A House in Umbria?

It is impossible to visit the whole country in under at least 2 months minimum and this just for an overview. Something is going to have to be given a miss. As we had been to Venice 2x before (I even have a coat to show but just too warm to wear here) , and we had never been to places South of Rome, we headed off South from Milan. It was difficult to decide where to stop over, so many choices, and just too many choices.

Do you remember the film ‘My House in Umbria’ with Maggi Smith? –
Umbria is just one of those regions (there are 20 ) that is a must for all travelers. Difficult to describe the full charm and intense almost dark beauty of this region, the hills, the mountains, the deep green lush of chestnut groves and elm forests, the river valleys and the Medieval character of the Dark Ages. The Italian for shadow is ombra. Umbria is right in the middle of Italy, East of Rome, and lies in the shadows of the beautiful Tuscany - So this gives you an idea. ‘This landlocked region's overwhelmingly medieval character harkens one back to the mysticism and mysteries of the Dark Ages’ somebody once described it. Umbria of the Umbrians 600 B C is lying there in the shadows of the ages.

We were booked into a ‘palace’ for a night in one of these Medieval Towns, Gubbio. You drive up to a certain point and then somebody from the hotel (in this case an American married to one of the wealthy heiresses) fetches you and shows you where to park. I found this description of Gubbio on the internet
Gubbio in Umbria region, central Italy, on a southwest slope of the Apennines 35 km/22 mi northeast of Perugia; population (1991) 30,500. Now estimated at 36 000. Gubbio was known in Renaissance times for its maiolica (white, tin-glazed earthenware), and this is still imitated in a few factories and workshops here. The town has retained its medieval character, and has a Gothic cathedral (partly 12th-century) and other ancient churches and fine palaces…

And yes, this was indeed where St Francis of Assisi was supposed to have tamed a fierce wolf.

I have made up my mind! Here I can live. For the rest of my days. If I had known what Gubbio had to offer, I would have sneaked in at least another day. Live now! Pay later! Gubbio would be worth every cent.

Treasures of Milan

From high up in the mountains to Milan is not far.

Take a tip from me – if you go to Milan by car be sure to book a hotel which is not in the city centre because parking can cost more than the hotel. It is much more convenient to make use of public transport than to pay the earth for a hotel (room priced per square meter, I am sure) plus parking and then have to take the Metro to get to Downtown anyway. We walked and walked and walked. Do not believe the hotel advertisements –‘within walking distance’ - ! ‘Walking distance’ can mean long walk!

Of course most people visit Milan to go and look at Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, but as I understood, it is not so easy to get tickets (usually sold out long before. The Duomo is something else. I can not use appropriate words to describe this beautiful church because there is no way I can do it justice. Inside and out.

The greatest disappointment for opera lovers like me who always wanted to see this building, must be La Scala. The outside of the building that is. We never got to see the inside. It (as far as looks go) cannot be compared to the Vienna State Opera or the Opera House in Paris. But just some history – the original theatre was destroyed by fire in 1776 and in 1943 during WWII again seriously damaged by bombing. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1946.

And Oh! To have been there when Arturo Toscanini and Renate Tibaldi performed at the opening concert! This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

The 152 km of historic shipping canals and waterways which Leonardo helped to oversee are falling apart now and experts are fighting to save one of Italy’s lesser-known treasures. (You have to mention Leonardo’s name because da Vinci means from Vinci).

Milan is of course the fashion capital of Europe (also where the money in Italy is), and all the great names (Gucci, Armani, Versace….to name only a few of the greats) we see on the catwalk have exclusive boutiques in the large cities of Italy…but you pay exclusive prices for the ware they offer. But yes, the clothes are exquisite! If you want to know, black, black, black, always black with a fashion color – presently dark plum. I love. And if you are young enough and have fairly good legs , you wear black or dark colored tights with boots and a very short tight skirt which actually looks chic and a black jacket (but of course). An Italian woman is not dressed if she is not wearing a jacket. The jersey, hat, scarf or blouse may be purple / plum. The women probably have much better & more expensive clothes than we have but much, much less (And this is what I should aim for in future). If you have a good outfit you can wear it almost everyday.

Read more about Leonardo's Canals.
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/La-Mi/Leonardo-da-Vinci.html