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2017 Italy Rome & Umbria
  • Clark and Mary Johnson

2017 Italy Rome & Umbria

A 15-day adventure by Clark and Mary Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 3, 2017
    Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Lock the door - won't be back here until September 20th

    And they're off

    September 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After a final check of the place we were off on our trip to Rome and Umbria. Tomorrow we fly to Atlanta and then on to Rome. It's going to be a long day.

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler

    SEATAC to Atlanta

    September 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    At 6am the "arrival" lane at SEATAC was a "slow and go" traffic jam -- the end of a holiday weekend and everyone s heading home. So the decision to arrive 3 hours early seemed prudent. Since we have NEXUS cards we took the "fast lane" through security and found we had 2.5 hours to wait for our flight. Hm -- better late than never -- but better never late.

    This is only the first leg -- it's going to be a long day.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    i think my credit card is in here...

    Lesson one -- keep track of your STUFF

    September 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    OK -- It's been a few years since I did any serious traveling ( like 30 ). So by the time we got to Atlanta I was not sure where my credit card was. I thought Mary had it -- but of course her memory suggested another option. Mary called an immediate stop.

    OK look at my sheepish picture . . . Here I am diving for the money belt. Of course she had it right.

    Now for the "rest of the story".

    Mary handed me the iPad after taking the picture and I left it on a chair in the departure lounge! We were gone for about 10 minutes before we discovered this little issue.

    I've consumed one of my nine lives -- we found it sitting where I left it.

    Whew!    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Settling in for a meal - outside with the locals
    1Yum - Caprese salad with Buffalo MorzerellaHam and Mushroom Pizza1It's hot in the street but comfotable and serene here1Terrific local grocery store - open 24/7Pretty cramped seats but great Delta service

    Roma!

    September 5, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Our arrangements work well. The flight to Rome was smooth and the service was great -- but neither of us slept much. As we walked out of the customs area Ricardo Nemi was standing there holding a sign with our name on it. His limo took us to the hotel where we met Emerson our host at the AirB&B- which is simple but clean, private and quiet. Arrived at the airport at 10:30 and were relaxing on the patio of our hotel by noon. But I was knackered- and promptly crashed for a two hour nap.

    By 2pm local time we were out and about getting acquainted with the area. The location is pretty cool. We are three blocks from the Colosseum. One would expect this to be pretty cheesy with tourist junk (and some of that exists) but it is easy to dial into the local community that lives and works here.

    Our first meal out was at a family owned place that has been around since 1945 ( think end of the war). The wait-staff were having a fun time greeting friends as they walked by and the prices were really reasonable - at least $20 less than we would expect to spend for a similar meal on Lopez.

    We finished the evening with a visit to the locals grocery to get supplies for a picnic.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Tiber river runs through the city and separates Trastevere from the Jewish ghettos
    This place redefined my understanding of hamThe romams are so friendlytoday, the "jewish ghetto" is a lively place with many kosher restaurantsA day that will live in infamy1Many people got in line to fill there water bottles

    " Getting to know you ... "

    September 6, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today we set off walking and did at least 7 miles before the heat and humidity told us it was time for a break. We began the process of understanding this city as more than a map or a chapter in a travel guide. With this in mind we selected two sub-communities, separated by the Tiber River. Trastevere and the Jewish ghetto. Here we got to experience some of Rome's history that is not simply ancient monuments.

    Trastevere retains the small single lane roads from the Middle Ages. Following a tip we looked for a sandwich place that features prosciutto-- WOW! This is nothing like what we get at Costco! A mixture of salt and fat that I have never experienced before. We will be eating here again before we leave Rome

    We also found the Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of Rome's oldest church sites where Christians worshipped illegally until the year 313. Most of the church is from the 12 century -- very peaceful -- in a city like this it does not stand out, yet it is certainly a magnificent example of citizens expressing their devotion to faith. This is negatively contrasted by the ghetto where "Christian" leaders defined Jews as second class citizens and forced them to live in difficult conditions.
    We walked through the section of town that was once the Jewish ghetto. In 1555 the pope forcibly moved all Jews to a confined space that became known as the Jewish ghetto. October 3rd, 1943 -- for the Roman Jews it was, to paraphrase Roosevelt "a day that will live in infamy " - the nazi's demanded 20 kilos of gold or they would deport Jews to concentration camps. It is reported that the citizens of Rome contributed their personal jewelry to pay the ransom -- and of course history reveals the deportation of Jews happened anyway.

    As I said, it was hot and humid today. Thank goodness it is possible to drink water "from the tap." In fact there are water fountains everywhere that can be used to fill water bottles.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    This is the definiton of "monumental" -- it is huge
    a seat reserved for a senator - even has his name on it1

    Colloseum, forum and palitime hill

    September 7, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We spent the entire day doing the Caesar shuffle. A required Rome experience. Things have really changed since I was here in the 80's. Back then you just walked in: no lines, no fees, no explanatory signs, and actually not much of a crowd. Now everything has changed. I certainly learned more this time -- even without a guided tour you can read the signs and get a lot of formation.

    Still,for me, it is an exhausting experience -- never been much of a museum buff.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    1The warm water flowed out of the walls
    1Wall to wall peopleNo entrance fee or guard protecting this masterpiece

    Wrapping up phase one . . .

    September 8, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Tomorrow we meet our Road Scholar group for transport to Foligno. Today we figured out how to use the light rail system and got oriented at the main train station for the train out to the airport where we will meet the RS group.

    The Baths of Diocletian were an easy walk away. Built in 10 years about 300 A.D. This was "Huuuge". It originally covered 30 acres and could accommodate 3000. The bath I am standing in was 4 feet deep with a surface area of 32,000 square feet. This facility was in service for 237 years.

    Next we found the Trevi fountain. It is impressive but probably more amazing was the number of people that where also there. Great watching couples, young and old toss coins in the fountain pool.

    Then on to the Spanish steps. Factoid of the day -- the Spanish consulate to the Vatican is located here and has been for 300 years. When the newly weds appeared everyone rushed to snap their picture.

    Last stop of the day was a church recommended by Val -- Santa Maria Della Vittorisa -- location of Bernini's best known statue -- the swooning Saint Teresa in ecstasy.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Gathering at the airport meeting point
    Walking to the hotel-bus could not drive through the walking zoneTrendy splash for the gal with "bling"Main square of Foligno

    Rome --> Foligno

    September 9, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Busy day -- We successfully met our group of 20 at the airport and took a bus to Foligno. With a single exception we are all retired. I was used to the vibe in Rome but was surprised how much different it was in Foligno. The town is in the midst of a month long festival similar to the Palio in Siene. Flags indicating different neighborhoods line every street. We walked around town to take on the sights. Much of the central core is a walking zone and at midday there was plenty of people watching to do.

    The shops are so classy -- Mary started collecting photos of clothing to share with her nieces. I like to glasses!

    At one point we happened upon an event where young boys were sitting on ponies practicing with a spear. The competition between neighborhoods features riding around an oval track with a spear trying to pass the spear through various rings. I captured the moment this young man captured a ring on his spear. Of course the task gets more difficult as you are expected to do this at a full gallop and the rings get smaller in diameter as you progress around the arena. We won't be here for the event but apparently this is one of the biggest events for this region in the entire year.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Out docent for this tour lives in this community
    Wet and cold . . brrrrKicking back in the local hangout11Life is sooo tough in the fast lane

    And then the heavens opened and . . .

    September 10, 2017, Pinacoteca Foligno ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    It RAINED! It has not rained in Umbria since late May. Today that streak came to an end. Our hosts had the good sense to cancel the three hour walk portion of the plan. We did connect with several hilltop towns and learned about olive oil production and the medieval paper making process.

    Our first hill top village was Gualdo Cattaneo -- Mary found the town photo on the web -- when we arrived it was merged with a cloud and it was pouring down. We initially took refuge in a church. Here you see all of us looking pretty pathetic listening to an interesting lecture

    The round tower(s) are from 1492. We got to explore the main tower extensively. This was the high-tech development of its day. The round shape and 12 feet thick rock walls were designed to withstand the emerging war technology of the cannon.

    We were supposed to take a stroll through olive orchards but there was forked lightening happening around the hill so it did not seem prudent to walk with metal umbrellas over our heads -- Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

    So we got on the bus and drove down to an olive oil facility. Main takeaway here was the fact that this product is manipulated by the industry. From what we learned it is likely that the "olive oil" we get in the states is "at best" a mixture of various cooking oils. At worst it can be 10% olive oil and 90% petroleum. Makes me wonder what we are actually getting at Costco.

    After another spectacular meal we bussed to Bevagna and learned about the paper making process using medieval technology. Mary was called into action when this watery mixture was placed in a frame and transferred to a stack in preparation for pressing to remove the water. Bad photo because it was pretty dark -- that's Mary with the white hat like thingy on her head.

    I had made rash predictions about the weather and was publicly humiliated to the great satisfaction / enjoyment of the group.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    The entire area is a world heritage site
    it is well above the valley floorOur group ready to walk . . But too much rain again

    The hermitage of St. Francis

    September 11, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Cloudy but not much rain. We've learned that parts of Italy had flooding, loss of power and loss of life -- seen from that perspective, our yesterday experience was not really that bad. We found out that this was the first time in ten years that rain forced the cancellation of the walking part of a tour. I can verify that the footing can be treacherous and slippery on the paths so I'm glad they were being careful. We did tour St. Francis Hermitage, got a very good guided tour of the Basilica, and spent time walking around the city.

    Since I am limited to 6 photos in each post I will focus on the Hermitage in this one and add a second one for Assisi.

    Francis had the option to become a wealthy silk merchant through inheritance. Initially it looked like this would be his path. He led a high-spirited life and fought as a soldier for Assisi against the neighboring power of Perugia. But beginning in 1204 he had a series of visions that directed him to "Save the church". At first he thought the task was physical and began working on a small chapel in the valley. Latter he realized his task was more universal. Embracing poverty he and his small band of followers selected this site to contemplate in peace and serenity.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    11

    Assisi

    September 11, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We did not take many pictures here. We spent most of our free time looking for the church that has the cross from which Christ spoke to Francis. I lived here for a year 35 years ago and I wanted to share this church with Mary. Of course it was not the church that has such salient memories for me but rather the experience of Vesper services held there each evening. It was standing room only with easily 300 people attending every evening. The service consisted of singing and while I never knew the words, the melody was pleasing and I could hum along. I remember feeling waves of loving emotion that brought me to tears with each occurrence. It would subside then build again. It was the only time I felt close to Christianity as a living faith.

    I chose Assisi so that I could participate with a group from Ananda -- followers of Swami Yogananda -- who had an ashram there. I felt then as now that this place has loving energy flowing through it. I also understand that Swami Vivekanada visited Assisi but can't find any quotes that expressed his impressions. Maybe some of my Vedanta friends can contribute them in the comments section.

    Though we never found the church I was able to identify the house I lived in back then. It is on a hill overlooking the back side of the Basilica. It is actually visible in one of the pictures I've attached to this posting though just a speck the distance.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Collepino-now a bedroom community
    1Walking to SpelloRemnants of the Roman aqueductLecture on pruning olive trees1The kids from Lopez

    Collepino->Spello

    September 12, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We started in Collepino -- it seems every hill top has a small village from the Middle Ages. Of course the ones we see have all been restored. Everything is spotless.

    The walk followed the ancient route of the aqueduct that supplied Spello. Along the way we walked through olive groves. These are amazing trees. They grow without irrigation -- even this Summer which was both hot and extremely dry. The trees live for centuries -- the oldest in Umbria is from the 1700's. But they need to be pruned every year if they are to produce enough olives for oil production.Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    Gigantic etruscian gate
    Griffin (left) and lion -- symbols of PerugiaA constant source of temptationAnother footpath using an old aqueduct1Handy to get clean water just as it was done in the 1200's

    Perugia

    September 13, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Perugia is the capital of this region and has been for centuries. We got a very good tour that helped us understand the history associated with the buildings and art. It goes back to the Etruscans (gate photo). Over the centuries the remnants of the Etruscan walls were used as the foundations for villas and palaces.

    The town symbol is the Griffin -- shades of Harry Potter. Check out the window with sweets. Even without indulging I am sure I have gained five pounds here.

    We spent our free time in a museum. I'm getting the hang of it -- this one did a nice job of documenting the development of art from the 12th through the 16th century. While the main story was the development of perspective, we also witnessed the evolution of color, realism, and towards the end emotion and scenes from daily life.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    The shade was welcome on this day
    1Views into the valley below111

    Montefalco

    September 14, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The toughest hike to date. Three hours of up and down -- some great views of the landscape. But the best part of the walk was spontaneous. Our guide walked into a vineyard along the way and introduced us to the farmer and her crew harvesting the grapes. They were all so gracious and joyous. Look at the farmer explaining in words and multiple hand gestures that she is the only women here with so many men. They offered us handfuls of grapes to taste -- yum!

    I can only post six pictures at a time so please see next post for a continuation of this day.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    1

    Montefalco: Part 2

    September 14, 2017, Montefalco ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After the vigorous walk we went to a winery that has been in the same family for many generations. The owner took us into the vineyard to explain the process from start to finish. They produce four wines: a white and three red wines. All of them use a specific grape called Sagrantino ( for some extra information see: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrantino_di_M… ). One of these (Passito) is really a challenge to produce. They harvest the grapes VERY carefully because they have to set them aside on bamboo mats for three months. If the skin of any grape is broken the juice flowing out can result in mold which can infect the entire harvest. The picture shows the current harvest of 3000 kilos. We understand that he will have about 2100 kilos after drying. You can imagine how little juice will be available once you remove the stems and skins.

    The stainless steel fermentation vessels have a water jacket. He uses this to set the temperature of the "must" which allows him to control the rate of fermentation. The next step is to age the wine in oak barrels. The right side of this picture has smaller barrels. The 3000 kilos will only produce enough Passito wine to fill three barrels. Then they have to wait three years before they can bottle and sell the product. It is expensive but he told us he can't really recover the cost of production -- he does it to continue the tradition. In fact, his great grandfather supplied the Vatican until the 1930's.

    This family is pretty amazing. The father moved his family to South America leaving behind the family vineyard. They spoke Italian in the home and were very successful in their adopted country. Still, the mother country called to them and the grandparents brought them back to be schooled in Italy. As they matured into adults they assumed the responsibility of maintaining the family's traditions. Surprisingly, the wife is a Korean who was raised in Australia. She prepared a wonderful Italian meal. When we talked with her she asked if her husband's tour had been good. We told her it was great. She was so cute when she told us to not let him know. "Don't tell him" she said. All told, this was a great experience.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler

    Monteluco

    September 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This is another of the mountain retreats established by St. Francis. Marney would like this one. To say it is peaceful is not enough. Even serene lacks something. It wasn't something you were looking at but rather something that enveloped you -- an experience of inner silence. Our group, normally boisterous, dispersed into small groups and spontaneously spoke in muted tones.

    A special place.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    This was a great group - everyone was relaxed and willing to roll with the punches
    Mary calls this one -- Cows with a viewAnd here is the view

    Bartoli Family -- Part one

    September 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It is difficult to imagine but this was the best day of all. After the Monteluco stroll we went still further into the mountains stopping briefly at a view point for a group photo.

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    1

    Bartoli family -- Truffle hunt

    September 15, 2017, Vaglia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Still further into the mountains we arrived at what was once a village. The map no longer lists this as a village because beggining in the 1930's families gave up their homes and moved away -- likely for economic reasons. The great grandfather of the current owner purchased the homes as they became available. Then again in the 1960's a second wave of migration occurred -- this time the youth was probably not willing to remain. This time the father of the current owner purchased each home that was available. Today they own the entire village. Each home came with some land so they own all the land around them and actively farm cattle, sheep, hay. In addition they offer the individual homes as rentals to tourists. They also happen to be on top of a location where truffles abound. This year being so dry was not a good year but we learned that in a good year they could expect to harvest 4-5 pounds of these pricey gems everyday during the two month season. Although the black truffles are not the most prized they still command $1500 per pound -- that's $7600 on a good day -- do the math...

    They no longer use pigs to search for them. Pigs like to eat them which causes two problems 1) you can't get them back if the pig eats it and 2) they destroy the truffle's substrate. Several years ago a wild boat got not the fenced area and destroyed much of the collection area. So they use dogs instead. It was really something to walk around the property with the owner while he gently worked with his dogs. They were exceptionally well trained! As expected it was difficult to find anything but at one point one of the dogs came down out of the hills with her mouth closed -- no tongue hanging out -- and promptly dropped a black truffle into his out stretched hand. It was really something to experience these two old friends working together    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler

    Bartoli family - lunch

    September 15, 2017, Vaglia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After the truffle hunt we gathered in the family's home for lunch. That's truffle spaghetti. They were serious about the wine informing us that the bottles had to be empty before we would be allowed to leave 🤗.

    The older gentleman spoke at length of the family's traditions. As he finished he brought out home made cheese and walked around to each of individually and carved a thin slice for us to enjoy.

    The whole family's pleasure at our visit was infectious-- we all had a great time! What a great way to finish our visit to Umbria.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler

    Borghese Gallery

    September 16, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Back in Rome now after a bus ride and various goodbyes to our group. We quickly made our way to our hotel and then took the metro out to the Borghesani park and gallery.

    This setting was created in the early 1600's by Sipione Borghese. He was the nephew of the pope and as such was appointed as a cardinal to a leading position on the Vatican. He used this position to amass tremendous wealth which he spent lavishly on art. The gallery is rated "must see" and this is an understatement.

    The sculpture is of such high quality one wonders how anyone could carve these dynamic representations of human figures from a solid block of stone. The pictures do not do them justice -- trust me, they are spectacular.    Read more

  • Clark and Mary Johnson2017 Italy Rome & UmbriaTraveler
    22

    La dolche vita and the $7 cone

    September 17, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    There is one street in Rome that beautiful people strut there stuff. It is called the La dolce Vita walking zone. We read about this in the Rick Steves book and assumed this was just hype. When we mentioned this to our Umbrian host she immediately knew which street -- so apparently this was the real deal. We took a stroll and enjoyed the action. People were painting, building sand sculptures, and playing music.

    But the crazy high point was a gelato shop that was "over the top". As you walk into the store you see the entire back wall is a "chocolate fall" -- as in 780 pounds of molten chocolate flowing down a wall that spanned about 40 feet. This place was Jamming! When you order a cone you can get the crown dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with nuts. Then they fill the bottom of the cone with chocolate. Then you pick three flavors of gelato. This is not on our diet!

    But it WAS an experience!

    And with that, we check out of Rome and return to our home

     Ciao    Read more

    Trip end
    September 17, 2017
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