The Power of Place

Our house is a shambles. Walls are bare, cupboards are empty, there are boxes everywhere. We’re moving. We’re moving because of the power of place. In this case, the power of Orvieto, Italy – home to our Adventures in Italy.

Street filled Orvieto Paseggiatta

It began two years ago on our return from Orvieto. In truth, I suppose, it began long before as I worked for years to preserve our country’s downtowns and to plan communities in a way to lend them character.  But for us and our living situation, it began on our return in May of 2008. After spending several weeks in the human oriented, human scaled, nature blessed environment that is Orvieto we returned to suburbia in all its magnificent blandness. The streets were devoid of people, there weren’t even sidewalks to accommodate people. Stores were fronted by acres of hot, black asphalt. The constant, casual, conversations that took place everywhere you were in Orvieto were completely absent. We looked at each other and wondered how we could go from a place of such richness to one so empty, soulless, and heartless.

A too typical American community

We decided right then we had to do better. We are mountain folk, and, after 30 years in the south, migrating here from Colorado, we are southerners. We got in the car to drive along the foothills of the Appalachians and Blue Ridge mountains in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Five days we spent searching, but we found Morganton on our first night.

Here was a town with a courthouse square, which I knew is the downtown form that generates the most pedestrian traffic. We sat outside on a nice tree-shaded, corner patio having a beer downtown and watched in amazement as a parade of people of all ages and colors walked by – almost like the passeggiata in Italy! The next morning we discovered not one but 3 different coffee houses where people gathered and spent time talking to one another. Wow! The place had soul and character, people on the street, and casual conversations.

Further investigation showed the town was working on a long range plan – boring I know, but for someone who spent 30 years working with  communities, a clear indication that they were working to manage their future. They had already taken steps with a downtown organization that gave people lots of reasons to be downtown, a 6 mile river walk with a couple of nice restaurants along its path. It is blessed with its physical environment, proximity to the mountains, and a downtown full of possibilities.

Sure Morganton has challenges like figuring out how to transition from the furniture building past to something fit for the 21st century. But it has assets like mountain views everywhere, the Blue Ridge Parkway, a big recreational lake. And it is working to craft its own future.

So, in a couple of weeks we will be in Morganton. And Orvieto is the reason. While our trips give people deep insights into the Italian culture, they also let us see how powerful and wonderful a people-centered place can be. Indeed, the first trips we did to Orvieto were for the purpose of learning how to build character into our communities at home.

Little did we know that the lessons would lead us to the search for and finding of our own place of character here in the United States!

Cool Contemporary Folk Art

We have just added a new teacher to our Spring 2011 lineup. Sue Spargo does the neatest work. She combines her African and English history in wonderfully bright and vibrant pieces – contemporary folk art.

Red Clover by Sue Spargo

She will be doing a workshop using wool, taffeta silk, silk velvet and cotton to produce what she calls a “fabric journal quilt.” Sue is a quilter, and on this trip her students will record all their adventures in a quilted journal. Each piece will be unique to the person. It will incorporate simple drawings taken from time spent out in Orvieto, and from all the cultural activities our groups take part in such as the cooking class with a local chef, a trip to a gorgeous vineyard where we sample his most excellent wine, learning about olive oil and tasting it, and seeing the Etruscan roots Orvieto is built on, among other things.

Sue was born in Zambia and educated in South Africa before moving to England. She came to the U.S. in 1989 and has lived in New England, the South and West, before settling in the Midwest. She brings her wonderfully diverse cultural background to her designs and teaching. It seems absolutely perfect that she do this workshop in yet another country and culture!

You can learn more about the trip at our page for Sue and see more about Sue at her website.

Wonderfully colorful leaves done by Sue

Need A Break? Come to Italy – Part II

So, I read the article about how unhappy American workers are, which prompted my post a couple days ago. Then, in a wildly different subject – about one of the last remaining hunter/gatherer tribes in the world – I end up again thinking what a great idea it is to come to Italy with us on our Adventures in Italy trips. The connection?

The December issue of National Geographic has an article on the Hadza tribe living in Tanzania. It is a true hunter/gatherer people, one of the few remaining in the world. Much of the way they live would probably drive us crazy. But the author, Michael Finkel, although ready to return to civilization after two weeks with the tribe, said his life was profoundly changed by the visit. Two things really struck him.

• The Hadza don’t worry about anything. Finkel thought this strange since he felt they should be worrying about lots of things such as, “Will I eat tomorrow? Will something eat me tomorrow?” But they don’t, and they live in the present more than seems possible for the rest of us.
• They are incredibly free. Finkel writes they are “free from schedules, jobs, bosses, bills, traffic, taxes, news and money. Free from worry. Free to burp and fart (sic) without apology, to grab food and smoke and run shirtless through the thorns.”

Wine Tasting in Orvieto

Finkel concluded with, “The days I spent with the Hadza altered my perception of the world. . . . they made me feel calmer, more attuned to the moment, more self-sufficient, a little braver, and in less of a constant rush. I don’t care if this sounds maudlin: My time with the Hadza made me happier.”

While our trips to Orvieto are nothing like spending a week in the bush of Africa eating off the land, our travelers end up feeling the same. They rush less, are calmer, live more in the moment, are happier, worry much less. That’s nice!

Need a Break? Come to Italy

A survey of American’s happiness on the job has just been released, and it is at an all time low. Just 45% of Americans are satisfied with their jobs. Only 51% are interested in their jobs, down from 70% in 1987.

Misty Morning in Orvieto, Italy

I understand and I sympathize. I think it is inevitable to a certain extent, particularly for people as they get older, which is an increasing number of baby boomers. That which propelled us into the workforce is no longer new, the frustrations seem insurmountable. I believe it is a natural evolution as we age, particularly if we are in the same line of work.

So I feel particularly blessed that I listened to the tugs at my heart. Those voices of discontent began to make themselves heard 10 years ago. And it took me a full 5 years to accept and act on them. I am glad I did, for now Kristi and I are doing something that absolutely has our interest and enthusiasm – Adventures in Italy.

While I know it is good for me, what I also have observed is that it is very, very, good for the folks who come to Italy with us. There is something about a very different place, a place with different customs, a place that looks like nothing at home, a place where life is lived enough differently to be noticeable that awakens and enlivens us. Such a trip can be the catalyst to get us to become aware of our discontent and begin to act on it. The great luxury of a trip to a very different destination is that it can awaken that which has been slumbering in you for some time.

Perhaps 2010 is your year to awaken!

The Season to Receive

It is, of course, the season of giving. But it is also the season of receiving for, while I love to give, I also have come to understand it is just as important to be able to receive. So, in this season, I am led to reflect on all the receiving we do when we are on our trips in Orvieto each spring and fall.

One of the reasons to travel is that it is a tremendous way to learn – not just about the places  you visit, but about yourself. It is through contrast that we see ourselves more clearly. One reason I love staying in one place for a week so much is that you have the time to truly recognize  and think about the contrasts. If you rush from place to place when you travel, you are so busy  keeping your schedule that you don’t have time to observe deeply, to interact in a meaningful way with others, to get to know a place.

When we travel to Orvieto we have the time to observe, interact and get to know. And what I  recognize in this season of giving and receiving is how much people in Orvieto give us and those  who travel with us – how much we receive.

Some of our Orvietani friends

It is hard to describe, nay, it is impossible, to relate the warm, open welcome and honest  hospitality we receive from so many people in so many ways. Here is a sampling.

• The convent Bed and Breakfast at which we stay is a nest, a retreat, a nurturing home. Without fail we are treated to some incredible, delectable food prepared by the hands of our hosts. But what stuns and humbles us is the loving, joyous welcome they provide.
• Across the street from the B&B Alberto works in his ceramic shop named “The Court of Miracles.” He puts down his work whenever we walk by to talk with us and share insights on life and living in Orvieto. Alberto is in charge of preparing the 400 museum-quality period costumes worn in Orvieto’s most important community celebration, a job he has to perform for weeks in advance, every night from after dinner until late into the night. What does he do during this most intense and busy period of his year? He invites our groups to a personal tour of the costumes he is readying.
• Erika, nearly 50 years as an American ex-pat in Orvieto, married an Italian, raised her children in Orvieto. She offers her time, her car, her insights and knowledge so we are better prepared and ready for our guests. She selflessly gives of her time to our groups, and acts as translator whenever we need it.
• Vicenzo, the dentist who pays a house call on a moment’s notice because one of our guests has a toothache.
• Pier Giorgio, incredibly busy as the director of Slow Cities headquartered in Orvieto, inviting us into his home for an aperitif and dessert, and inviting us to countless events in Orvieto open only to native Orvietani.

The list and gestures goes on and on. And so this season it is with true humbleness that we reflect on the receiving we do in Italy. We receive and those who travel with us receive as well. How lucky is that?

More friends from Orvieto

Marcella and Food

If you haven’t discovered Marcella Hazan and you like Italian food, do yourself a favor and check her out. An Italian, she learned to cook when she married her Italian born, but New York raised husband. They moved to the US after marrying where she learned to cook in order to feed her working husband. She splits time between Italy and the US and so is knowledgeable about the differences in available food.

I’ve failed to find a recipe that isn’t great. And she has some different and enjoyable ones. Here are a few comments from the introduction to her cookbook Marcella Cucina which speak to why we love Italian food so much.

• “I am not interested in fusion or cross-cultural hybrids. in rootless, inconsequential cooking that does not communicate a clear sense of identity, of place.” This is quintessential Italy in my opinion, and one of the reasons we love it.
• “The universal quality that Italy’s regions can claim for their cooking is that it is kind to the palate. It is food that charms the palate with flavors that are fresh, clear, plain-spoken, direct.”
• “Except on pasta, there are no sauces as such, just the unlabored juices that issue spontaneously from making a roast or a stew or a fricassee. On pasta, sauce is used with restraint, to coat, not to blanket.”

We often mistake what Italian cooking is. It is the simpleness and fresh ingredients that make it exceptional. Marcella’s recipes are just that – simple and delicious.

If you are looking for a Christmas gift for someone who loves to cook, one of Marcella’s cookbooks would be a good choice!!

Women’s Only Trip

Kristi has lots of women-only activities, and we have often thought a women’s only trip to Orvieto would be fun. It is an ideal place for a variety of reasons.

• It is simply a great size for getting around on foot.
• There is so much to do that nearly all interests can be met.
• It is completely safe – we never hear a siren and have never had a minutes problem.
• It has an amazing variety of stores – leather, clothing, food, jewelry, accessories, art, cosmetics, gifts.
• It has simply exceptional food.
• The wine, and olive oil and other local produce is to die for.
• It has a killer cathedral and amazing art.
• It has a long history dating to the Etruscans in 800 B.C.
• The vineyard we visit has a dreamy owner!!

The catalyst for deciding to do a trip  just for women, tapping into all Orvieto has to offer, was the several days we spent in Castiglione del Lago in October. (I plan to blog about this sweet town.) We were sitting in the piazza one afternoon when we noticed a group of women. One was a serious photographer, another a serious shopper, one had jogging clothes on, one was organizing their afternoon aperitif. They were having a great time!

Nothing against the guys mind you, but sometimes women do just want to do their own thing. So our Girlfriend’s Getaway is going to be offered twice a year, take in all Orvieto’s charm and allure, and simply be a good time. We are also offering it to a group of 6 women friends or more who want to go any time of the year – Orvieto has a jazz festival between Christmas and New Year.So gather up your friends and join us. Of course, I’ll be around, but just to make sure you have all you need!

Thinking of May

As Fall’s last colors’ fade, as the leaves fall more quickly, as leaden skies become more frequent there is a glimmer on the horizon. It is our May trips to Orvieto. Orvieto in May conjures up visions of bright red poppies dotting the landscape, yellow zucchini blossoms gracing vendor stalls at the market, multi-colored artichokes stacked high, emerging green in the fields, and warm, sunny skies. Just what the doctor ordered!!

And May also conjures up a handful of entertaining, educational, fun trips with some exceptional teachers. Or, if you just want to get intimate with the Italian way of life, our Discover Orvieto and Girlfriend Getaway trips. Here is what’s on tap.

Silk Scarves with Photos

Photography and Fabric. Mary Ellen Kranz will be marrying her skills with camera and computer with her love of quilting and fabric. Take pictures under her careful tutelage, enhance the picture on the computer and then print it out on a variety of fabrics to be incorporated into quilt, scarf, purse, book cover or other items that you love. May 9 – 15, 2010.

Cover & 2 Postcards

Mixed Media Fun. Ellen Kochansky leads you on scavenger hunts through Orvieto. While you are out and about, and while you are cooking, tasting wine, sampling olive oil, and exploring the Etruscan past you will have the opportunity to pick up a grand variety of local items. Ellen then guides you in displaying these items  between gossamer sheets of silk bound with a nontoxic homemade glue. The transparent “postcards” fold out accordion style from a cover you make, capturing memories of this special city. May 16 – 22.

Map of Orvieto

Leather-bound Mixed Media Journal. Harvard University faculty member Gina Foglia is leading a wonderful exploration of your senses and how you react through them to the environment around you. Gina will help you “map” your discoveries in a mixed media journal bound with leather from a local shop. May 16 – 22.

Poppies by Jane

Painting and Drawing. Walk the streets and alleys and green spaces of Orvieto with Jane LaFazio, who will teach the newbie to the experienced how to paint and draw the beauty of your exceptional spring Italian surroundings. You will create a series of 5 X 7 sketches and paintings housed in a cloth and paper portfolio of your own making. May 23 – 29.

Photo by Jan

Photography. Jan Phillips, author of Marry Your Muse and Creating Every Day will lead you into all the many scenic spaces of Orvieto to improve your photography skills. Whether experienced or completely new to photography, Jan will use her many years of photographic experience, her artful eye, and her sense of composition to help you improve your skills, all while capturing beautiful memories of this exceptional city. May 23 – 29.

 

Giovanni explains wine at Palazzone Vineyard

Culture, Food, Wine, History. People love Italy for its immense history, its exceptional food, its variety of wine, and a culture that is modern yet rooted in tradition. Spend a week experiencing intimately all the passion and joy Italians have to offer. Through Discover Orvieto, our cultural immersion adventure, enjoy the company and insights of the many Orvietani we have come to know as friends over the past eight years. May 9 – 15, May 16 – 22, and May 23 – 29.

A second Culture, Food, Wine, History trip is under development – the Girlfriend Getaway. Contact us for more information on this trip. May 9 – 15.

Join us in Orvieto!

“I’ll be better on Monday the 18th”

I was introduced by one of our teachers, Ellen Kochansky, to a book on Italy called The Dark Heart of Italy, written by Tobias Jones. Jones, from Britain, lived in Italy for four years recounting his experience in the book. I have yet to talk to my Italian friends to see how accurate they think it is. The book caused a stir in Italy, but he says most Italians told him they felt it was an honest portrayal.

I’m not very far along in the book and I would say it is a mix of praise and critique. A recent passage made me laugh because it is just so atypical of how an American would behave – and it is this kind of contrast that makes travel to Italy so fun. Jones was talking about the bureaucracy, how awful it is, how so many simply ignore the rules because they are never enforced. As a consequence, in life generally, what we would see as obligatory, Italians view with much more flexibility, as suggestions rather than something to be slavishly obeyed. He describes the upshot this way:

“The advantage, I realized, was that life in Italy is simply more enjoyable. The longer I stayed, the more obvious it became that life was not lazy, just more leisurely. I noticed during the skiing season that my favorite barman had left a note outside his bar, handwritten on cardboard: ‘Closed because of illness. I’ve gone to recuperate in the Dolomites. I will be better on Monday 18.’ “

Imagine that here! It would never happen. We are too serious and rule bound. (Let me also say, in defense of Italians, we have never, ever been let down by any of the people we work with. They always deliver on what they promise.) So I’d agree with Jones that life is more pleasant in Italy, in part, because they are more relaxed, do embrace life in a wonderful way.

The embracing of life is one of the reasons those who travel with us love Italy so much. We aren’t going to change in the US, but maybe we could relax just a tad more!!

Slow Travel Tours

We are founding members of a group called Slow Travel Tours. This is a group of tour operators who believe in traveling in such a way that those who travel with us have a rich, cultural experience that you rarely find with others. We believe in:

• Managing and leading trips ourselves so that our travelers benefit from the years of experience and connections only we can provide.
• Having lots of great local connections, enabling us to put our travelers in touch with the local community that is impossible to do as an individual traveler or in typical large groups tours.
• Small groups because it provides an intimate experience, is personal, and more fun.
• Having personal experience in the places we operate so we can bring their unique qualities to light.
• Staying in one place longer – most of us stay for a week – because it is only by slowing down that we begin to see, experience, and appreciate the nuance of places that make them interesting, fun, and informative. Ironically, we see more by seeing less.
• A passion for a deeper, richer cultural experience.
• Having a track record of leading trips so that anyone signing up for a Slow Travel Tour will be assured of an exceptional trip.

 

Slow Travel is about making friends with the natives

Slow Travel Tours has been in existence for about a year and a half. We have been communicating by e-mail and through a group forum during this time. We wanted to get together face-to-face to fine tune who we are and to build the kinds of relationships you can only do in person – not unlike the relationships we all build on our trips.

 

I am so glad we did, because it is an exceptionally talented, dedicated, knowledgeable, fun group. We met at Barb and Matt Daub’s wonderful house snuggled into a hillside sitting above Maiden Creek in rural Pennsylvania. Their house is built around a 1700’s era log cabin – an absolutely inspired place. Barb has created the surrounding gardens and Matt, who teaches painting, has his studio there, full of the most beautiful works.

Slow Travel helps us touch other cultures

 

We began the work of establishing standards and expectations for the group. We have had many requests by other tour operators to join us. We want to add more, but we needed to define what kind of trip people would have, ensure they lead the same kinds of fantastic trips the rest of us do. We will add members who broaden our geographic reach, who provide trips similar to ours but with different emphases, who can contribute to the collective expertise we have.

We are going to better develop our web site so it is a useful resource for people traveling with the same passion and philosophy we have. And we are going to promote the benefits of the kind of travel we all believe in. “Slow” travel isn’t for everyone. But, for those wanting to connect and get to know people in a place, it is so rewarding.

Kristi and I want you to travel with us, but we aren’t right for everyone either. We know that traveling with any of our Slow Travel Tour members will provide you an absolutely wonderful trip! After our first meeting, we know that any members we add in the future will do the same.