Creative Life Goes to Italy... and Stays
- Janet STRAYER
- Dec 17, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 2
Many a trip continues long after the movement in time and space have ceased . (John Steinbeck)
Creative life goes to Italy and stays for a spell because that's where we're fortunate to be living for two months. The art, the food, the life... are buonissimo! There is so much creative life to discover and enjoy in voluntary travels and experiences of living in a foreign place for a time.
Getting to experience the lifestyle and pace of a new region differs a lot from tourist travel. You shop at local markets and stores, get to know some neighbours, learn about rivalries, recipes, social conventions, stories, art, local traditions and culture. And Italy, known for both Renaissance culture and pizza, is rich in ways to live creatively.
We're living in an old stone house in the rural village of Morruzze in the municipality of Baschi in Umbria. We've stayed in this house several times before and love exploring this central region and taking off to other parts of Italy.
This post describes various excursions made over the year. Even more, it offers a goldmine of links links to others posts on Italy that are worth sharing -- published on Blogger (click) or use url: https://janetstrayer.blogspot.com/
Let's get on our way!
Creative LIfe in Italy: Umbria
Morruzze
Here's a view of our hilltop village from the road leading to it. You can see the turrets of the old castle in the Piazza Paparini.
The secret of Morruzze is that it's a tiny rural village (about 49 residents) in which nothing happens! It sits in the very green mountains of Umbria amidst a rocky terrain of olive and chestnut groves, sheep meadows, and roaming wild boar. Walking the uneven rocky road uphill from our house, we come to a vista of towns below (Acqualoreto) and beyond (Todi). This photo, taken on a misty day shows nearby settlements rising from lake-like clouds.
Nearby Points of Interest in Umbria
Among nearby spots, Todi is perhaps the largest and best known hilltop town and cultural centre. The two best-known cities of the region, Perugia and Orvieto, both containing art and architectural wonders. Perugia, a city that celebrates its medieval heritage with pageants and heraldry, is also famous for its chocolates as well as Perugino, its local Renaissance boy, the painter of sweetly graceful poses (and Raphael's teacher).
Not far from our village, the town of Sansepolcro boasts its heritage as home to Piero della Francesca, one of my favourite Renaissance masters of composition .
Orvieto Cathedral and its Terrific Frescoes by Signorelli
Of all the cathedrals I've seen, the one in Orvieto stands distinctly apart. My photos were taken on a cloudy day, but the gilded mosaics on its facade glisten in bits of sunlight. Its intricate stone decorations (rose window) and carvings are unique. Begun in the late 1200s and into 14thC Gothic style, its distinctive horizontal stripes of light and dark stone (travertine and basalt) can be seen from far off.
Inside Orvieto's Cathedral, the 15th C. frescoes by Luca Signorelli (Michelangelo's painting teacher) are a total delight --even as they depict a terrifying hell along with heaven. Signorelli was an early Renaissance master of human form and perspective . And he was endowed with a sense of humour. Some wonderful trompe l'oeil effects surprise you as you stand in the chapel and look at figures escaping their architectural confines in painted touches that mimic the chapel's actual columns (see photo).
Freud Was Here
An interesting footnote about the town of Orvieto is that Freud liked spending his vacation time here.He, too, was fascinated by the same frescoes as well as the many Etruscan finds in the area. He also enjoyed the fine food and wine of the region, as stated in a plaque commemorating Freud's stay at a local hotel (see photo).
The Way of the Silent Villages
Talking with with village residents , I've learned that the pandemic hit this region especially hard. Visiting this rural region soon after travel restrictions were lifted, the sad signs of the many lock-downs and site closures are visible. Several local restaurants where we'd loved to eat are gone, as well as some small stores. Yet, much is also reviving. And you needn't worry about not finding great food! The pasta and pizza here are special to the region, as are excellent lamb dishes, wild boar sausages, and chestnuts incorporated into sauces and soups. It's here that I discovered a fondness for persimmons.
We've spent a good deal of time in this same village over the years, and nothing much has changed overall. For example, the rocky roads are as bad as ever, and there's still no cell phone reception away from the main piazza. But one major change has happened. Morruzze is now on the map! It is one of the villages along the fairly new trekking route named Il Cammino dei Borghi Silenti (The Way of the Silent Villages). Not nearly so famous as the Camino Santiago pilgrimage across the Pyrenees, this new trek still presents a substantial commitment. The routes (seebelow) cover 86 km. of footpaths across mountain terrain and ancient villages. Il Cammino has become a challenge and inspiration to many. During the summer, the population here notably increases.
Travel to Different Spots in Italy
Like so many travellers, I've loved visiting Italy repeatedly, experiencing the contrasts of its different regions. Links to other interesting events and hikes in Umbria (the Pascuarela and Getting Lost and Found While Hiking) are posted below. This list also provides a Creative Life travelogue of illustrated columns on Italy from this itinerant artist. Click here for access to all or click below for specific items of interest. All were written before the pandemic imposed travel restrictions and reflect stays of more than a month in a local residence. All contain photos and my idiosyncratic focus and commentary.
Travel and Experience in Central Italy: Focus on Umbria
Go Fly a Kite! In Italy -- a fun local event that had us making and flying kites
Life with Animals in Italy -- the winged and four-legged neighbours
Artist En-Route: Italy -- third in series about -packing, art supplies, sights and insights for creative living and travel in Europe
Travel and Experience in Southern Italy: Focus on Puglia and Nearby
Taranto and the Dance of the Spider -- a fascinating column on a malady that became a Dionysian dance, the Tarantella, plus an excellent archaeological museum
Ever Want to Hug a House? You Will in Puglia -- about the unusual trulli
The Oldest Inhabited Cave-City in Europe: Matera -- and this traveller's worst nightmare reality
Travel and Experience in Southern Italy: Focus on Sicily
Sicily -- the treasures and lessons of this dramatic island visited and stayed in over the years
Upcoming posts on Naples and Sorrento in Campania ), Lecce and surrounds in Puglia, and Calabria.
Travel and Experience in Northern Italy & Adriatic Coast: Focus on Le Marche, Milan, Fermo, Padua, Mantua, Venice
Sibillini Mountains and Sibyls in Le Marche -- where ranchers herd cattle
Urbino: A Perfect Renaissance City and the Invention of "Cool"-- including a Renaissance food fest
Ascoli Piceno and Jesi: Two Cities in Le Marche -- stuffed olives, a martyr for truth, and the art of Crivelli
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