A trip to Perugia

The Duomo in Perugia

I love the contrast of the nuns and the guys shoelaces to the right

You have probably noticed that I have not put any historical, artistic, or geographic information on this blog.  I will deal a bit with the last one.  Umbria, and Umbertide. Where exactly are these places?  Umbria is right in the middle of Italy and Umbertide is right in the middle of Umbria.  Umbria is  often called the green heart of Italy, the green because of the agriculture and the heart because of St. Francis of Assisi.

To put my town in context, Umbertide is north of Rome and southeast of Florence.  Probably most Americans are familiar with Umbria because Assisi, as in St. Francis of, is located in our region.  Umbria is one of 20 regions in Italy. It is the only region without a border of the sea or a foreign country.  This isolation, for me, has created a magical place time that forgot.  For others, it has created a place that needs to get with the 20th century.

Umbria is further divided into 2 regions.  Perugia, which is where Umbertide is located, and Terni, which is closer to Rome and where Orvieto, famous for white wine is located.. The picture above is a "normal" day in Perugia.  You can see young people dressed in yellow dancing with white sheets to the right.  They later changed into costumes of animals and danced around.  We have no idea who they were or why they were dancing.  Why is a question I have started to give up on since being in Italy.  It usually evinces a shrug and a slight roll of the eyes.  I think the nuns were on tour. They were very happy and giggling.

Perugia is a university town, that unfortunately is now known because of Amanda Knox, the American girl in prison here.  This trial is as divisive between Americans and Perugians as the OJ trial was for blacks and whites in the states. Most Americans think she got a raw deal and most Italians think she is guilty.  I have no clue, as I have not really followed the case.

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Vista sull'oliveto Vocabolo acquavigna 3 05032 Calvi dell'Umbria - Umbrië - Terni Italia

To find Umbertide, look above Perugia, under SS219.



We went to Perugia as a little holiday gift to ourselves for our 24th wedding anniversary. This is the sweet anniversary card he remembered to pack to give to me. I have it on my book shelf in the apartment.  When the Italians see it, they look at the Stoic One and mist up.  He is earning more points to become the saint of the Piazza.

 

 Can you believe that I have put up with him for 24 years?