Cortona – 3 July 1944, liberation.
Then (photo by G. Lamentini)
Now. (Photo by yours truly.) Same place, same day, 69 years later.
Lest we forget. Cortona war memorial.
Peace.
Ciao,
Judy
Tag Archives: Italy
Happy Father’s Day!
16 JunIn Italy, Father’s Day is celebrated on the feast of St. Joseph in March. In Italian, the term for dad is babbo or papa.
In the U.S., of course, we celebrate this special day today. In honor of my Dad (RIP), my husband Len, my brother, brothers-in law, uncle and nephew, and all the other wonderful fathers I know, a very Happy Father’s Day to you!
After seeing all the vintage cars here, I asked Len which of the cars he would pick to drive away. His choice, based on overall style and condition, was the…
It’s a BMW 327/28 from 1940, and it’s a beauty.
Len, unfortunately it wasn’t for sale, but nonetheless, here’s to you… Abbracci!
May your day be filled with sunshine and a top-down breeze!
Ciao,
Judy
Cortona Town Guide: Cortonaweb
10 JunEach year in Cortona, we are fortunate to befriend more and more locals, one of the reasons we return to Cortona. This year, two of those people are Luca Tiezzi and Simone Rossi, founders and publishers of Cortonaweb.net. Pictured below with Len, they introduced us to Le Celle, one of the most beautiful places in Cortona. (Le Celle to be covered in another post!) While we knew of the monastery’s existence, we thought the grounds were private, so we never entered the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi. But for now, back to Luca and Simone and Cortonaweb.
Len, being a business professor of Entrepreneurship, loves meeting with young entrepreneurs and discussing the challenges and opportunities they face. Here in Italy, there are many challenges for the young as unemployment is well above 20%. With Luca and Simone, our conversations dance between English and Italian, and include everything from local and national politics, their business goals and challenges, food, wine, historical sites, travel, and whatever is happening in town. Being natives of Cortona, their depth of knowledge and appreciation of the historical area is evident, not only in their conversation but also in the relevance and thoroughness of their work.
While Len and I have many books and maps on various parts of Italy, Cortonaweb is a Cortona tourist’s friend, offering a detailed website that includes local events, weather, local attractions and historical sites, and some recommendations for shopping, dining and accommodations. While not all-inclusive, it certainly is a great place to start. In addition, from the website, you can order a small but concise Town Guide and an interactive map with GPS coordinates and links to video guides and podcasts. The photo-filled small guide, available on Amazon through their website, is light and easy to carry, unlike so many others. If coming to Cortona, a must have!
Grazie to Luca and Simone for introducing us to one of Cortona’s best treasures, Le Celle, and sharing their knowledge and expertise with us.
New friends, new finds…we are always open for the unexpected as we experience all that Cortona has to offer!
Ciao,
Judy
Italian Hill Towns
7 JunJust returned from a two-day tour of the Italian countryside in Tuscany and Umbria where the drive was as lovely as the three ancient towns we visited.
Our first stop was Citta di Castello, meaning town of the castle. Although there actually is no castle, there are stately old buildings and monuments, and of course, in the “larger” cities as least, a duomo or cathedral. The area was an ancient Roman port on the Tiber River and some archaeological remains of the port are visible in the southern part of the historical center.
Eliza, at Antico Canonico where we spent the night, was most helpful in telling us about the city as well as other nearby towns which we visited the next day. Our “hotel” was originally built years ago as a home for priests. While the door to each unit is the original “cell” door, the apartment behind is simple, ample and clean. Yes, this is our apartment door!
In the afternoon, we enjoyed watching the men’s bocce tournament. And in the evening, we strolled the town with the locals.
The next morning, our first destination was the lovely town of Citerna in Umbria, a tiny hilltop town which boasts of Etruscan and Roman origins and is ranked among the 100 most beautiful villages in Italy. It is the northernmost town in Umbria and while it was severely damaged during WWII, you’d never know it today.
The panoramic views as we left town were spectacular!
From there we headed back to Tuscany to a town called Anghiari. At first, this appeared to be a “modern” town until we came upon the ancient hilltop walled city. Anghiari is famous for a 1440 battle between the towns of Florence and Milan, and even inspired Leonardo da Vinci to create a fresco in Palazzo Vecchio. Although the original fresco has disappeared, a sketch of it by Peter Paul Rubens is still in existence.
Peter Paul Rubens’ copy of the lost Battle of Anghiari. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The ancient town is filled with steep, winding streets, and on one of them, we came across a wonderful shop called Carabattole. Sitting inside was Marinella, from whom we learned about tombolo, an art not practiced in the US.
I bought a lovely pair of earrings similar to the ones shown above. Afterward, we enjoyed a simple but wonderful lunch at a local Cantina.
When we returned to Cortona and talked to some of the locals about our trip, many had not even heard of tiny Citerna. How lucky for us that Eliza directed us there, as well as to Anghiari. Continuing to follow the road less travelled without agenda always brings us wonderful surprises and new memories as well as the opportunity to share them with you.
Ciao,
Judy
Cortona: Back to Normal
2 JunToday, Sunday in Cortona, life back to normal, warm and sunny!
We hiked the hills
The men returned to their benches
The Saturday market was replaced by the Medieval Market:
Breads
Spices
Beans
Grilled local sausages
Ciaccia (fried dough)…note the cell phone!
Cheeses and local products
And the workers!
People have returned to the piazzas
Life is good!
Tomorrow, weather permitting, we take to the road, not sure which direction, and perhaps no internet. Stay tuned!
Just now, as I am finishing this, black clouds have filled the skies and the winds are swirling. Nonetheless, a wonderful day! Good we have those leftovers…
Ciao,
Judy
Buon Appetito…and Immersion!
1 JunA few years ago, knowing that my dream of travelling to Italy annually was about to begin, I began a two-year search for Italian classes. I wasn’t looking for academic credits, or a class filled with grade conscious students; rather, I wanted to join a group of like-minded adults who yearned to improve their knowledge of everything Italian – the language, food, culture, holidays, nuances, etc. This also meant I needed to find a native Italian teacher, not someone who merely majored in the subject. Luckily, my search finally led me to Giovanna Dimetros. I must admit, her Greek last name puzzled me at first, until I learned it was her married name and she’s actually a native of Tuscany. Pictured below are Giovanna (left) and two classmates who hosted a dinner for our class last December at Giovanni’s (right) house. As you can see, we are big on immersion!
Simply put, Giovanna’s classes provide me with more than I had hoped for. Each session is interactive, dynamic, challenging, and filled with great camaraderie. Of most importance is Giovanna’s desire to have us learn and understand what she teaches, not just memorize.
My goal was to reach a point where I no longer felt like a tourist in Italy, and while my learning will be a lifelong pursuit, I’m now comfortable conversing with locals who speak no English at all – a great tribute to Giovanna!
In our book, Unit 5 is called Buon Appetito, and we learned how to prepare a shopping list, go to market, and make lunch or dinner. Today in Cortona, we did just that. Our list included roasted chicken and turkey, cheeses, tomatoes, basil, bread sticks and vino.
While we order the roasted chicken weekly, our favorite “chicken lady” had a special this week: roasted and boned turkey leg with herbs. No antibiotics or preservatives…just incredible flavors and a heavy dose of fresh sage leaves and dill rolled inside. How does one have the patience to bone a turkey leg????
We carried everything home and set out our feast. The only thing missing was all of you, and we could have fed all of you! Good for us we like left overs.
Mozzarella fresca e pomodorini
Grana Padano Parmigiano
Boned roasted turkey leg (left) and roasted chicken (right)
Una vera festa…A true feast!
Even the constant rain decided to pester others today
and granted Cortona a rain-free and sometimes even sun-filled day…
Listening to Andrea Bocelli as I write…Perfetto!
And to my Italian class:
Vorrei che tu fossi qui per andare a fare la spesa con me e gustare un delizioso pranzo. E sto anche usando il passato e il futuro bene!
Ci vediamo a settembre! Ciao, ciao,
Giuditta
A Day at the Market
31 MayIf it’s Thursday, it’s market day in Camucia, the town at the base of Cortona. Vendors of every type gather to sell their wears. Vegetables, poultry, meats, salamis, men’s, ladies’ and children’s clothes, leather goods, shoes, boots, flowers, candy, pastry, spices, household goods, luggage, scarves, lingerie, socks, and just about anything you might need.
We woke to a morning sun, an amazing sight these days, and took the morning bus down the hill to Camucia, a ten minute “switchbacking” scenic drive. We began the day at Vanelli Caffetteria for cappuccino and dolce. They pride themselves on the most artistic coffees and it’s fun watching their artists at work:
Then to the market we went. Most of the men gather at the front, their version of a man cave…
while most women roam the market, a great idea as each group is happy.
Len and I usually begin together, then when Len has seen enough, he heads to the male section.
I think the food is always the most interesting, and the locals happily shop for everything fresh. Feast your eyes:
Porchetta, about four feet long
Prosciutto
Formaggio and Salumi
Fresh Porcini, bigger than my fist
Anchovies (Yikes!)
Just picked garlic
And despite all the local cuisine, for those needing an American food fix…
We had fun shopping and bought a few things including several pair of socks since it has been so cold and wet! Waiting for the bus to take us home, the skies opened and it began to hail. Locals say this is the worst weather in 100 years and I believe it. And it’s not supposed to break for another 10 days. Glad we are not having many guests this year.
So, if you are wondering why I am mostly writing about food, it’s because restaurants are one of the few places to keep dry. The good news is that we are getting to know the locals better, and that’s a big reason we are here. The healthy news for us is that to get anywhere, we need to climb one of the steepest streets in Cortona, coupled with the 35 steps in our house. So, although we haven’t been able to take our usual hikes, we are still getting plenty of exercise. Here’s hoping for the return of sunshine!
Ciao,
Judy
Taverna Pane e Vino, Cortona
27 MayPane e Vino. Bread and Wine. Food and Italy. Judy and Len. Some things just go together.
So what are these, you ask? Cheese stuffed gnocchi with fresh sautéed artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. And yes, they are as good as they look!
A sampling of bruschetta
and some thinly sliced zucchini with cannellini beans, shaved pecorino and lettuce.
Taverna Pane e Vino is located in Piazza Signorelli in Cortona. The covered entrance (beyond the arched glass door) serves as an open market in the morning which disappears later in the day to become the entrance to this local restaurant at night.
The owner, Arnaldo, and Len talked about a few events they will be hosting this summer.
All is a day’s work!
Ciao,
Judy
Fett’ unta on Via Maffei, Cortona
26 MayIn Italian, the word “merenda” means afternoon snack. Fett’ unta is a new small eatery in Cortona, just opened a week, serving light lunch and dinner as well as afternoon snacks. We watched them doing construction at this location last summer so we stopped in today to sample the local cuisine. As for the name, if I understand it correctly, unta means “greased” as in greasing something with oil. Since literal translations rarely work, I’ll go with drizzling olive oil on your bread or panini, etc. At any rate, the food we ordered was delicious.
We shared two different bruschette:
Pear, cheese and walnuts; Mozzarella and roasted tomatoes
Then we each ordered a hearty local soup as summer has yet to arrive in Cortona:
Orzo, artichoke and pecorino
And pearl barley and beans
Meet the owners, Ulisse and Antonio
and check out their website at www.fettunta.net
Better yet, stop by when you are in town and they can make you a fresh prosciutto panini!
Ciao,
Judy
Italy Info Worth Reading
10 MayWhether or not you have travel plans for Italy, reading and learning about the country and planned events can be great fun. Several people have asked what sites I follow, so I thought I’d share a few.
If looking for Cortona specific information, check out www.cortonaweb.net. This site provides information on everything from weather to local events, podcasts, restaurants, accommodations, history of Cortona, maps, wedding planners, tours, wine shops, etc. While not all-inclusive, it certainly covers a broad spectrum of interesting and useful information about Cortona.
The website was started in 1999 by a few locals just for fun, and with sponsorship, has grown over the years. It is well-written and informative. The following picture and caption from the site’s front page describe Cortona’s amazing Etruscan Museum, or MAEC, which is definitely worth visiting:
“A journey back 2700 years Restoring History. Dawn of the Etruscan Princes.”
Un viaggio a ritroso di 2700 Anni Restaurando La Storia. L’Alba dei Principi etruschi
I’ve been in touch with the authors of cortonaweb.net and look forward to meeting them this summer!
For reading about Italy in general, a site I enjoy is an online magazine called Italy Magazine: http://www.italymagazine.com
Its byline reads: “Since 1999, the n.1 magazine for lovers of all things Italian.” Like me! Included in the magazine are Italian current and cultural events, travel tips, accommodations, properties for sale, festivals and recipes such as the one below on how to make limoncello. Hey, something fun to try on Mother’s Day, which by the way, is also celebrated on the second Sunday in May in Italy…
Tanti Auguri Mamma!
italymagazine.com
http://www.italymagazine.com/recipe/how-make-limoncell
So sit back, relax, and take some time to explore these wonderful, ever-changing and totally free sources about Italy.
Happy Reading and Enjoy – Buon divertimento!
Ciao,
Judy
Blogging In Italy 