1800 Part 2

Here are some more photos:

People dressed in the period of the time:

This group was in our piazza...the faces of the girls are so precious...

The women working at Bar Centrale. They knew they were going to have a big night in front of them.

Clementina, the owner of the bar, having a bite to eat before the craziness started.

Marta, who also works at the bar, with Luca.

The Umbertide band. They have a lot of fun at these events.

Italians know how to enjoy parties.

Good bye until next year.

Ottocento/ '800

Our big festival ended last night. We had a great attendance in the town for four nights. People cavorted, sang, drank, and generally had a good time. The Stoic One has a new camera...so there are many photos. Most of them need no explanation.

He went out earlier in the day to catch people practising before the crowds arrived. Here are some of the dancers.

Her t-shirt says Make Art with Love..

This is the dance instructor. The sign says Dance School. She is doing a run through before she had on her costume. I love the pose, the jeans, the hands.

I think is my favorite. It reminds me of a Degas painting. They were all so nervous before they went on.

Ok....this poor girl is in this contraption. Underneath her skirt is a dolly and a young man under her skirt rolls here around.

Here she is dancing....

There is something about Italian Mamma's.  Oh to be an Italian baby!!

To be continued....

Festival Madonna Della Reggia

September 8th was the festival of the Madonna della Reggia, the patron saint of Umbertide. She is called della Reggia after the little stream, the Reggia,  that runs through town and joins the Tiber river.

The origins of this holiday hold that on the morning of September 14, 1556, a seven year old girl, the daughter of Orlandino Vibi,  prayed to the Madonna at a chapel in Umbertide. The girl had a leg that was so deformed that she was unable to walk without support. After her prayer, the girl was miraculously cured of a leg injury. The town was astonished by the event. The bishop from Gubbio came and confirmed the miracle. The people of Umbertide were so joyous and thankful that they built a church in the Madonna's honor. The church, which is commonly called the Collegiata is the octagonal church that is seen in Umbertide. On the holiday the banner of the Madonna is taken from the church and processed through the town.

In honor of this holiday, the collegiata is lit at night. The inside restoration of the Collegiata is still ongoing, but the outside is spectacular.

This is the Rocca in Umbertide, also lit at night.

Calagrana

It has been a while since I have posted. The Stoic One and I have been busy living our every day life here and getting prepared for guests coming our way. I love to show off Umbria, so I can hardly wait for their arrival. I have also been busy with a work project, but I am coming in to the end of it.

I wanted to tell everyone, once again, how grateful I am for Calagrana. http://www.calagrana.comThe food is spectacular and Alberto and Ely are the absolute best. This summer they have been doing special dinners that represent different provinces in Italy. Last night's province was the Veneto, which is near and dear to my heart, since that is where my dad is from. The food and wine were perfect matches.

Here is our menu, with the wines we tasted.
 A salad of bacala, prawns and mussels poached and served on warm potatoes with olive oil and lemon.

This was paired with S. Cristina Lugana DOC 100% Rebbiano from Lugana...excellent match.

The next course was risotto nero, made using the cuttle fish ink sacs, served topped with a cuttle fish ragu.

This dish was so delicious. The photo does not do it justice. We drank a Ripassa Valpolicella DOC superiore. 85% Corvina and 15% Rondinella. Yum!!!

The next course was guinea fowl breast "venetian style" whic was wrapped in pancetta and raosted and served with stewed onions and Amarone wine sauce, accompanied with a puree of potatoes and a creamy spinach...Unfortunately for you I gobbled it down before I took a photo.
We drank an Amarone Classico DOCG ...80% Corvina and 10% Rondinella and 10% Oseleta. The best wine of the night.

Even though I said I could not eat one more bite, they brought out the lightest tiramisu I've ever eaten.

We had a rose prosecco with it, Valdo Rose' limited edition Floriale.  And yes we all got home safely.
The best meal ever!