Shakespeare comes to Panicale

We just cannot believe some of the experiences we have had in this little village of Panicale. Certainly Shakespeare is not something you would expect!

This evening we sat out in the upper piazza, Piazza Masolino, and watched 'L' Inedito' an 

Improvised Shakespeare performance. Five actors and one keyboard player presented several improvisations and despite our language shortfall we still managed to follow much of it and enjoy the event.

The Podestà building and the setting sun created a stunning backdrop to the performance.

Le Celle, Cortona

Cortona was made famous (in the modern era) by Frances Mayes and her book 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. We have been to Cortona many times but this time we didn't visit Frances but rather Francis! We went to Eremo Le Celle, a Franciscan hermitage where St. Francis of Assisi and a few of his followers built the first nine cells and established a sanctuary in 1211. After the death of St. Francis in 1226 Brother Elia went to Le Celle and carried out improvements and restoration work, thus ensuring the hermitage became a Franciscan property. Since 1537 the Cappuccin Franciscans have been the keepers of this incredible site. Like Assisi, Le Celle is very quiet and peaceful. We did hear the beautiful sounds of the friars chanting the midday prayers.

 The Chapel of St. Francis is one of the areas we were able to visit. The little door to the right leads into the cell where Saint Francis lived and prayed. It is a vey small space.

After visiting Le Celle we returned to Cortona. It was very hot so we found ourselves a table in a shady street and enjoyed a slow lunch. In this photo Kelly is showing how their serviettes match his shirt, and my pizza!

Cortona hasbecome a major tourist location and we were amazed at the crowds of people everywhere. The picturesque streets are full of leather shops, art galleries, ceramics shops and bars and restaurants. There was a flautist creating a great ambience, a wedding group were being photographed, churches were open where once they would have been closed in the middle of the day and the gelati shops had queues out their doors. You can't help liking Cortona.

Photographing doors is a popular occupation in Italy, so many and varied are the subjects. This one caught my attention.

Cinquecento e Uno

Market day in Castiglione del Lago again today and we are becoming more accustomed to this method of shopping. As well as buying fresh apricots and peaches, we ventured into the clothing sections again and came home with a couple of shirts for him and a top and a smart sun hat made from paper for her! You can spend hours wandering around the market. Here are a few angles that caught my attention this morning, mostly from outside the shops in the historic centre.

As we were leaving, the view of Lago Trasimeno looked appealing. A few sailing boats were out and a large crowd had gathered by the waters edge and in the water.

Yesterday we went to C d L without visiting Bar Alisè for gelati ... not on! So today we fixed that fault with some new flavours. My count is now 30 different 'gusti', and still working on the total.

On the way home from Bar Gallo this evening we saw a beautifully restored original FIAT Cinquecento. They are quintessentially cute!

We have bought ourselves the card game Uno. Having not played it since Cate and Kieran were children, we had to Google for the rules. The instructions were in the pack but it was a bit tedious trying to read the Italian version, and the Spanish, French and Portuguese were no help. After a dinner from the kitchen of Casa Eleonora we played outside in the ambience of the warm evening. It will probably be the first and last time but, ... I Won!!

An Invitation to Dinner

Tonight we went to Katia and Massimo's home for dinner. An English extended family were also invited. It was an evening of lovely food and lots of conversation.

This is the view of Panicale from Katia's garden.

Massimo and Katia are both busy in the background with hosting duties.

San Casciano dei Bagni

For more than a thousand years San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany has been recognised for its thermal pools and their value to man. The Etruscans and the Romans had settlements here and made use of the hot springs. 
The water comes out of the ground at 42 degrees c. and the thermal properties include sulphur, calcium, fluoride and magnesium. The water in the baths created from the springs offers anti- inflammatory and analgesic properties. It also has a gentle peeling effect on the skin and encourages healthy regeneration and hydration.

The scenery along the way was very pretty and we had plenty of time to look at it during the last kilometres as we followed a tractor along the winding road.

Like all the towns in Italy with hot springs and bagni (baths) there are modern day equivalents in spa resorts. San Casciano dei Bagni has a resort but it also has these lovely old baths which are free.

We went in the morning and only had one other couple there when we were. Others found other pools to soak in. At this spot there are three ajoining baths of varying depths. They are rustic, that is, a rough gravel bottom in one pool and there is some slime. Ah, but it was lovely!

Reading, Piegaro and The Burnt Goose

Yesterday I was showing off my written Italian skills (without the use of translator apps!) so today I am posting a piece that I can read. I can't claim to know all the words ... and I did have some help with the familiar subject matter ... but all the grammar I have learnt in the past six months has greatly improved my reading ability.

This afternoon we drove to Piegaro, another ancient fortified village not far from us. The old structures are very solid and built from a stone that gives a feeling of strength. Piegaro is known for its glass making, both in the past and present.  The first glass makers arrived in Piegaro in 1292 after Venice declared that the glassmakers could no longer work in the city of Venice. In Piegaro they made stained glass windows and mosaics for decorating façades of buildings, as well as the usual glass products.

This continued until after WWII. Now Piergaro is one of the largest commercial glass manufacturers in Italy. There is a museum of glass which looked interesting but despite the door being open there was no-one around.

We drove on to Monteleone d'Orvieto and noticed a market. By the time we parked the car another of the thunderstorm downpours was beginning. We quickly looked at the stalls then headed to the bar, and of course, bars sell gelati! Once again the bar man was keen to tell us he spoke English and he proceeded to do so, thus depriving us of opportunities to speak Italian. You could say it is a battle of words!

This evening we went to L' Oca Bruciata (The Burnt Goose) in Paciano, two kilometres away via the back road. We always have pizza on Sunday and L' Oca has a good reputation - not without reason. With a delightful balcony setting we enjoyed pizza and a dessert.

Fa bel tempo oggi

Oggi è il compleanno di nostra nipote Grace. Tanti auguri a te! Abbiamo parlato per Skype ma la connessione male.

Fa bel tempo. Noi studiamo tutta la mattina poi mangiamo il pane con pomodori, sale e pepe e olio d'oliva per il pranzo. I pomodori sono dal giardino di Katia, sono grandi, rosso e deliziosa. 

Ora è la pausa. Questa è la bella vita!

Alle diciassette ore camminiamo alla chiesa ai cappuccini, su una grande collina ma con una magnifica vista. La cammina di ritorno è attraverso le terrazze d' olivi. È molto carina.

Questo è un fiore cappero 

Vedete la nostra casa a destra sotto?

Io trovo alcuni 'hedgehog quills' ma non vedo 'the hedgehogs'

Sta sera mangiamo maiale alla griglia ... con pomodori! Poi voi godiamo la ciliegie crostata.