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.

Palazzone Vineyard

Orvieto is a wonderful city to visit. There is much to offer. It is on the tourist radar, but not a tourist destination. The result is lots of amenities without the crush of tourists you find in Rome or Venice or Florence. As a result, we are able to show our guests an intimate experience connected to the locale, to the people and customs, and to the wonderful and beautiful places in and around the city.

One of those places our connections provide is Palazzone – a beautiful vineyard just a few miles from Orvieto. We love the stunning setting. We love the passion with which Giovanni Dubini carries out his trade and the definite opinions he has about how to make wine. We love the education we get about making wine. We love the food and wine he serves us as part of the tasting.

In addition to the vineyard the Dubinis run a “locanda,” or small inn. It is set in a building constructed around 1300 for use by a secretary to the pope. When

The locanda

the Dubini’s bought the property the house was in ruins with no roof. They renovated it with an ultramodern interior. Guests are treated to exquisite rooms and, exceptional dinners if they choose – or they can travel in to Orvieto to eat. It is as relaxed and beautiful setting as you could want.

Locanda's First Floor

The Pool

We were blessed with exceptional weather this fall the two weeks we were in Orvieto, and it was perfect when we were at Palazzone. Here are a few pictures of the vineyard to help you visualize what it is like. Enjoy!

Vineyards

Orvieto in the distance

Orvieto as seen from the patio on which we taste wine

Sangiovese Grapes

Where grapes are pressed

Bottling and labeling

The Reward - Giovanni serves his great wines!

 

Great Workshops

We had two wonderful teachers of very different workshops this fall.

Transferring an image

Catherine Moore led a class in which students altered “Orvieto Dust”, a book from the 1930’s. Catherine researched Orvieto from afar and came equipped with an amazing array of goods for her students to use in the book. In addition, each person collected their own items during the week to include. So there were images transferred onto pages,

Page cutout

doors and windows cut out of pages with images behind, collections of aromatic plants sewn into the book, a pomegranate used as a stamp, peacock feathers, journaling entries made. The creativity was amazing and endless, Catherine guiding everyone in altering their books in very personal ways. Kristi is still adding to her book as I am sure others in the

Altered pages with journaling

class are as well. In addition we explored underground Orvieto, visited our favorite vineyard, had a fabulous cooking class, ate good food, picnicked, dined under the moon. It was such fun.

Scroll down to see images from Ellen’s class.

Chestnut covers/postcards in process

Ellen Kochansky led her class in using found objects, junk, and trash from Orvieto to create 1) a journal, and 2) a postcard book with a series of cascading “postcards” inside. She provided used cardboard and silk for the postcards, while the students gathered materials from around Orvieto to include. Each made a “chop” symbolic to the week’s experience to use as a stamp. They made

Postcards drying (l), postcard covers (r)

glue from an old recipe of rice flour, corn starch and water, and use it to spread on the silk postcards, which then hardened as it dried. The result is a wonderfully transparent object beautiful when backlit by the sun. The journal is covered in discarded cardboard and chestnut leaves. (Chestnuts were shedding their leaves, and the ripe chestnuts we

Backlit postcards

had in soup and as flour for pasta – yum.)

It was a wonderfully creative and fun couple of weeks all under glorious fall skies that produced virtually no rain. We’re already dreaming of spring!

Silver Linings

We are home from three weeks in Italy, trying to get out from under all the details. I have got a variety of blog entries I want to make about the trip, but will start here with a recap of the exceptional experience we received the last two days.

We showed up at the airport to leave Italy only to find that I had somehow managed to book the wrong day. Who knows how I did that and never caught it but I did. The upshot was that we had to spend two extra days in Italy before we could fly home.

So what to do? It was a no-brainer for us: Hopping on the train and returning to Orvieto was much more appealing than trying to find a room in Rome and cope with the big city – for, while we enjoy big cities, we are small town folk.

Cristian and his family

We got to Orvieto and our convent B&B home, San Lodovico, instantly made up a room for us. As we got out into the streets, our friends and acquaintances all stared at us agape, wondering why we were back. Our buddy Alberto said it was out destiny! Maybe so.

When we went to Cristian’s for dinner, we explained my mistake, confessed my stupidity. In addition to a wonderful meal, he brought us out a surprise – a divine chocolate mouse with just a hint of spicy pepper in it. He wrote in the chocolate – “Don’t worry” and comped us a good part of the dinner including

Don't Worry

dessert. Talk about salve for a boneheaded mistake!

Giovanna with 2 of our group

Then, upon leaving, Giovanna wouldn’t charge us for the two night’s lodging. There are good people everywhere, but it seems incredible that we have found such good folk in a small town around the globe.

So yes, we had to pay a financial penalty for the mistake. But, we were given two extra days in Orvieto, we were humbled by the generosity and compassion we were shown, making the entire experience one that brings smiles rather than frowns. Thank you Orvieto.

Cooking in Italy

One of the most fun things we do on our trips is a four hour cooking course in the kitchen of a local restaurant. Lorenzo, the chef, is loads of fun and a great teacher. Last week we made our own pasta, focaccia, a wild boar ragu, a pork stew, a divine ricotta mousse, and a very fresh salad. Following are pictures of the class running from the beginning to the enjoyment of eating it all at the table. Enjoy!

Cream filled crepe flamed with chocolate we made and ate as we cooked

Pork Stew

Ricotta Mousse

I think she liked it!

Gaining Wings in Orvieto

Wow! This week’s workshop has just finished, with another starting today. It was a fabulous week, with a wonderful group, dynamic teacher in Catherine Moore, superb weather, and unparalleled hospitality.

One of the participants came up to us to thank us. She said, “My soul healed and I was given wings.”  Oh what sweet words. We do these trips because the potential for a transformational experience exists. It won’t happen for everyone. It may only happen for a very few. But when it happens it is the best reward imaginable.

Certainly, it is a combination of things that makes this happen. It is the teacher and the guidance and inspiration provided by her. It is Italy and its ability to have us use and enjoy all our senses. It is the people in Orvieto we meet who give so much of themselves and who have a series of beautiful philosophies that they share with us. It is the interaction of the participants on our trips, who generously share and give. It is the participants themselves who come with open minds and hearts, ready to embrace the energy, inspiration, and passion of Italy. All of this comes together to create a wonderful week’s adventure with the potential for transformation.

One other participant said, “Time slows down here – it’s not as important to keep those deadlines – a good conversation is more important and treasured.” What a wonderful idea to take away from the week, and what joy Kristi and I feel when people do. Thank you all for a fabulous week. Following are a few pictures of the week. More to come later.

Dinner Under the Moon

Doing rubbings for altered book

Picnic lunch

Page from altered book

Page from another book

So much of Interest in Orvieto

Knowing full well I will be hard pressed to get on the computer for the next few weeks while in Italy for our fall trips, I thought I would post while I am still stateside. I was giving thought to our newsletter that we send out ever couple months. And I was thinking about all the things I would like to write about and share with our subscribers. And the list grew quite long.

There are all the people we know and enjoy, most of whom are truly interesting people it has been a joy to come to know and be befriended by.

• 

  Alberto

  There’s Alberto who is the warmest guy you can imagine. He works in ceramics and his great love is the medieval period. He is one of the 2 main knights in Orvieto’s most important yearly celebration – Corpus Domini. He looks awesome in his medieval knight’s costume. Alberto gave us a behind the scenes tour of the over 400 costumes he helps take care of for the celebration.

• There’s the Scarponi family and their bar, pastry and sweet shop. Mother, father, son all working together to make some of Orvieto’s best sweets and our favorite place for coffee. Stefano, the son, cooked at the U.N. with an Italian delegation, and also cooked in England for a time.
• Or Tiziana and Massimo who make the most exquisite jewelry you can imagine. From Rome, trained as architects, they fell in love with Orvieto and bring a passion to their artwork that is palpable.
• Erika, the American ex-pat, who married and Italian, raised a family in Perugia and Orvieto. She used to have a store and the current tenant still displays her sign. Erika’s husband was, and her son is, an archeologist, so she has a wealth of knowledge about the Etruscans and history and art history.
• Suor Giovanna, who runs our convent B&B. She runs a tight ship, has a heart of gold, makes the best tiramisu and limoncella, and lasagna, and soup, and . . . Brought in by her superiors to shut down the convent, she has turned it into an amazing enterprise.
  

  Giovanna

• There’s the mayor, and Pier Giorgio who runs CittaSlow, the Michelangeli family, Cristian and his family restaurant, Velia the TV chef and personality, and on and on.

Then there are the things that go on in Orvieto.

• The twice weekly market where everyone comes together and meets and gets their fresh goods.
• The passeggiata or traditional evening walk that takes place from about 5 until 8.
  

  Paseggiatta

• There are the festivals like Corpus Domini, the Umbrian jazz festival in winter, or the Slow Food festival in the fall.
• There are the medieval fairs and vendors that set up periodically.
• Orvieto plays host to a surprising number of gatherings on all sorts of topics. For instance the annual conference of Open Office, a competitor to Microsoft Office, is taking place in Orvieto this year.

And of course there is the history, its impressive buildings, its agriculture. The list goes on and on. So I am looking forward to spending some time on this trip getting pictures and gathering information to go in future newsletters and this blog.

If you’d like to sign up for the newsletter you can do it on our home page. Oh, and we have redone our gallery pages so it is much easier to scroll through the pictures. Have a look. Ciao!

And the Winner is . . . .

Cover of Tracie's book

Well this has been a lot of fun! Tracie Huskamp who, with her mother-in-law Marilyn Huskamp is teaching “Italia Ispirato: Journal of a Sojourn” in which participants will be creating mixed media art pieces, in Orvieto September 9 – 18, 2010, has recently published her first most wonderful book Nature Inspired: Mixed Media for Gathering, Sketching, Painting, Journaling, and Assemblage. She gave us a copy to give away. We have been taking comments on this blog for about a month now and today is the day we select the winner.

We weren’t quite sure how to go about choosing, but ended up putting everyone’s name in a hat and drawing out the winner. We will be sending the book to:

Rini Boer who lives in the Netherlands!!

Congratulations to Rini! Lucky her. We had a surprising number of comments from other countries. At least England, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Australia and of course the Netherlands had someone submit comments. It is an amazingly small world we inhabit.

Thank you Tracie! Congratulations Rini!

Thanks to all of you who commented. We hope each of you will consider joining us in Italy for one of the workshops we have scheduled. We truly have an unbelievably talented group of teachers dedicated to the art of teaching. On these trips you learn, build skills, and satisfy your creative drive. You grow, develop, and have fun. You also get the chance to experience Italy from a much deeper place, come to know her people, customs, food and wine. We hope you will continue to follow along on this blog, and, if you haven’t done so, sign up for our newsletter on our home page.

Kristi and I are soon off for our fall workshops in Orvieto. We will be enjoying the talents of our teachers, the hospitality of our Italian friends, and making new friends of those who are joining us for the first time. See you soon!