On December 8 is the yearly Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Italy. The day before in every small town or city the Italian people prepare the Christmas tree. Many activities and festivities are held around the Christmas season. The squares are transformed into a mix of lights and stalls where vendors sell their handmade gifts. Yearly I visit the Christmas markets in Assisi and Perugia, […]
August 15 is a bank holiday in Italy: Ferragosto. This national holiday celebrates the Assumption of the virgin Mary into heaven, the day when Catholics believe that God took the body of Jesus’ mother Mary into heaven to reunite with her son. August is the traditional period for Italians to have their summer holidays. On August 15 many Italians go out for a picknick in […]
Everybody knows “pizza”. Maybe it is the most famous Italian dish in the world. Italians themselves love eating pizza. On every corner of the street you can get a slice, a “pizza al taglio”. The toppings on the pizza vary from fish to meat, from fresh fruit to only vegetables. La Serra is a restaurant-pizzeria outside the city centre of Perugia. La Serra literally means […]
I visited Perugia with my parents and since my father has problems walking, he needs to use a wheelchair when going out for some sightseeing. It is not always evident whether it is easy to visit sights in a wheelchair, especially if you do not know the area but Perugia’s old city centre is quite accessible in a wheelchair. To arrive in the city centre […]
Each year at the end of October Città di Castello celebrates the white truffle with a market dedicated to this precious delicacy. From October 28 to November 1, 2016 was the 37th edition of this truffle market, Il Tartufo Bianco. One sells not only white truffle from Umbria but also delicacies from other regions in Italy like herbs, Sicilian cannoli, olives from Puglia and much […]
International women’s day is celebrated world wide on the 8th of March. In Italy women will be offered mimosa flowers. This tree is a symbol for Women’s day, it is in full bloom around the beginning of March and has an overwhelming profume. International Women’s day stands for women’s rights, solidarity and equality. On March the 8th feminist movements ask for economical independence and equality […]
Some years ago I lived in Trentino, in Arco at Lake Garda. The local cuisine in Trentino Alto Adige is everything but boring. The food of this region is flavoured by other cultures. Many years ago Trentino used to be Austria. Many Trentini speak Italian as well as German, and the further you move to the north the more people speak German. The local food […]
Last week we received an invitation for the Dutch New Year’s drink in Mugnano, Umbria, the town of the painted walls. All Dutch people who live in Umbria and Tuscany were invited. A very nice initiative! Sometimes you see posts on the social media from Dutch in Italy, but you don’t actually know these people, until yesterday. After my morning run in Assisi I went […]
I was in the Netherlands this month and attended an Italian event “Sapori d’Inverno”. I enjoyed some hours of Italian atmosfere in Holland! Cooking workshops, winetastings and typical Italian food all made up for a easy going Italian atmosfere. Ferrari’s, catwalks, Ape’s and espresso bars were not to be missed. For a short time I felt like being in Italy! At the event you could […]
To me the Valnerina is Umbria’s greenest heart. The wild and rugged scenery in the Nera River Park, the tiny hilltop villages, the open views, the grazing cows on the fields and the green forests. This area is incomparable with other parts of Umbria. Unfortunately I don’t visit the Valnerina area enough, even though I love the Sibillini Mountains and hiking in the Nera River Park. Ferentillo is […]
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