nuts come from Tuscany and Umbria, Piedmont and Campania.

HOLIDAY VILLA PRICES REDUCED IN UMBRIA

2009-10-01T02:33:00.001-07:00

Recent reports show that the cost of holiday villas, houses and apartments have reached a twelve year low and even here in Umbria property companies have taken note, cutting their prices to match the competition worldwide. As property investors have become savvier of late and after years of prices increases they are low looking for the ultimate in bargains.

With rumours abounding that the Market is about to change and despite the last years price fall they should be back on the way up. This is where the true speculator can make their money. Do you hold the prices low for another month; will villa purchases fall again next month? It’s a game of cat and mouse. At the moment the smart money is still on a price fall but would you want to gamble on that and end up paying more for that little piece of paradise you have been tracking over the internet.

Properties Umbria feel the market has finally steadied and have held their prices with a third discount off until the end of October. By then the money men should have resolved things and the economy will be back on the rise again. Don’t wait to long to put in your offer, you could be paying more next month.

UMBRIA, ITALY - HEALTH

2009-08-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

My wife and I are both English and have been living in Umbria, Central Italy for almost 30 years. During that time various friends, clients and relatives have suffered from broken, shoulders, legs and ankles, have had heart attacks and nervous breakdowns, have torn their hands, cut their fingers and had things in their eyes, have suffered from perforated ulcers and internal haemorrhaging, but apart from that, have been pretty healthy! The local Italian, or Umbrian health service is outstanding.

So, our area of the Upper Tiber Valley is served by three excellent hospitals, Perugia, Umbertide and Citta’ di Castello. No-one, as far as I know has ever received a bill for more than €30 – 40 despite the cost of their treatment, ambulance transfers and after care. Excellent Umbrian Health care.

My visits to all these hospitals has found them to be clean, well equipped and caring. No-one waiting, or dying, in the casualty or emergency reception. No-one parked to live, or die, on trollys in corridors, no-one ever turned away because they hadn’t paid their medical insurance, and no-one being turned away uncured. unhelped or uncared for.

I can't rate the local health services more highly.

We run a country house, hotel, B&B, guest house called La Preghiera, rent a villa for holidays and vacations called Moscatelli, and build and restore ancient farmhouses, country houses or real estate and, depending on where our guests, friends and clients have come from, our local health service seems to be, like our home and properties, four star.

John Tunstill, Umbria, Italy.

HOUSE PRICE REDUCTION in UMBRIA ITALY

2009-07-26T02:04:00.000-07:00

Several excellent country properties in Umbria's Upper Tiber Valley have had their prices slashed because the usual customers have lost real value in their pounds and dollars, and also lost heavily on the stock market, which has affected many pensioners plans.

These beautiful houses will be discounted until a property, or real estate, sale takes place, which will provide the turnover required to continue to employ the highly experienced craftsmen that continue to work on these sought-after buildings. All are situated between Umbertide, Montone, Cortona and Citta' di Castello in the Green Heart of Italy, Umbria's Upper Tiber Valley.

Umbria Jazz 09 - July 10 - 19

2009-07-13T03:56:00.000-07:00

A great event !

The summer jazz Festival is back in Umbria with its old formula, meaning artistic quality that matches big numbers.
Umbria Jazz 09: 36 years of history 7 editions at Arena Santa Giuliana as main stage10 days of concerts (10 – 19 July )9 stages including the ones at the Arena,the theatres, squares and restaurants220 events, free for the most part550 performers66 Grammy Awards on the main stage at the ArenaThe eclectic line-up of Umbria Jazz Festival tells the spectators at what extent music can be different and the reasons why,if we talk about good music, it all deserves attention. Popular songwriters will be performing in Perugia ( Paolo Conte, Burt Bacharach, James Taylor) along with some extreme vanguards ( Cecil Taylor and George Lewis presenting the AACM project)and the sophisticated accredited pop authors (Steely Dan and Simply Red);the orthodox jazz with McCoy Tyner and Bill Frisell, the Roy Haynes Trio, Ahmad Jamal) ;
the ever-green standards (three tributes to Nat King Cole: George Benson with a big string orchestra, the crooner Allan Harris, Freddy Cole, the great singer’s brother) and the Black music (BB King, Solomon Burke, Maceo Parker, John Scofield with the New Orleans project).

It is worth mentioning the two encounters between the USA and Italy with Wynton Marsalis –Francesco Cafiso and the never seen before duo Chick Corea – Stefano Bollani. Charles Mingus music will be celebrated with the Mingus Dynasty and Quintorigo. Italian Jazz will be well represented, as usual with, among the others Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Gianluca Petrella, Enrico Pieranunzi, Renato Sellani, Danilo Rea, Roberto Gatto and Gabriele Mirabassi, plus the curious “intrusion” of Gino Paoli who shares a good feeling with the jazz music.
http://www.umbriajazz.com/

Experienced team of builders available

2009-06-02T03:05:00.000-07:00

Upper Tiber Valley, Mercatale, Sansepulcro, Citta' di Castello, Trestina, Montone, Umbertide etc.

Experienced team of builders available for reconstructions, redevelopments, alterations and additions, internal and external work, garden construction, drainage, swimming pools, car ports and garages.

10 years of working in the area on old, established and traditional buildings.

Portfolio of "then" and "now" photos.

Clear simple, concise and precise estimates and quotations available for all types of work.

References available since 1999.

Good relationship with local carpenters, electricians, plumbers and surveyors.

email info@lifeinumbria.com

2009-05-23T12:40:00.001-07:00

Words by Michelle Fabio

One of the most beloved Italian saints is St. Rita of Cascia, a native of Umbria who died in Cascia in 1456. Santa Rita is widely celebrated not only in the Green Heart of Italy but also throughout the country on her feast day, 22 May, with Mass, processions, and other festivities. St. Rita has a most interesting tale for a saint as she was married and had children.

Although St. Rita had always wanted to be a nun, she obeyed her elderly parents’ wishes to marry a harsh, immoral man when she was just 12 years old. She was a loyal wife and mother of twin sons for 18 years, but family life went sour when her husband was murdered and her sons sought revenge.

St. Rita tried to persuade them to change their minds, but when she realized nothing could stop them, she prayed they would be taken from Earth so they couldn’t commit murder themselves; they died of natural causes a year later. Alone in the world, St. Rita sought admission to the Augustinian convent in Cascia, but was refused because she was a widow. Eventually she was admitted, though--her entrance itself a miracle as she claimed to have been transported inside by her own patron saints, John the Baptist, Augustine, and Nicholas of Tolentino.

St. Rita is often portrayed holding roses and/or figs and sometimes with an injury to her head because when she had asked to suffer as Jesus had, a thorn from the Crown of Thorns on a figure of the crucifixion fell on her forehead and cut her. She is the patron saint of hopeless causes, abused women, and parenthood.

W Santa Rita!
http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/cascia/celebrating-st-rita-cascia

Festival Umbria Jazz - 2009

2009-05-08T03:23:00.001-07:00

The wonderful frame of Umbria is the location of many special events in July 2009.

Festival Umbria Jazz, one of the most important appointments in Europe, will take place in Perugia from 10th to 19th July 2009, with no stop shows of different kind of music.The event, very famous all around the world from its first edition in 1973, includes artists such as Simply Red, Donna Summer, Gino Paoli and Paolo Conte.

Perugia is the marvellous city in Umbria full of monuments and things to do.

A luxury guest house in Umbria, La Preghiera, originally a 12th Century monastery, is an historic house which has been restored to an elegant country house estate offering bed and breakfast accommodation near Perugia is glad to offer 15% discount for a stay of three night or more in selected rooms

For availability email: info@lapreghiera.com, www.lapreghiera.com

May's Programme of Events

2009-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

May truly sees the start of the festa season, with the Umbrian town of Gubbio staging two of the big events of the year. Both the Festa dei Ceri (the candle race) and Palio della Balestra (crossbow competition) are unmisable occassions in the Upper Tiber Valley calendar.

Until 7th Citta di Castello, Piazza Vitelli, Exhibition covering a range of furniture, arts and crafts
1st - 3rd Citerna “Citerna Fotografia” exhibition of photos by Vasco Ascolini
1st – 3rd Pistrino 19th annual “festa dei fiori” agricultural and flower show.
4th – 13th Cdi C Stadio Bernicchi holds the “Trofeo Cartoedit” junior football tournament.
6th – 8th Cdi C Cathedral, 11th E. Zangarelli musical competition for school children.
7th – 9th Assisi Medieval festival in period costume, archery, processions, flag waving and jousting.
10th S. Giustino Antiques market.
10th Lisciano Niccone “Lo Scambivendolo, agricultural, biological and antiques market.
14th – 17th Cdi C Zoccolanti, the popular religious festival for St Pasquale.
15th Gubbio Festa dei Ceri, the ancient race through the streets of Gubbio
17th Cdi C Piazza Metteotti, Antiques market.
17th Montone 6th Umbertide Endurance motorbike race.
24th Gubbio Replica of the Ceri race in miniture
24th – 2nd Cerbara 24th annual Countryside Cherry festival.
24th Monte S. M Tiberina Ascension Day, featuring a historical procession.
30th -2nd Cdi C Piazza Matteotti, Moto in an open air concert.
30th – 31st Cdi C Communal Pool, 22nd International Swimming competition.
31st Umbertide,Scula Media Mavarelli, 44th annual “Fotografia Umbria” exhibition of photographic equipment.
31st Gubbio The famous medieval Crossbow competition.
31st Cdi C Stadio Comunale, “Matty & Co” football tournament.

Seeking to buy a farmhouse in Umbria (3)

2009-04-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

In answer to your questions:

Budget - € 600,000 for a habitable property
Useage - living full time
Land - large enough for self sufficiency, vegetables/ olives/ grapes/ fruit etc.
Outbuildings - to be turned into holiday accommodation for guests, not to run a B&B.
Distance to village – within 10km

............thanks for this and the list of "possibles"

A check list for the properties you have listed matched against your requirements above

	Budget / Price	Restoration Budget	Land Required	Outbuildings	High Position
	550 000	0	1000 sqmt?
1204 Due Campane,	550 000			yes	yes
008 Villa Colle,	450 000			yes	yes
019 Lugelle,	275 000			no	no
020 Lugande,	375 000			yes	no
029 Casa Giulia,	450 000			yes	yes
556b Ruffignano	600 000			no	yes
890 Cipressi,	600 000			yes	yes

Properties in a ruined condition in this area of Italy cost in the region of € 750 / 1000 per square meter. Rebuilding costs are some € 1000 sqmt. So with rebuilding and or restoration most of these properties are out of budget, and the others are situated in a low position.

An average family house, see 012 Moscatelli, is some 175 sqmt, holiday accommodation for a family of four needs to be some 80 sqmt.
Land for self sufficiency, obviously depending on crops, would be some 1000 sqmt

You will quickly see that on a budget of € 550,000 you have to work backwards and more or less divide this sum by 2000 which is the probable cost of a rebuilt building, taking into account fees, taxes, etc etc., so we come down to some 275sqmt of affordable building.
So, from your list:
1204 has 590 sqmt, so probably too large,
008, has 1000 sqmt "
019, has 240 sqmt, ideal, but low position
020, has 300 sqmt, a bit larger, but with an annex for guests, also a low position
029, 1220 sqmt, and a ruin
556b, part of a complex to be rebuilt, but no land for cultivation
890, 600 sqmt, highish with views, with sufficient land, with four structures which could be rebuilt over time. But as the cost exceeds your budget and as there is no provision for restoration costs, also out of the possibilities.

So we now need to look for something in your budget serving most of your requirements:
Reconsider the position of 019 Lugelle, as size, land and condition are adequate
002 Terra Nuova Marte, lowish
Part of 004 Casetta, good position
103 Ruscello, low, but with a stream
379 Petriolo, which can be enlarged by 100 sqmt, high with a spring
502 Rovina, low, with a stream
Part of 889 Meotti, excellent high position
936 Palazetto Nuovo, total expenditure within budget, with exceptional views, 2km from Montone, and bearing in mind that the additional cost of guest space of some 80 sqmt for occasional use would far exceed the cost of renting an adjacent property for the times when guests are in the area.
1044 Rosa Spina, ugly, habitable, all services connected, outbuildings, views and land. Superficial cosmetics on the main structure would transform the property.
1130 Santa Lucia, not sufficient land but adjacent farmers would probably be willing to rent a field or two.
1142 Casa Rocca is also a distinct possibility as the price, position, land and condition seem to match your requirements

Plenty to think about

Look forward to meeting up with you to discuss the possibilities further.

Seeking to buy a farmhouse in Umbria (2)

2009-04-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Properties with a high position, in reasonable/good condition with outbuildings also include:

Maybe 028 Lorca, 890 Cipressi, 1081 Calcinaro, all on www.propertiesumbria.com and 1044 Rosa Spina, details attached.

See you next month.

Seeking to buy a farmhouse in Umbria

2009-04-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

I am seeking to buy a farmhouse in Umbria suitable for restoration and would be interested to see if you have anything suitable.

.................the majority of our properties are to be seen on the site www.propertiesumbria.com.

The property would be situated in a high position, would have outbuildings, access to water/well and a fair amount of land and should be mainly habitable Some restoration could be undertaken.

.............all the properties have a water source. How much land do you require, what size of house or what is your budget?

We will be in Italy soon and would be interested in viewing some properties, would it be possible to set up an appointment to do so?

...........yes, of course. Let me know if you find anything on our site, perhaps 026 Tenuta could be a start. Let me have an idea of the size you require and your budget.

Best wishes

John Tunstill

Events over Easter in Umbria

2009-04-02T10:53:00.001-07:00

Yes Spring is finally in the air, the days are getting longer and warmer and the first hints of green are appearing. This is reflected in the range of activities that continue to grow as the heat of Summer arrives. This month we have a wide range of entertainment to appeal to all tastes, plays, sporting events and fairs, especially with Easter around the corner.

Photo by Umbriart

5th April Palm Sunday

5th “Trofeo Alta Valle del Tevere” cycling competition around Citta di Castello and its surrounding countryside. www.unioneciclistica.it

8th April – Cantori di Assisi – From 9pm in the Basilica of St Clara the Assisi Choir will be holding their Easter recital.

10th April – Procession by the citizens of Montone in medieval costume.

10th April - Good Friday procession – Statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary will be paraded through the streets of the old centre of Citta di Castello. 8pm.

10th April – The procession of Christ in Gubbio, a tradition which dates back to the 13th Century will start at 7pm and be led by the Brothers of the Church of St Croce della Foce, accompanied by two choirs; the procession makes its way through the torch-lit streets.

Until 11th April - Umbertide - April Exhibition of the Great War in the Upper Tiber Valley, in the Fabbrica Moderna, Piazza Marx

12th April – Pietralunga holds its traditional egg festival “Tocciata” in the main piazza from 11am.

12th April - Piazza Garibaldi, Assisi, Giant Easter Egg exhibition, showing the talents of the local school children.

18th – 26th April – Settimana Della Cultura/ Seven Days of Culture – Perugia. A week of events, guided tours, activities and exhibitions throughout Perugia. Celebrating its cultural heritage and encouraging the public to participate in discovering their own talents. For more information: www.beniculturali.it

19th April – Antiques Market – Citta di Castello

25th April – Descending the Tiber 2009, now celebrates the 30th anniversary of this event where canoeists row from Citta di Castello to Rome. www.discesadeltevere.org

25th April – Flag Waving and Bell Ringing Festival – Gubbio, Piazza Grande, 11.30am

26th April – Walk in the Woods – an organised ramble through the lovely Montone countryside to the Castle Carpini. Starts at 12.30 in the Piazza Fortebraccio, Montone.

Italians to snub ST Valentine's day

2009-02-14T01:02:00.001-08:00

More than half of Italians expecting a gift from their lovers on Valentine's Day this weekend are in for a disappointment, the Coldiretti farmers' group said Thursday.
Some 52% of people in a poll by the union said they had no intention of digging into their pockets for a romantic present this year - an increase of 7% on Valentine rubbishers in 2008.

The economic crisis will also take its toll on lovers planning to shell out this year, with more people opting for cheaper gifts like flowers (25%) and clothes (11%), Coldiretti said.Around 9% of Italians said they would buy chocolates or sweets - a 5% drop on 2008 figures, while just 3% were planning to buy jewellery - down 6% on last year.
But the group said florists expected to sell 20 million flowers this year, including 14 million roses, at a cost of 75 million euros.Another farmers' group, CIA, said around 50% of under-18s would not buy presents this year, but 35% of these would say 'I love you' by SMS or email.

The president of consumer rights group Codacons, Carlo Rienzi, meanwhile started an official campaign to ''cancel St Valentine's from the calendar as a form of protest, not against those in love, but against a pointless recurrence of unrestrained consumerism''.''Let's be honest, St Valentine's Day gets on everyone's nerves - both for singles, who feel alone and a bit sad, and for those in couples, who feel obliged to give something because of social convention,'' Rienzi said on his website, www.carlorienzi.it.''

People who are really in love should not feel pressured by this symbol of consumerism but should celebrate their love every day,'' he added.Consumer rights association Adoc confirmed that lovers will also be saving their pennies on Valentine's meals, with 65% deciding to stay home and cook rather than go to a restaurant.
Among the most popular dishes people planned to prepare on Saturday were polenta with creamed cheese, 'trofie' pasta with flowers and pesto and buffalo mozzarella with tomato mousse, followed up by chili-pepper-flavoured chocolate, strawberries or spumante.Not everyone was shying away from grand romantic gestures, however.

A Genoa bus driver has forked out 400 euros for advertising space on three city buses, one of which he drives, and which now bear the message ''Federica, I live for you only'' as a Valentine's present to his wife.''It was simply a way of showing my love and affection for my wife. We've been married for 12 years and I love her to distraction,'' the doting driver said.

Consumer moans are also unlikely to stop lovers from turning out in droves at St Valentine's birthplace at Terni in Umbria. Each year couples swear undying passion in the cathedral that houses the saint's head.Couples also flock each year to the small Sardinian town of Sadali near Nuoro to ask the saint to look kindly on them and bless engagements.

The ritual has been going on for centuries in the town's 15th-century church, only the second in Italy to be devoted to St Valentine.In local dialect the saint is affectionately known as Su Coiadori (''he who betrothes'') and many of the couples expect their pilgrimage to bless their marriage (''coias'' in dialect).As well as saintly enterprises, Italy boasts other romantic rites for St Valentine's Day.The small southern town of Vico del Gargano, for instance, has a 300-year-old tradition of garlanding a lovers' lane.

http://www.italymag.co.uk
Published on Fri, 02/13/2009 - 08:56 Life & Style

Novel Ideas for Selling Houses

2009-01-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

With the ever deepening credit crunch biting more and more into our pockets, a house is the most expensive purchase we ever make. So during this difficult time, people are finding it ever more difficult to sell their properties and turning to novel methods of selling and marketing their houses.

While some of these appear ridiculous and others bound to fail, the need for perhaps a different approach is important and the need to make your sale stand out from the many other unsold properties in the Estate Agents window.

There are many quirky attempts people have come up with to entice potential buyers. At present a homeowner trying to sell her converted country farmhouse is offering interested parties the chance to stay the night, visit the local pub and investigate the house. There was the instance of a man including his £150,000 Lamborghini to anyone who bought his £1.1m mansion and a lady who gave away a free two bedroom terrace house when you purchased her parrot for £120,000.

Even on the continent unusual offers have been appearing to whet the appetite. A Spanish developer has been offering to throw in a one bedroom apartment worth £90,000 when you completed on one of his £1m villas.

Other strange sales techniques have included selling by lottery, for a £25 ticket you get the change to own a £150,000 house but you have to make sure you do not fall foul of the gaming laws here. Ebay and Craig’s list websites have also had their share of houses auctioned on them, again you have to be careful. One individual along with his house tried to his Bentley, a lordship title as part of the deal but pulled out when bids reached £3m believing people didn’t have the inclination or funds to meet their offers.

While “open houses” are a popular concept in both USA and Australia , they are still treated with circumspection by the conservative British buyer. Even celebrities have resorted to this method and in 2005 the Osbournes, Sharon and Ozzy opened their now famous Los Angeles mansion for viewing.

For the religiously inclined you could employ the assistance of Saint Joseph , who apart from his many other roles is the patron saint of Real Estate and carpentry. A company called Luckymojo offer for $2.99 a small plastic statue of St Joseph, with instructions for you to bury him in your back garden to ensure a quick and profitable sale.

Who knows maybe during the current recession this may just be the trick you need to make that move.

Two Pints of Larger and a packet of crisps please!

2009-01-20T01:52:00.001-08:00

We are all aware of cheap flights to the continent. Deals are always to be found for accommodation but what about the day to day cost of your holiday. How much are you likely to rack up buying the kids ice cream, having a few lunchtime beers or taking your other half out for a meal. These are where you can really make a saving when you stay in Italy ’s, Upper Tiber Valley.

We compared the prices for similar activities in the U.K. and Umbria , these included a pizza meal, round of drinks, day trip out on public transport and visiting a tourist attraction.

AND NOW THAT THE POUND HAS DROPPED SO FAR, THE FOLLOWING PRICES ARE IN WHICHEVER CURRENCY YOU PREFER

	UK	Italy
Pizza, chips and a drink (Pizza Hut)	13	6.5
3 Course Meal (for 2)	40 (minimum)	33(max, with wine)
Train journey ( Cardiff – Bristol )	12.40	3.30 (same distance)
5 mile taxi trip	20	18
Ice Cream	3	1.80
Museum entry (V&A/ Pinacoteca)	9	3.70
Chinese Take Away (for 4)	35	28
Cappuccino	2.50	0.90
Sticky bun	2.50	1
Theme Park ( Alton Towers / Mirabillandia)	99	45
Car Hire (VW Golf - Avis for 4 days)	158	165

So you can still get more for your pound when you come to Umbria on holiday. With lots of attractions, activities and historical sites to visit, gorgeous food to sample and delicious ice cream and cakes to eat you are guaranteed to have a lovely time.

There are many excellent family run restaurants and the market town of Citta di Castello boasts establishments providing Chinese and Mexican cuisine. Public transport is a fraction of the cost with the journey between Umbertide and Perugia costing only £3.30 and bus fares into Citta di Castello from its outlying regions a snip at only £1.10.

If as part of your holiday you would like to visit a theme park, “Mirabillandi” is good value for money. If you buy a pass for one day, the second day is free. For the culture vultures amongst you the entrance fee for Pinacoteca in Citta di Castello also gives you access to the Burri and Cathedral Museums for free.

The main consideration for a holiday has to be the weather and in Umbria you can, usually, be sure of clear blue skies and warm sunny days between Mid June to September. What price could you put on not having rain to contend with?

Why not leave behind the dreary, grey skies and rain and visit us in the heart of Italy ? You could pop to Florence for the day on a train and visit other wonderful sites in the nearby Tuscany region.

Five Stories of Italian Cakes

2008-12-16T04:21:00.000-08:00

Italy has an excellent collection of sumptuous cakes that come onto the shelves in the local shops around Christmas but where did they originate from and what do their names mean.

Cavallucci
Since the 16th Century, the people around Siena have been making small sticky, chewy scones containing walnuts, honey, candied fruit and aniseed. Originally these Tuscan doughy cookies were made for the stable boys hence their name cavallucci, which means "little horses"

Panforte
Panforte is another Tuscan cake made with almonds, spices, honey and candied fruit. There are two stories about its discovery, an orphan who visited the baby Jesus had nothing to offer the infant, save a dried crust of bread from his pocket. Joseph gave a crumb to one of the birds nesting in the roof and returned the rest to the boy , thanking him. The orphan left feeling upset that his gift was to poor an offering but on his return home he found his mother dressed in elegant clothes and his father in a bright shiny suit of armour. On the kitchen table was a feast, the centre piece being a cake made with almonds, honey and spices.

The second tale from the 13th century is that a nun called Sister Leta found that rodents had eaten through the bags that the sugar, spice and almonds were kept in. The ingredients had all been mixed up in the cupboard and moving a black cat out of the way she suddenly thought "why not just mix them all together in a pan" so not wishing to waste them decided to create something from the mixture.

Once it was ready the cat purring, turned to her and said "go on then, try it". Well Sister Leta realising that cats can’t talk so this must be the devil throw the contents of the saucepan over the cat and promptly banished the demon back to hell. Upon hearing all the commotion Sister Berta mother Superior came running into the kitchen and listened to the tale, curious as to what heavenly concoction could overcome the Devil she tasted it and that is how panforte came into being.

Torrone
Another Christmas cake, containing honey, almonds, eggs with an interesting story is the Torrone. It was first created on October 25th 1441 for the wedding of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sfroza in Cremona. It was made by the cites pastry chefs for the wedding and was in the shape of the city’s tower the "Torione" which at that time dominated the skyline. As guests for this occasion came from all over Europe this sweet soon became popular throughout the continent.

Panettone
This Milanese cake famous throughout Italy at Christmas was first made, legend has it back in the 15th century. A nobleman, falconer Ughetto Atellani who fell in love with the daughter of a poor baker called Toni. He decided to disguise himself as a baker and made a rich, sweet cake containing nuts, candied peel, raisins in order to win her hand. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro Sforza agreed to the mariage and at which Leonardo da Vinci was present the cake Panettoni ( Toni’s bread) was introduced.

Pandoro
Pandoro or Golden Bread has a long history, its existence documented as far back as the first century, and Pliny the Elder is known to have liked it. Popular with rich aristocrats in the middle ages due to the expensive ingredients of spices, nuts and honey or sugar and served in palaces throughout the land. The modern version is credited with being perfected in Verona where it was near to the spice markets of Venice.

Caravaggio Created Firefly ''Photos''

2008-12-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Caravaggio's reputation for revolutionary artistic genius has received a further boost following the discovery he may have used fireflies to create primitive ''photographs''.

Roberta Lapucci, conservation chief at the Florence-based SACI institute, believes the baroque artist created a firefly powder as an essential tool after converting his entire studio into a kind of camera obscura.

Writing in the monthly art journal Stile Arte, Lapucci reports Caravaggio filtered light through a purpose-made hole in his ceiling, using a biconvex lens and a concave mirror to reflect the image he planned to paint directly onto the canvas.

The use of a camera obscura to sketch the subject was not a new technique among artists, having gained prominence thanks to Leonardo da Vinci's writings.

The device works by projecting reverse images of outside objects onto the flat wall of a closed box through a lens in an aperture. By attaching a mirror to the apparatus, artists were able to trace the exact dimensions of the image onto a piece of paper.

Caravaggio spent months refining his technique, adjusting the light and the size of the models. However, by turning his entire room into a camera obscura, Caravaggio found himself working in the dark.

Lapucci believes this led him to create his own version of a distilled and dried firefly powder, first written about by the natural philosopher Giovan Battista della Porta in his 1558 work Magiae Naturalis.

Analysing the content of Caravaggio's paintings, Lapucci discovered traces of photosensitive substances that react to light.

She believes the master used a compound of white lead and firefly powder that allowed him to work in the dark, producing an outline on the canvas of the camera obscura image.

This produced a short-lived, fluorescent image, similar to a photograph, which he was then able to convert into a permanent sketch that formed the basis of the eventual painting.

The many techniques pioneered by Caravaggio (1573-1610) have confirmed his reputation as one of the most revolutionary artist of his time, although he is probably best known for his mastery of chiaroscuro lighting.

He abandoned the Renaissance focus on the human body and spiritual experiences for more realistic and dramatic atmospheres, mixing street characters with religious subjects.

http://www.italymag.co.uk

Donatello's David returns to public gaze

2008-11-25T01:14:00.000-08:00

The first major work of Renaissance sculpture, Donatello's bronze of David, is nearing the end of a complex restoration process.

The statue will be unveiled to the public during an inauguration ceremony on November 28 in Florence at the Bargello Museum.
The final phase of the 18-month restoration has seen the famed statue entirely closed off to visitors because of the sensitive tools being used.
Technological innovations have been used throughout the process, such as laser combs invented specially to swipe clean the delicate gold leaf that decorates parts of the work.

The 200,000-euro project followed a major check-up on the state of the work, carried out early in 2007. The David was subjected to X-rays and a range of other more sophisticated diagnostic tests.
Most experts believe Donatello (1386-1466) sculpted the sensuous work in the 1440s.

It depicts David standing with one foot on Goliath's severed head. Apart from a hat and a pair of boots, David is naked.

At the time of its creation, it was probably the first free standing bronze nude since ancient times and it caused a sensation.

The almost feminine physique contrasts with Michelangelo's powerful, masculine depiction of the biblical figure, sculpted between 1500 and 1504.

It is also very different from Donatello's earlier marble version - created around 1412 - in which David is clothed.

Donatello, whose full name was Donato di Niccolo' di Betto Bardi, was the son of a Florentine woolcomber.

As a teenager, he worked in the studio of noted sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Later, he travelled to Rome with the great architect Filippo Brunelleschi to study the monuments of antiquity.

Donatello's dramatic departure from stylised Gothic art is credited with kick-starting the Renaissance.

The Florentine sculptor even anticipated the use of perspective that is often thought a painterly invention - as can be seen in his early bas relief of St George and the Dragon on Florence's Orsanmichele church.

Other major Donatello works include a grim prophet called Habbakuk - or popularly, Zuccone (big head) - on Florence's Duomo and an equestrian warlord in Padua called the Gattamelata.