2011 has been a wonderful season for aWeekinUmbria with more than twice as many people staying here as last year. For me, the best part has been when people come together in the big dinning hall for meals. In the faces of old and new friends, I see my dream fulfilled in the place I’ve restored. It has been my guests that have brought this palazzo truly to life. Here are a sampling of what people have had to say about their visit.

These past 4 days we have felt like we have been staying with a good friend in their beautiful home. You have created a very special place and a large part of the experience is your personal touch. Your willingness to help us in our hour(s) of need, saved our vacation. Your tips on where to go, great directions, what to see and focus on, made this a truly memorable visit. Your willingness to share your love and knowledge of the area’s food, wine, art, etc. is appreciated. [We] thoroughly enjoyed our morning coffee in the piazza and evening visits. You take wonderful care of your guests. Thanks again.
— Mary and Jim Bonner, Colorado Springs, CO

It is apparent from the comments in this book that many others share our admiration for what you have achieved here and a fervent desire to stay longer. Congratulations on your vision for this place and we hope it continues to fulfill your dreams. Many thanks,
— Ian and Sue Webb, Sydney, Australia

Your wondrous home made our ‘Week in Umbria’ among the most relaxing, enjoyable, and memorable of our lives. The food — both the meals made lovingly by you and the ones you helped us order in the terrific restaurants you chose — was extraordinary. And your brilliance as a tour guide and host allowed us to see and experience so much in 7 short days. Mostly, thank you for sharing these astounding digs with us. Your generosity gives new meaning to paraphrased  aphorism, “mi palazzo, su palazzo.” Fondly,
— Andrew, Bonnie, and Marilyn Cranin. New York

I had an idea for my dream vacation in Italy. It must be relaxing, stress free, serine countryside, a view from above, a taste of Italy without the hustle and bustle. You provided it all. You are a wonderful host and such a considerate person. Dinner was fabulous and the tours of nearby towns and meeting your friends were unforgettable. You truly made this holiday one of the best for us. We’ll be back!
– Bruno and Sally Boffa, Atlanta, GA

We arrived announcing a need for repose in Umbria. We came, we saw, we rested. Michael shared a bottle of local wine and in the charm of the attic room we watched the sun pass over the valley changing the colors on the hills below. Asissi always in the distance. Perfetto! Grazie
– Jo and Confit, Atlanta, GA

Your palazzo has been the highlight of our trip. It was worth waiting 50 years for the experience. [We] can’t thank you enough for everything. Keep doing what you’re doing [because] it is all you.
— Lois and Sam Hanson, Bruelle, NJ

I can’t thank you enough for a truly lovely week! From the moment we arrived you offered us opportunity upon opportunity to experience this amazing life you’ve both found and built in Umbria. Dinner elbow to elbow with Bettonesi at the Sagra, cappuccino on the piazza, great dipping and swooping rides from one beautiful hill town down through vinyards and fields of sunflowers to the next. Open air concerts, secret maps to artisitc and architectural treasures, forays to find cashmere and pottery; and yummy, yummy meals. Oh, the food! Above all, it was a joy to see Umbria through your eyes. What a fun week. Thank you. Your fan,
—  Johanna Van Hise Heart

Bounty:

Growing up in the suburbs and then living in New York for 32 years did not prepare me well for life in a rural and agriculturally based region. It’s a new thing for me to be in step with the seasons but I’ve gotten used to it easily. Sure, if I want a banana anytime of the year I can get it but it’s amazing to eat things when they are truly in season. One of the wonderful things about being here is having Bettona peaches when they were picked the day before. They make the most delicious peach jam. Or apricots, or plums, oh, and figs — have I told you how amazing it is to eat a fig when you’re still on the ladder? Its fig time right now and I’m enjoying them on cereal, wrapped in prosciutto, next to grilled meat, and just about every time I pass through the kitchen. There are so many fig trees around and friends are very generous about sharing. Even a morning walk past a fig tree means a quick snack with minimal foraging for low hanging fruit.

I no longer desire tomatoes in the winter, or melons in the spring, or strawberries in the fall. One of my absolute favorite things is fried zucchini blossoms (stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy). It has been a delicacy I’ve enjoyed several times a week for most of the summer. Sadly the season is coming to an end. (It’s impossible to find them at the Bettona coopertive but still possible at the Conad, if I’m very lucky like I was yesterday.) Soon I know I’ll have to wait for next year to enjoy that wonderful combination again.

The grape harvest will start soon but it is preceded by the readiness of the fragolini grapes — rich and pungent in their sweetness, they are eaten right off the vine. My friend Enrica had me up on the ladder yesterday until I filled the collander with the most fragrant red-purple grapes. Other things are ripening as well and, being a visual person, I was struck with the contrast of these small ripe pears with the fragolini. Each wonderful in their own rite, but together, beautiful too. Beauty is everywhere around here.

Excursion:

The first Sunday (and the Saturday before) of every month is the big Antique market in Arezzo. Only an hour away in Tuscany, Arezzo is midway between Perugia and Florence so it’s a manageable ride for a day trip. A friend called and said he wanted to go and would I like to join him. I quickly said yes and agreed to pick him up at the station in the town center. It’s difficult to park in Arezzo on Fair days and I usually try get there really early but today was going to be a mid day visit. So I was prepared for a 2 kilometer walk from a parking lot. Luckily my friend was very familiar with the town and directed me to a lot that, amazingly, had space. It was a good sign that the shopping gods were on our side.

After a quick lunch —tortellini with cream and ham, and a side of baked artichokes and tomatoes— we started the walk up the hill in the direction of the duomo. While the Antique Fair was the reason to be there, there are many wonderful things to see in Arezzo. Its beautiful churches attest to the city’s prominence as a medieval and early renaissance trade center. Being a Fair day the streets were extra crowded with people, strollers, dawdlers, and the like. The quietness and relatively emptiness of the churches was a welcomed change from the chaos outside.

The first church we explored was the Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla.  I was immediately struck by its resemblance to Brunelleschi’s Santo Spirito in Florence. (The rounded arches, trimmed in grey, separating the nave from the aisles seemed to have similarly pleasing proportions and some of the side altars contained brightly painted 16th century paintings.) Interestingly, the chancel was divided from the choir by a large central altar on which there was a beautiful painting of the apostles fishing. (The only other large scale version of this story I’d seen was of the tapestries of Raphael, so it was interesting to see this story elevated to center stage.) Additionally, there were beautiful bits of 16^th century frescoes peeking out along side carved pietra serena door frames and a beautiful large crucifix on the right wall near the altar.

Our second stop was at the Church of San Francesco with the beautiful fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca of the Legend of the True Cross. Suspended over the main altar is a spectacular crucifix by the Master of San Francesco, a contemporary of Cimabue. Truly on par with the Giotto crucifix in Santa Maria Novella and was exciting to see. (I know my friend Karen would have loved discovering this one — the candle was for her.) Although I hate having to resort to sneaking photos, once again, I was forced to be the surreptitious photographer.

Sated both physically and intellectually, it was time to do some shopping. The place really is overwhelming. Over 600 dealers selling everything you can imagine. I remember, before I lived here, how frustrating it was going to antique markets in Italy because I could never take anything (but the smallest trinkets) home. Now, my biggest worry is ‘will it fit in the car.’ There were many things I could have bought but ended up coming away with a metalwork chandelier (which is what I came looking for to finish off a room on the piano terra) and a great price on a desperately needed cassa panca – storage trunk.

To top it off, there was even some pageantry to behold. It was a feast day in Arezzo and costumed residents processed through the bannered streets in full regalia – horses too – to the duomo where they reenacted something or other. It was a crowd pleaser.

A little food, some great art, shopping, pageantry, and great company — another wonderful outing. Who could ask for a better day?