Assisi And Other Umbrian Treasures - Petrignano, Italy
Petrignano, Italy
On the drive from Buggiano we had originally planned to stop at Siena. However, about 20km from starting, we realised that we would be passing a town called San Miniato. We had spied it on our earlier trip to Vinci but but with it being off to one side, we had declined the temptation to visit then. Still the town had impressed us as it commanded a hilltop off to the side of the valley, so with us getting a second chance at it, we put Carla to sleep for a while and slipped sideways to San Miniato. Excellent choice. The town is a true Tuscan medieval hilltop town dating back to the 8th Century. Had a mixed bag of rulers over the next thousand or so years and even had a couple of visits from Napoleon Bonaparte. During WWII, it was the scene of a "massacre". Apparently, the Germans had been attempting to clear the town during their retreat and wanted to set demolitions throughout the town. They gathered the locals [about 1000 of them] at the Duomo and during the gathering, the church was struck by artillery shelling, killing about 55 people. Initial investigations were carried out by the US forces and laid the blame on the Germans [surprise, surprise]. [It was later proved that it was, in fact, a US Army shell that had struck the building.] A sign was erected on the wall of the town's central administration building laying the blame on the Germans and the original sign erected in 1954 initially included a statement accusing the bishop of complicity and betrayal, having gathered the people there in the first place. This sentence was subsequently removed [chipped out]. In 2008, the Commune of San Miniato erected a new sign next to the original which lays the blame on the US forces. Kind of interesting that the original sign has not been removed. Guess it is an indication that the people of San Miniato are still fairly upset about the whole affair and are happy to blame both parties. All that history aside, San Miniato is a lovely hilltop town, narrow streets, very old buildings and magnificent views over the surrounding countryside [which is the reason that it got such attention in 1944].
Our walk around San Miniato took a little longer than we had anticipated so we adjusted the plan to stop at Siena and instead headed for Colle di Val D'Elsa [the centre of Italy’s crystal making industry]. Records state that this town manufactures about 15% of the world’s crystal each year and we had been fortunate enough in our visit some years ago to attend the Crystal Manufacturers’ Festival. Regrettably, our timing this trip was out by about a week with the Festival starting the following week. Harking back to our earlier visit there, we had arranged a week’s stay in nearby San Gimignano and were to uplift the keys for our accommodation from Colle di Val D’Elsa. However, when we arrived the key pick-up "office" was closed for lunch so we decided to join them so to speak and have lunch ourselves. Timing is everything, because while we were sitting there in the main piazza, the cars commemorating the Mille Miglia car race arrived in town. These were really classic vintage cars. The original race was first held in 1927 and the route was from Brescia in the north to Rome and return in a figure-8 shape. Being a road race using public roads, there was always a risk of disaster and after a major crash in 1938 killed a bunch of spectators, they stopped running the race. Following the War, however, a few casualties obviously seemed pretty painless given what happened in Italy over the intervening years because they recommenced racing in 1947. Stirling Moss holds the race time record for his win in 1955 but another major crash involving spectators brought the race to a final close in 1957. Today, the classic car people rerun the “race” at a much more leisurely place [trying not to knock off the local population en route] and stopping off at various points on the way to show off the cars. Flash forward to 2013 – we had lunch at the very same restaurant in the piazza that we had in 2006. Very little had changed, not even the weather, although there seemed to be many more tourists this time. But that has been fairly consistent throughout this trip. Maybe this will change as we proceed further south and get away from the traditional holiday period.
We had a bit of a challenge finding our next accommodation. Telling “Carla” 95% accurate addresses can be problematic and we ended up driving around the adjacent town looking for this particular address. The instructions from the landlord were that once we got to town we should turn right into road running along the side of the cimitero [cemetery]. Well, the particular cimitero that we located did not have a road on either side [or even the back]. After a degree of backtracking [physically as well as in deciphering the directions], we eventually worked out that we were in the wrong town. One hour later, we finally located home base for the next week. Our previous accommodation was very pleasant and ideal location-wise for a rest up spot, but it had been very dark inside with no actual window looking at the outside world. Well, what a turnabout. Here we have windows in all rooms and the dining/lounging/kitchen area opens directly onto our very own patio which is bathed in sun from sunrise to sunset. It is set high up with wonderful views overlooking the surrounding Umbrian countryside.
Again, we are in a country setting about three kms outside the small town of Petrignano. On our first day here, we had a very leisurely start, including coffee on our balcony, before heading over to Assisi [6kms away]. We were treated to some hunters and their dogs working the field about 500 metres away. Probably after rabbits. No shots were fired so presumably the rabbits were keeping their heads down – or maybe they were at church given that it was Sunday morning. A couple of mornings later we were woken by the sound of shotguns so the hunters must have caught the rabbits sneaking out of church. Suspect that coniglio [rabbit] will be on the menu again.
The Umbrian countryside is lovely [how many times will we say that about Italy?]. The Umbrians plough every last inch of their fields at crop end and just now the sunflower season is almost over so there are lots of ploughed fields around. There appears to be a lot more bush than we saw in Tuscany. Perhaps it is a reflection of a smaller population and the fact that a large part of Umbria sits in the Apennines and is a National Park. Deer and wild boar abound. Presumably like truffles, one must have a licence to shoot [although farmers are probably OK on their own land].
After our late morning coffee, we headed off to Assisi [pop 28,000]. From our home base, we approach it from the north and it truly displays the majesty of the Basilica di San Francesco. From that end, the Basilica is huge [major foundation base] and provides an anchor point for the town which contours slightly uphill away from it. Sitting over the top of the town is Rocca Maggiore which gives the impression of protecting the town much as it was designed to do hundreds of years ago. We had stayed in Assisi for about four days last year so the return visit was more to rekindle earlier memories rather than create new ones. However, nothing remains the same. We found that some major installation art pieces which had been in place last year [and which we had assumed were permanent fixtures] had moved on were obviously gracing some other town. Our very own Fred had recommended an osteria for lunch and we googled it to make sure that we would find it [Carla would be parked outside town]. Disaster – when we arrived, the sign on the front door read “il locale rimarra chiusa per il giorno 22 [Setember]” – basically – closed for the day. So we decided to head a few streets away to one which we had enjoyed during our previous stay there. Fortunately, they were open. We opted for penne pomodorin fave barbozza e ricotta stagionata [Pasta with Barbozza tomatoes, broad beans and ricotta cheese]. Quite delightful. Unfortunately, the white wine did not quite match the standard we have enjoyed to date. But then, we have to strike a below average wine every now and then.
After lunch we strolled along the main shopping street to the gallery of Massimo Cruciani who does glass paintings which we think are quite splendid. We had bought one during our last visit and were interested to see his new work. Apparently, the gallery is gearing up for a new exhibition in Hamburg so all was very busy. The lass managing that gallery said that he was at their other gallery at the other end of town. However, that had closed by the time that we got there. Such is life.
Assisi is a lovely town and we thoroughly enjoyed this fleeting visit. Another to put on your bucket list if you are in this part of the world. Well worth the effort.
Again, we did a number of day trips from our home base:
Umbertide. About 40 kms north of Petrignano, Umbertide is another very old city. More recently, it got a bit of a hammering in WWII and much of it looks like it was built over the past 20-30 years. However, when you get to the centre you suddenly find a medieval [14th Century] castle. The old and the new provide quite a contrast. They have done a superb job of presenting the castle for tourism purposes and making it a centrepiece of the city. Nearby are several churches dating back to the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries. The reason why Umbertide attracted so much attention in WWII was that it sits on the Tiber and had one of the bridges needed for the Allied advance. The area was cleared mainly by the Indian Division which at the time was supported by NZ armoured vehicles.
Gubbio. A small city perched on the side of Mount Ingino. Again, a classic walled city with some very grand churches and a magnificent palazza [Palazzo dei Consoli] built in the mid-1300s. Gubbio’s early history demonstrated the independence of its people. They were subjected to outside rule several times but invariably overthrew their oppressors and went their own way. Ultimately, they were subsumed into the papal empire. Originally a part of the Le Marche [the province further to the east], the city was transferred to Umbria [possibly being on the opposite side of the Apennines to the bulk of Le Marche would have helped] with the creation of the Kingdom of Italy in the mid-1800s. It was the site of another WWII massacre, this one clearly attributable to the Germans. In June 1944 , following a partisan operation against them, the Germans rounded and shot up 40 Gubbian citizens in reprisal. They also hammered the city with artillery over the next 30 days. Today, the locals are quite content to fleece the Germans for their Euros although the “40 martyrs” are still recognised by a sign at a local church. [As an aside, we were travelling in China a number of years ago and were to board a train near Dunhuang heading for Turfan [further "out west"]. Because Trish and Stu were the only members of their particular tour group, they were attached to a party of Italians for that leg of the journey. When we boarded the train, we found that a German tour party had grabbed our assigned seats and major verbal fisticuffs commenced between the Italians and the Germans [Trish and Stu wisely stayed out of the discussion, not that we we could understand what was being said – the gestures, however, needed no translation!!]. It was only resolved [reluctantly] by the local Chinese railway police who tossed the Germans out of that carriage and the Italians proudly took possession. At that point, the Italian tour leader [who spoke good English] proudly told us that this victory had special significance because that was the anniversary of the day that the Italians changed sides in WWII. We slept with one eye open that night in the event that there were German reprisals...just joking.]
Cortona. The town is actually on the Tuscan side of the boundary with Umbria and fiercely proud of that fact. We had made a fleeting visit to it in 2006 so wanted to go back to give it a fair go this time round, being in our patch so to speak. Good move. Cortona is a bit of an artists’ retreat and there are many galleries in the town. The last time we were there we had bought a couple of paintings by Katerina Ring, an American who now lives in Italy [based in Lucca but also in 2006, with a rented gallery in Cortona]. Speaking to local galleries, we established that she had been away from Cortona for a couple of years but would be returning in 2014 [Timing!!!]. We had lost some glass figurines in the July shake in Wellington and have been on the lookout out for something to replace them. A painting sounded a little less fragile . Lunch at Cortona was a particular treat. We found a side alley "hole in the wall" trattoria which had an interesting menu so why not try. We did and were very well treated. One of the dishes was a rather simple focaccia fume with prosciutto, zucchini and mozzarella. However, the killer dish was the Tuscan Ribollita, a thick soup is filled with vegetables, Cannellini beans and bread cubes that in the cooking process eventually forms a thick, stew-like consistency. A traditional Tuscan dish designed to not only provide an excellent meal but also to use up vegetables and bread [which doesn’t last long in Italy, generally being sourdough]. Italian dishes are based around what is available fresh today and even though there are large supermarkets which obviously are thriving, the grassroots people still favour fresh food from the market today, rather than a processed food which may have been canned/bottled/packaged some time ago. The Ribollita, like many soups, is even better the next day [if you can wait that long].
Perugia. This was another revisit, having been in Perugia [pop 160,000] fleetingly last year. When we visited last time, Stu was feeling a little under the weather [bug rather than booze] so we felt that we had to give it another shot. We took the train in rather than have to deal with finding parking space on arrival. With the city centre being on the heights well above the plain [which is where the rail lines tend to be], we didn’t feel like the long climb up so tried the relatively new mini-metro system. €1.50 each well spent – fast, comfortable and not at all tiring so we arrived at the top refreshed and ready to walk. Perugia has Etruscan origins [back about 3000 years ago] but since then had followed the way of the rest and defended against/defeated/succumbed to a bunch of outsiders over the ages. As with a lot of Umbria, it became part of the papal states in the 1300s. Clearly, Italy is big on massacres because in 1859, the Pope of the day sent his Swiss guards to put down a local rebellion against the church – let’s just say these boys were a little over zealous. So much so that when unification [of Italy] became an option a few years later, the locals took little convincing. Back to the "here and now", regrettably our lunch was nothing to write home about – so we won’t. The wine was, perhaps, the saving grace, a Grechetto from Todi. After lunch [before retracing our steps to the railway station], we spent a little time exploring the underground castle passages at the base of the city walls. These guys really knew how to build - undoubtedly press ganged labour is cheap and who cares about a little accident or two. Truly magnificent structures [but presumably at a cost].
Montefalco/Trevi. A short triangular day trip from Petrignano. Late start to the day [having recovered from trying to help Dean Barker across the line – blame us folks, we didn’t try hard enough]. Arrived at Montefalco after noon and did a bit of sightseeing before lunch. Montefalco’s claim to fame [or rather one of them] is that it has produced more Saints than any other single place in Italy and is therefore purported to be “a little slice of heaven"... [Amazing the stuff you read when you start researching. Of course, if my research sources [Wikipedia, et al] are wrong, I am in big trouble]. Then on to Trevi. A very compact town sitting on the edge of the hill slope. It is almost as if some of these towns are poured on to the slope from the top and gently flow downhill. However, the pour moves slower than glacial speed, taking place over many centuries. Some of this [lack of] progress is ably assisted by local by-laws which limit growth and the nature of that growth in order to maintain the integrity of the earlier town style/structure/construction. [This is definitely the case of Assisi where extraordinary lengths are taken to protect its classic look and culture]
For our final day trip, we had two options; Todi to the SW or Spoleto to the SE. They were both about the same travelling time from Petrignano and research indicated that they both would be interesting but their position was such that it would be too much to attempt to visit both of them in the same day. So we eventually opted for Spoleto, it being the larger of the two. A lucky choice [we would like to think a wise one.] We had friends who spent a week in Spoleto about a fortnight ago so it will be interesting to compare notes when we eventually get home.
The first plus for Spoleto was that when we arrived we found that it was market day. Nothing like a little shopping therapy [even if you don’t find anything you need/want/like]. The vendors are on a circuit; today – Spoleto, tomorrow - Montefalco, Sunday – Trevi and so on. Some of the stuff on sale was from China and India but a high proportion was local. Quality varied considerably but the occasional bargain could be had. After therapy [albeit unburdened by any purchases], we made our way into the old town and worked our way up hill [yet another hill town]. It has Roman era origins and you know the town is old when even the street signs indicate this Via was 10th century, 15th century, etc. We came upon an Art exhibition being set up and they had no problem with us getting an early preview. It was in a large old Palazzo and at least 100 Italian artists were on display. Some of the work was really stunning.
At the top of the hill is La Rocca d'Albornoziana, a mid-1300s castle/palace built by Pope Innocent VI to strengthen the Church’s authority in central Italy, particularly as Umbria had recently become a papal state and the Pope needed to have a visible presence in the territory. The castle is big and takes full advantage of the lay of the land. The city of Spoleto runs up a slope which gets steeper just before you reach the peak. However, the more important part is that the hill is extremely steep on three sides so an assault in strength would have been forced to come at the fortress head on. The Rocco was designed to not only be a fortress but also to be an elegant and comfortable residence for the Pope’s envoy and distinguished guests. In the 1800s, it became a prison but in the late-1900s, it was renovated and used for more restful pursuits. Today, the Rocco is home to the Italian Diagnostic Laboratory for Cultural Heritage and the European School of preservation and restoration of old books.
This next one, however, is what got the ex-Army Engineer buzzing. The hill’s slope is the steepest at the rear of the Rocco [on the opposite side from the city], and there is positioned the Ponte delle Torri [Bridge of the Towers], 236 metres long and over 80 metres high. The history of the Ponte is a little vague; some suggest that it is Roman, others medieval [circa 1300s]. Irrespective of who is right, this is a serious structure and probably the most impressive we have seen on the trip so far. The Basilica at Assisi and the Duomos at Milan, Florence and Turin are very significant buildings and would have been major undertakings in their day. But this bridge/ aqueduct is huge and would have taken some very clever engineers and excellent quality control to construct given the terrain with which they had to contend. The two central columns are actually hollow and it is thought that this was to enable troops to be housed inside to assist with the Ponte’s defence. Today, the seismic stability of the structure is closely monitored. [Regrettably, the site also has its dark side - over time it has become the jumping off point for those wishing to commit suicide. Surprisingly, however, there does not appear to be any attempt to discourage potential jumpers by erecting barriers along the bridge.]
Regrettably our time in Spoleto was too short and we were unable to check out the Roman amphitheatre, the Duomo and the series of city walls built over the ages [Like Bologna, Spoleto has three sets of city walls, each further out from the centre than the last to accommodate the city's new growth.] We did, however, drive down the Via Flaminia [in Roman times, the main road north from Rome] although not sure that the Romans would recognise it from today's tarseal, gas stations and signposted roundabouts, etc.
Finally, a couple of observations:
Smoking. The perils of smoking do not seem to have got through to the Italians yet. Or maybe, they consider that they have a hot line to the “big fella” who will take extra care of them. Don’t know the exact numbers but it seems to be about 40:60 smoking:non-smoking and we believe the figure would rise as you further reduce the age bracket. You seldom see women sitting outside cafes so can’t comment on their numbers but a high proportion of the men there would be smokers. Suspect that the country will have serious health burdens in a decade or two - but then will it be any different to elsewhere in Europe? Cigarettes are less than €5 a packet, so considerably cheaper than in NZ. The other barrier to reducing smoking is the reasonably strong tobacco growers lobby in Italy. They maintain that their members are being unfairly attacked as EU tobacco consumption reduction targets are applied, but as is the case with many vested interest groups, they have managed to lobby for a slow application of the EU targets. In response to EU pressure, successive Italian governments have reduced subsidies to the tobacco growers, previously a very protected industry. The stand-out region among the 10 traditional growing regions is Apulia, in the heel of the Italian boot, which opted for an even more positive step by paying the traditional growers not to grow tobacco taking the region from Italy's fourth leading tobacco growing region to a non-producer between one season and the next. Apulian farmers were, in effect, paid to root out plants that had previously produced annually nearly 5,000 tonnes of tobacco. Despite such measures, tobacco production in Italy is reportedly stable and apparently all stock is sold every year. The slow reduction in domestic consumption in Italy has been more than offset by foreign sales with about 85% of its production sold outside Italy. So some poor third world country will inherit the health problems to enable the Italian tobacco grower to maintain a good life style. It is always those further down the wealth stakes that suffer, but isn’t that the way of the world [Here endeth the lesson and I am back off the pulpit.]
X-Rated Section. And now for the X-rated section of the blog. We had noticed this phenomenon at an earlier stage of the trip but paid little attention to it. However, on the day trip between Umbertide and Gubbio, over a 5km stretch, we again noticed girls sitting in plastic garden chairs in ones or twos dressed in a fashion to market their wares. Invariably, they were at a junction with a country road leading out of bush area and they had a car handy, presumably to take the client to another spot to complete the transaction. We even saw a truckie stop to strike a deal. Given the number of truckies [and non-truckies] on the road and the concentration of “workers”, this is a reasonably thriving industry. However, rest assured, we are not including the sampling of the wares on offer among our bucket-list recommendations.
Well, that is it for our relatively short stay in Umbria. Tomorrow is time to move on to Giulianova on the Adriatic coast. Hopefully, the beaches will treat us well and we are looking forward to some great seafood meals.