MONTONE

A magnificent day in a jewel of a town in Umbria.

About 40 kilometers from Perugia is a small, yet rich and extraordinary town called Montone. In the 45+ years I have been in Perugia, I had never been there. Now, it is surely one of the most extraordinary little places I have been to, and I do hope to return.

Surrounding oneself with 360 degrees of nature and pure peace and beauty is a LOT in these times! A magnificent little place, filled with delightful surprises.

We started the day walking into the center of town, on the small main plaza, and EVERYONE'S eyes were on us! It was like "Hey, new people come to visit us!" And there we were, on full display, trying to then decide where to have a little breakfast, which bar to chose from, and where we would be safe or safer during these Covid times. We chose a little table that felt protected, against the wall of a bar, thinking that there we would be alone...

I would love to say that this was a perfect little snack, but actually, although it looked nice and the pastries fluffy, they were quite a disappointment!! But it did get a laugh from us. The whole wheat flour contained honey,, but perhaps 1/8th of a teaspoon, and the cornetto was so wide and without character or a great taste, that we just had a laugh over it.

We sat and enjoyed the view of people walking by, and also had a surprising visitor just a couple of meters from us. A middle aged man had a loud cellphone conversation right in front of us, as if he was there to inform us of his life and affairs. It was really quite amusing, he just planted  himself there, as we sunk our teeth into this flavorless pastry, and laughed at our first experience in the town. It was worth the price, just to have this odd and amusing situation happen to us, as people without masks dodged our table by just inches, and we though how our peace and quiet was not to begin in this precise spot....not yet. 

TIME FOR LUNCH!!! And THIS was a magical moment, a wonderful experience filled with glorious food and delightful finishing touches. We sat outside at ERBA LUNA (check it out on Tripadvisor as we did) and delighted in the shady spot we had with a view of plants and of hills and clouds in the distance. There were butterflies, trees, lovely atmosphere and as we waited we relaxed totally. We ordered some delicious plates, my tagliarine with porcine mushrooms was wonderful, and I later discovered that the pasta had even more mushrooms in the pasta itself! Then my special grilled vegetables were so beautiful and also so delicate to eat. I really enjoyed it, both for the freshness and the original way it was served, and for the beauty of the plate itself.

Even the coffee that I ordered was served with a tiny little pitcher of milk WITH its own froth, so it became a tiny little cappuccino in my expresso cup. This is something that never happens! Such attention to detail! A cook who cares, about detail and pleasing their customers!

So....it was quite a meal, and very appreciated by myself and husband. I fully reccomend ERBA LUNA to anyone coming to Montone.

Also, the restaurant in front of the garden area where we ate is antique and marvelous...worth the visit to go in and see, and later in winter months, is surely the home to many an exquisite meal and elegante dining experience. 

Meeting the cook and his partner was also a treat. Their conversation made me realize how passionate they are with cooking and making the experience so special.

On a funny note, I asked where there were woods where we might go and rest on a blanket as we did in another woods in another town, and we were warned.....careful, there might be wild boars. So....no nap after lunch that day!

Back to Castelluccio!! Don't forget love and respect!!

Let's respect one of the most beautiful places Umbria has to offer:

Castelluccio!!

This year Castelluccio is being invaded by tourists,

which is a good thing.

 BUT what I understand from internet, people are not THINKING

 or using good sense in visiting this beautiful place. 

They are CRUSHING flowers under the weight of their shoes and bodies, 

they are SITTING on flowers and in the fields meant to be admired by all!!. 

If you don't understand what to do when you go visit this magnificent place, please read below.

Thanks from

Mr. Flower

Miss Fields

Mother Nature

1. Don't trample on the flowers,

2. Stay on paths meant to be walked on 

and 

3. Don't get into the fields for 

a "better" selfie or photos with friends.

These photos were taken a few years ago....

please....don't follow their poor example

 and do what the sign says

 "Stay Out"

Love is forever

but flowers can die in a minute. Watch your step!

 Translation

"Stay out"!!

Photographers above all should be respectful of nature!

Get that couple out of that field! 

Train ride in Italy AND learning lessons about life

Well, that sure felt like a wasted day.
Or was it, I ask myself.
It ended with two beautiful things....
One, is this sky that greeted me while driving home.  So, when I saw THAT I thought, "Hey, someone is trying to tell me something about my wasted day."
THEN....I opened up my mail on the computer and I got the most wonderful message from one of my closes friends, a friend from my past, let's say a friend who is more like family to me.
It was a wonderful short but to the point message and made me feel just great.

These two things, that were extraordinary happened after an incredibly tiring, trying, hot, strange, and even costly (not much, but something) day. And not only that, I have to REPEAT this day in another day or so, doing basically what I did today, without getting any results, but hopefully will get results next time.
Eight hours of my time, down the drain.
This is what I did:
Took the train to Rome. Train riding is not romantic, not on this local train.
Everytime you go through a tunnel, or pass another train, it sounds like (and I was trying to think about what that sound DOES sound like), well, perhaps very metalic drums, or some kind of warehouse with loud machinery, and it goes on and on until the tunnel ends, and then begins with the next tunnel. OR you pass another train which, if you are looking out the window, gives you a good scare, visually it is a shock, and then, listening to it is frightening, not a pleasant sound at all. The windows rattle, and I heard something UNDER the train everytime we went thru a tunnel, I don't know what it was, but it was strange and not a nice sound to hear.
I'm SHARING this day with you, whoever you are, because I need to get it off my chest! I have to repeat the day again, and so perhaps it will lessen my thoughts, take the harshness out of the day, and put some..."every cloud has a silver lining" into it...

WELL...............what happened is that I got on the train. It was a quieter time of day, at 11am so it wasn't too bad. But it was hot and stuffy. No windows were open, and I went around trying to see if there was a restroom open on the train (last time, last week, they had problems!!). Not one of the four toilets was open, and one had a sign "Out of service". I went out of the train and talked to one of the employees...

well, that problem got fixed when one of them came by assuring me that they would be open when the train started. And thus it was. No soap, and not a full role of toilet paper, but they were working (one door didn't shut) but they were, as I said, in order (sort of).

Then......................I felt hot and stuffy. No windows were open, no air conditioning I thought, this is not good for me.  So, I went to the next compartment. It was freezing. No, no good for me here either. I asked the train employee what he could do about it, he turned off the air conditioning. For ten minutes. I left that cabin when they turned it back on, back to the hotter one.

Then, the train started to get filled up, and eventually we got to Rome.

To make a long story not too long, I went to get a VISA FOR CHINA. Yes, that is correct. It should have been ready. But surprise surprise, it wasn't! I came all the way to Rome (second time in a week) and it was not ready due to "the system", the Chinese girl told me. She said they would talk to the embassy.

Long story getting longer.....they could NOT do it. I have to return to Rome again.

But actually, the story didn't end here. I looked at my watch, wanting to get out of Rome fast. I had about 40 minutes to get my train.....I started to do POWER WALKING. Really really fast walking, I even walked in the street to avoid people on the sidewalk. I took the right streets but then, after a good 30 some minutes of heavy walking and sweating, I realized that I had better start running to get to the out of the way tracks for my particular train (it is a long long walk from the front of the station to get  there). I started to run and run, and then realized I had not gotten my ticket stamped in the machine, if you don't do it you can be fined. I ran in the other direction. I then thought that I was going to kill myself if I continued running, spoke to one of the station employees and he said "Hey you have four minutes, you can probably do it". I continued running, go onto the train, hot, sticky and sweating. I was out of breath. I sat and smiled at the perhaps Pakistanian man in front of me (his daughter probably, spoke on the phone for the next twenty minutes and talked non stop the whole trip) and luckily the train left. If I had been just one minute later, I wouldn't have made it.

So......................are you still with me? And who are you???

IF I hadn't had such an unsuccessful day, probably I wouldn't have realized something that magnificent sky was trying to tell me (about being positive, learning that not everything can go our way) and the words of my dear friend wouldn't have been such a relief  after a bad day as they were to me today. 

Dancing Trees

If you ever take a walk in the countryside in Italy, you will be amazed at how many olive trees there are.

They seem to human-like at times. Some of them seem to be hugging each other, for how close they are. Others grow together and seem to relate, like these two, seemingly dancing along on this hillside.

But in a way, they are going away from each other, on the top, sort of leaning backwards.

Funny, looking at nature always teaches us things, and often about humanity.

Aren't we all in the same boat together? Or, as in the case, on the same hillside?

Trees

How lucky we are to have trees lining our streets, creating horizons on hilltops, giving us shade and always adding beauty to the panorama of our towns and countryside.

People just don't look!

I was at a beautiful luncheon celebration in the mountains, perhaps let's say, in a hilly area. The restaurant had a lovely view, and from inside you could look out and see and see and see....the distance just never ended.
But before getting into the restaurant, I was attracted by these two little trees. I seemed to be the only one looking that way. And I was glad I did.
I find that one little item, or maybe two like in this case, make one think of a person alone, or a couple. And that feeling is nice, it seems so very "human". The trees to me are like a couple. Just standing there, perhaps waiting for something to happen. Or remembering.
Always look around wherever you are. There just might be something nice to see, right over there, or behind you, or far away to the left or right. If you don't look, you won't know.

CACTUS...in Italy

I have always loved cactus! Or is that cacti.....

I grew up in Los Angeles, and that means having lots of desert area, hot dry air nearby. Cactus grow in people's front yards. And often we would have some in or around our house.

These are all from a plant fair in Perugia, Italy. There are cactus growing in Italy, but especially in the south of the country. They are easier to take care of than other plants, and maybe that is why I like them too. But I also like that they are sort of ironic...saying "look at me, how cute I am" when actually if you try to touch them......!!!!!

Trees in Los Angeles

The weather was beautiful last week in Los Angeles, sunny and warm. People were wearing sandals in November.
But one thing that does give the idea of autumn are the trees. So many luxurious colors, like this one on the block where I lived as a child and where my parents still reside.

Il tempo era bellissimo la settimana scorsa a Los Angeles, sollegiante e caldo. La gente indossava sandali, nel mese di Novembre.

Ma una cosa che da l'idea di Autunno sono gli alberi. Così tanti colori lussuosi, come questo sulla strada dove abitavo da bambina, e dove abitano ancora i miei genitori.

CORBEZZOLI

Lovely to see, and lovely to eat....little seeds on the outside, and soft and sweet inside: corbezzoli!

Belli da vedere, e belli da mangiare....piccoli semi sull'esterno, e morbidi e dolci dentro: corbezzoli!!

Conservoni, Perugia

Took a little walk in this area about ten minutes from home. The trees are still yellow, magenta, redish and orange tones, but not for long I am afraid.

Ho visto questo panorama durante una passeggiate in campagna oggi, ancora gli alberi sono gialli, fucsia, oro, rosso, ma non per molto tempo ne ho paura....

Red Tree

This tree....waited for me to come back and photograph it....really!!

Questo albero....mi ha aspettato per essere fotografato....veramente!!

I love autumn
Io amo l'autunno

Perugia and Pian di Massiano

Right near our house....

Proprio vicino a casa nostra....

a park with lots of golden trees...

un parco con tanti alberi color oro....

and all those tones that I love, Autumn colors...

e tutte le tonalità che adoro, i colori d'Autunno

where ducks gather, people run or walk

                                                            dove stanno i paperi, la gente che corre, le persone camminano

where you see in the distance a little house alone in the hills

dove vedi nella distanza una casa da sola in collina

and looking through a hole in a fence you get a clearer view of nature

e guardando da un buco in un recinto vedi una vista più chiara della natura.

Valley Girl in the mountains

What's a Valley Girl from Los Angeles doing in Castelluccio di Norcia Italy?
Having a wonderful day!

Che fa un Valley Girl da Los Angeles, California a Castelluccio di Norcia Italy? Ci si diverte durante una bellissima giornata!

Lake Trasimeno area (Perugia Italy) and sunflowers

SUNFLOWERS!!

Girasoli!!!

In front of this house a little lady looked at me, then I asked "Can I go into the flowers to take pictures?" And she answered, "Yes!"...so off I went....

Davanti a questa casa c'era una donna che mi guardava. Poì ho chiesto "Posso entrare in mezzo a questo campo bellissimo per fare delle foto?" e lei ha risposto "Sì!" Così....ci sono andata....

Actually, THIS is a car I saw in the morning, at the park near my house. Perhaps the color of the car was telling me something.....of what I would discover in the afternoon...

Veramente, QUESTA MACCHINA l'ho visto la mattina, al parco vicino a casa. Forse il colore della macchina mi diceva che avrei visto qualcosa di simile nel pomeriggio....

Before entering into the fields....I looked at it from afar...

Prima di entrare nei campi, ho guardato da lontano....

Slowly I started to walk into the fields, being careful, but getting my legs scratched a bit...

Lentamente ho cominciato a camminare nei campi, facendo attenzione ma comunque, mi sono graffiato un pò le gambe...

I took photos from every position possible....

Ho fatto delle foto da tutte le posizioni possibile...

I was surrounded by sunflowers...it was like being at Umbria Jazz again...surrounded by thousands of people!

Ero circondata da girasoli...è stato come essere di nuovo a Umbria Jazz....circondata da migliaia di persone!

I was in there for almost an hour...and the sun started to set and the colors got richer.

Ci sono stata per circa un ora....il sole cominciava a calare...ed i colori sono diventati più ricchi.

The center of one of the flowers...

Il centro di un fiore...

It was a wonderful experience, being surrounded right and left and all around by living things, so colorful, strong, impressive.

E' stata un'esperienza eccezionale, circondata da tutte le parti da questi fiori viventi, così pieni di colore, forti, di grande effetto.