It's Only Taken Three Trips to Italy, but...

Kirsty has finally found a handbag she likes.

 Made by these fellas.

Ba bene, ba bene!

Peace my friends!

Artsy-Fartsy in Citta Della Pieve

It is too darn hot to do much here in Umbria. A few cappuccinos, some raviolis, cookies with nutella and some photography (early morning, mind you!).

Peace my friends!

Citta Della Pieve

We picked up sticks and drove a bit southwest to a farm just outside Citta Della Pieve. It is a bit rustic, but lovely. Here are a few pictures to get you started:

 Francesco and Louisa grow grapes, figs, olives, apples and many vegetables. They also have sheep for cheese and milk and beehives for honey.

Our front yard.

 Hammocks!

 Sharry and Kirsty enjoying the early evening.

 More grapes!

Francesco at the stone oven for wood-fired pizza.

And a full moon rising up from the trees!

Peace my friends!

Weather and Such in Bettona

Yikes!

 Bread, cheese, butter, tomatoes and figs. What else does a man need?

 A part of the wall in Bettona, with the nun's coolie (butt) stone.

It was lonely in the monastery behind these walls.

Sharry relaxing in the shade.

Peace my friends!

Market Day

Went to the market. In Gubbio. As you do...

 Porchetta and prosciutto.

Peace my friends!

Bettona

Laaaaaaaazy Sunday in Bettona. After a gelato, I can barely raise my head above the pillow. Such is life in Italy.

Sharry and Kirsty on early evening walk.

Here is a lilikoi flower for Manono in Hawaii!

 Chinese lantern flower.

 We have grapes in our garden. Delizioso!

Peace my friends!

Bevagna

Our friend Giorgio (owner of the house we are staying in) was very kind in taking us to Bevagna and surrounding areas (to get the best cheese and wine). Bevagna has been around since about 80 BC, and still has the Etruscan walls surrounding the town. It puts on a medieval history festival where the locals dress up in period costume and decorate the town even to the point of hiding the metal downspouts so it looks more medieval! Here are some random pics:

Must get to Bastardo one of these days!

 Ceiling of a church. There are many, many churches in the villages. Bevagna has about 7, built in the 12th and 13th centuries.

 The entire old part of the town has these cobblestones. Must be millions of them!

Viccolo baciodonna (kiss the woman). Passageway so narrow one has to turn sideways to pass, and maybe sneak a kiss with a woman when passing.

 Some frescos still around after all these years.

Went to a paper making shop where they make paper in the old way by soaking cloth in hydrated lime then pulping it and reconstituting it into pieces of paper which are dried on felt sheets. Or something like that.

Hydrated lime vat.

 Paper press.

 River next to old water mill, which unfortunately was covered and under renovation.

 A place to tie one's horse up.

 Tower outside the wall.

Ciao, ciao, ciao my friends!