Of course, Italy and Orvieto epitomize artful living. It is what attracts us to them. We tend to forget life is art as we go about our busy lives. Any vacation can return us to this understanding. But one to Italy, when you go slow enough to enjoy the place rather than trying to see it all, immerses you in life as art. You see it in the way people dress. You enjoy it when you eat on tables with linens – most restaurants use linens. You appreciate it with the care that the coffee is made and presented. You recognize it in the ancient monuments so beautifully built and decorated. It infuses everything.

Stefano at Scarponi's in Orvieto

One little example. When you step up to the bar for a cappuccino at Scarponni’s  in Orvieto, Stefano always spins the cup on the plate so the handle is to the right. He puts the spoon on the plate so the handle faces you on the right of the cup. Always. Then he pours in the frothed milk in front of you. It is this kind of simple gesture happening around you all the time that you begin to absorb.

Living is the original art. Slow travel helps remind of us that!

Kristi and Bill Steiner began leading “learning vacations” to Orvieto, Italy in 2003. Through Adventures in Italy they provide a cultural immersion experience. Many trips include the pursuit of some kind of creative work that complements and reinforces exploration of Italy’s culture. Relationships built over the years enable Kristi and Bill to provide experiences that a typical visitor to Orvieto never gets.

Trips are held in May and September/October every year. Their Discover Orvieto and Girlfriend Getaway trips are available to groups any time of the year.

Learn more about Kristi and Bill’s trips.Stay abreast of Adventures in Italy developments, and follow Bill’s musings about travel and Italy on his blog Make Haste Slowly.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Matthew Daub is a professional artist and university professor with works in major public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. He has been leading plein air painting workshops in Italy since 1994. In 1999, Matthew and his wife Barbara formed Arts Sojourn as “a vacation for artists and their friends.” The program is designed to appeal to artists of all levels as well as non-artists who enjoy the company of creative people in a slow travel format.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Este fort

Trassilico from the fort

This year a native of Trassilico, a pensioner who had been an archivist in the Lucca State Archives, offered to give us a guided tour of his beloved village. Pietro Rocchi welcomed us on the warm summer evening and led us to a spring with a long history and many legends attached to it. Since he spoke only Italian, it was my job to interpret to my guests. I begged him in advance to speak slowly and clearly and to leave time for me to translate, but his enthusiasm kept running away with him. What he was explaining was genuinely interesting, but its intricate detail was akin to examining each individual stitch in a complex tapestry. There weren’t any historians in the group, and I could see several beginning to shiver in the damp shade of the stone structure around the spring.

Spring at Trassilico

We managed to lure Pietro up to the rocca, the Este fort, still warm in the rays of the setting sun, but not without many a stop on the way to show us the exact spots where the tough inhabitants had bravely resisted recurrent sieges, tricked their enemies and won the battles. Now the group became interested and began to ask questions.

The way up to the fort

Pietro waiting for us to catch up

We made it

It was worth it

On the way back down to the main piazza by a different route, Pietro showed us a wall partly constructed of old tombstones. He was the person who had deciphered the inscriptions and signs carved on them and had realised that the cemetery from which they came must have spanned the transitional period from paganism to Christianity. The retired Episcopalian minister in the group explained some puzzling symbols, which Pietro was interested to know about too.

The piazza

Back in the piazza some of us tucked into the festival food while others preferred a small restaurant that, with typical village hospitality, provided a table for our communal supper, even though we weren’t all ordering from its menu.

Hospitable restaurant

I later wrote to the friend of a friend who had recommended Pietro as a guide to thank him. I said how interesting it was, but perhaps a wee bit too long and detailed. He reproved me with this slow travel wisdom: ‘When Pietro is your guide, he is like a river in flood and from that one sees all the love he bears toward his village. Your clients must keep in mind that a tour of Europe cannot be accomplished in a week or there is the danger of Stendhal’s syndrome.’ The alarming symptoms include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and sometimes hallucinations when exposed to a large amount of especially beautiful art or a surfeit of choice among too much beauty. Whew! That was a lucky escape. Much healthier to slow one’s pace, to bathe in the flow of Pietro’s words, to take time to ask questions and engage in a dialogue, and to appreciate the depth of history in a single extremely beautiful village.

A street in Trassilico

Heather Jarman invites you on inspiring culinary tours of life behind the scenes that you won’t find in any guidebook — get to know the food artisans and craftspeople of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Liguria. Come join me and my Italian friends and dip into a lifestyle where lunch is more important than business. Find out more at Sapori e Saperi Adventures and follow Heather’s own adventures on her blog.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Giving thanks is a simple, rewarding act. Slow travel is, in many ways, a simple and rewarding act as well. While planning a Europe vacation, making the arrangements for everything at home while you are away, and the actual travel to your destination are not necessarily simple, people who then stay in one place – part of a slow travel experience – are rewarded for choosing a simpler form of travel. In the spirit of the season then, I thought it would be nice to share some of the thanks giving of people who have invested themselves in traveling in the slow lane. Most of our trips are art based, so our travelers are working in some form of art – thus comments about “work.”

Slow Travel allows you to reflect:
I think Orvieto gave me a new appreciation of my realities. Savoring things more…. And rushing a bit less.

Sharing coffee outside in Orveito

Susan from Florida

Orvieto has given me time for reflection, living in the moment. I will look for “well being” and laugh more often as a result.
John from North Carolina

I left my heart behind – no surprise there – and I took away a greater, deeper appreciation of the true value of a slower-paced life.
Maureen from Massachusetts

I will take home from this trip to slow down, to create a more cozy garden space at home and to save money for another trip!!
Angela from North Carolina

And grow:
Bloom Indeed! It’s a trip that needs to be experienced firsthand – up close and personal – to be truly appreciated! So happy I did.
Theresa from Florida

Slow travel brings a sense of peace as you sense more, worry less, embrace life. Witness these comments first from Cathy who lives in rural Ohio and then Ann from Olympia, Washington:
I hope the feeling of such peacefulness remains for a longggggggggggggg time – slow city – slow food . . . .Not a day goes by that I don’t think of our fairy tale adventure. Miss all of you and Italy.

I will never forget Giovanna putting her hands on my cheeks and forehead when Marty and I first arrived at the convent and saying “calma”, “calma”. That set the stage for the rest of my days there.

Slow travel allows for reflection

Traveling where you get to know the locals and learn from them can transform your outlook and you.
You have given me a life changing experience. I am now someone who makes her dreams come true. I am experiencing life rather than plowing through it just to get by. I am going to live a healthier, creative, adventuresome and more passionate life. And for that I am eternally grateful.
Beth from Minnesota

It looks like Ruth and I have found a place to rent for an art studio. We’re really excited about it. We’ve been wanting to do this for a long, long, time. See the impact Orvieto has had on us?
Judy from California

I sit here with tears in my eyes recognizing that this wondrous moment has passed and I am sad that I will not come down to start this day with a heart felt buon giorno and lovely coffee at the Blue Bar. I am sad, yet so filled with the wonder that is each and every one of you. Such a gift this week has been; the setting, the amazing heartfelt depth of everyone and everything we’ve experienced. I cannot find the words to really do it all justice. I return full of life (full…..literally too!) and an eagerness to embrace it. Thank you.
Lynn from Chicago

I definitely have to say the Italy trip was a real turning point in my life. It’s terrific. I’m journaling frequently now and work is now just one part of my life again in healthy balance.
Paula from South Carolina

My soul healed and I was given wings.
Jeanne from Wisconsin

Not only am I hearing Italian in my ears, but hoping to learn it.  And starting to do a little Italian cooking. I loved the food.
Sandy from California

Almost two years  later I still dream of Orvieto and Italy.
DD from Montana

And this from Lisa from Australia who added

The simplicity of sharing meals

fun to the transformation:
Well, what can I say, except that this was some of the best fun I have ever had….after cooking all this scrumptious food, we sat down in the restaurant where the staff served it to us…..along with some fabulous wine, we had a ball! I am so inspired to try some of the recipes we were given when I come home.

Traveling this way instills a sense of camaraderie. Witness:
I came back from Italy Saturday night with my heart full of wonderful memories….It was such a great experience to be in Orvieto with all those lovely people. They let you feel at home immediately! We shared a lot, laughed a lot and worked hard together. In one word this trip was STUNNING.
Baukje from France

I loved every minute of it. We got the experience of a lifetime. I sit here wistfully lingering over each photo identifying each place and person with an “Oh, I was there! Oh! WE did that! Oh! I KNOW that Orvietani! Such great memories. I miss you all and look forward to when we meet again.
Angela from Ireland

And in the spirit of the season, thanks to each and everyone of the wonderful people who have traveled with us! Kristi and Bill

Kristi and Bill Steiner began leading “learning vacations” to Orvieto, Italy in 2003. Through Adventures in Italy they provide a cultural immersion experience. Many trips include the pursuit of some kind of creative work that complements and reinforces exploration of Italy’s culture. Relationships built over the years enable Kristi and Bill to provide experiences that a typical visitor to Orvieto never gets.

Trips are held in May and September/October every year. Their Discover Orvieto and Girlfriend Getaway trips are available to groups any time of the year.

Learn more about Kristi and Bill’s trips.Stay abreast of Adventures in Italy developments, and follow Bill’s musings about travel and Italy on his blog Make Haste Slowly.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Although most of our European Experiences weeks are open to anyone, we do offer some trips for a very special group: women travelers. We’ve already designated our May 19-26, 2012 Luberon Experience trip as a special Women’s Week. We’re also considering opening up a second Women’s Week in the Chianti region of Tuscany the week of June 9-16.

Laughing in the Luberon (photo contest winner by Lindsay)

Women’s Week is very important to me personally… it’s the trip I’d always dreamed of! I met Charley when I was 35 and we got married the next year. Before then I’d always wanted to go to Europe, but I didn’t have anyone to go with.  After Charley and I got married and started traveling together, I met many women who wanted to travel abroad but didn’t want to go alone or end up on a tour surrounded by couples. My European travel experiences had such an impact on me, and I really wanted to help more women travel and especially to experience our beautiful area of Provence. So when we started European Experiences, Charley and I decided to designate at least one of our weeks each year as a “Women’s Week.” He and I both really look forward to these groups.

Lisa traveled solo from Australia

Since our first Luberon Experience Women’s Week in 2007, our all-women groups have included women of all ages, from all over the USA, Australia and Canada. Our women’s groups have included solo travelers, college roommates, friends, mothers and daughters, and sisters. These groups bond very quickly, and in just a few hours, everyone is among friends. I love being part of these groups.

I asked several women who have been part of our Womens Weeks groups to share more about their experiences:

“We had organized a group of girlfriends. My friend Lavonne suggested we do a girls’ trip to Provence and I found Kathy and Charley’s week to be a perfect fit. We all loved visiting gardens, shopping in charming markets, dining on great food and fabulous wines, laughing, and exploring lovely Provence with our experienced guides who took us to the best of the best. It was worry free–no decisions, just have fun. I especially spending the week with my sister who had never travelled abroad.” (Lindsay – California)

Sharing the Luberon with new friends

“I’m not a big traveler and this was my first trip to Europe. My husband doesn’t travel at all but my sister Eileen is an experienced traveler. The Luberon Experience Women’s Week was exactly what we needed for my first trip abroad. I did not have to decide where to eat, what to see, and most of all how to get around in a foreign country.

Our group included another pair of sisters, a mother and daughter, two childhood friends, and one single traveler. We mixed and mingled all week, and many of us still keep in touch. I think Women’s Week is a fabulous idea for a female single traveler.  I’ll do another trip with Kathy and Charley. I would not hesitate to go alone because I know once I am introduced to the group, I’ll have companions for the week and friends for a lifetime.” (Lorraine – South Carolina)

“As I was travelling on my own, I thought it more likely that within an all women’s group I would be included by others in activities in the non-structured tour times. I was right. I loved the flexibility. If in the free time I wanted to read a book or have a sleep, I could. Or if I wanted to go for a walk, go shopping or go to a café or restaurant, there always seemed to be someone else to share this experience with. Everyone got along together very well. It was great getting to know everyone and sharing our life stories. I felt there developed over the week a very strong sense of companionship within this lovely group of women with such different lives. We enjoyed a lot of laughter and good times – who could forget our wonderful lunch with our host playing the guitar and singing whilst some of the group danced!” (Lisa – Queensland, Australia)

Anne enjoyed the trip with her mom

Sisters Cathy and Ginny had an adventure

“My mother and I chose the Women’s Week tour because it seemed so very appropriate for us as a mother/daughter duo. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other women and each other. I really enjoyed the feeling of camaraderie in our group. There was a feeling of easy companionship, a feeling of acceptance, and at times a shared joy in the experience. One special memory is the ‘on your own’ evening meal my mom and I shared with two of the women we met in our group. We ate at the restaurant across the street from our B&B. We laughed and celebrated, sharing amazing conversation, food and wine.” (Anne – Minnesota)

“My sister Ginny and I wanted a small group tour in Provence and The Luberon Experience had everything we wanted. We also wanted to be in Paris on my 50th birthday and in Provence the next week. It happened to work out for us that it was Women’s Week.  I think we would have come regardless of that, but it really was a lot of fun. The women in the group seemed to be interested in the same types of things for the most part. We were very cohesive.” (Cathy – Iowa)

This was definitely a memorable Women's Week!

Valerie joined us for Women’s Week in 2009 and enjoyed it so much that she and her friend Julie came back this summer for one of our other Luberon Experience groups. “The women’s trip was a chance for all of us women to eat as much as we like, drink as much as we like, shop till we drop, and even have a beer and play cards, all while enjoying the most lovely place on earth. The trips themselves were the two best I ever had…well-orchestrated, friendly, fun-filled and full of warmth and charm.” (Valerie – Montana)

An all-women's group with Adventures in Italy

Fellow Slow Travel tour leader Kristi Steiner and her husband Bill of Adventures in Italy also often host all-women’s group and she beautifully describes what we’ve experienced in our Women’s Week. “Because most of our trips focus on exploring a creative art form while in Italy, our guests are often women. We see their level of sharing, of connecting, and of relaxing comfortably in this foreign land heightened by being with other women. Total strangers almost instantly become friends and often stay in close touch upon returning home.  We love our all-women’s groups because of the beautiful transformations we witness during their week with us.  We see the stress, the responsibilities, the worries of the world peel off weary shoulders day by enchanted day.  At the end of their trip, most women are glowing with a new found vibrancy and zest for life.”

Our 2010 Women's Week group in Provence

Whether you’re a woman traveling on your own or with a friend, sister, mother or daughter, an all-women’s tour could be just the trip you’ve always dreamed of! Or think about the special women in your life; this might also be the ideal type of trip for them.
 

Kathy Wood and her husband Charley lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France. In 2012 they’ll host groups in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the Salzkammergut region of Austria.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

The majority of the town is medieval, although there is evidence of Gubbio’s history dating back to the Bronze Age. Just outside the city walls there is a substantial 1^st century BC Roman amphitheater. A Roman mausoleum is located just a stone’s throw from the amphitheater. It is listed on Gubbio’s tourist maps as belonging to the Roman consul Pomponius Graecinus, although there is nothing more than coincidental evidence to substantiate that claim.

The Italian way of preserving and honoring history is clear and evident throughout Gubbio. On our first visit to the town my wife and I passed a public works sewer project along the via dei Consoli. Ancient foundation walls had been uncovered below the the road surface. A young woman, who turned out to be the project archeologist, was standing nearby. “Romano?” I asked, in reference to the unearthed stones. “No, medioevale” she replied. Workers were in the process of carefully cleaning, documenting, and photographing each pile before they could be buried once again and capped with rounded paving stones restored to their original pattern. The work appeared to be progressing slowly. This is the sort of procedure that must be followed when any antiquity is discovered in any project in Italy, whether public or private. Work must stop; archeologists must study; plans must be drawn; every detail noted. History must be preserved and protected; even the history of medieval stones that will not be seen again until future sewer repairs are necessary. Is this the fastest and most efficient way to expedite construction? Of course not! It is the Italian way.

Also along via dei Consoli are some of the best examples of one of medieval Gubbio’s most puzzling mysteries, the Porte della Morte, the “doors of death.” One could easily pass right by them if not alerted to their presence. The “doors of death” are narrow bricked-in openings usually very near and slightly above a home’s main entrance. They are rare architectural features, found only in a few places in Umbria, Tuscany and the south of France. Their name comes from the most popular, although unlikely explanation of the doors’ purpose. Legend has it that they were used only for carrying out the coffins of dead residents and then sealed again – a very romantic notion, but their primary purpose was probably much more pragmatic. In case of an attack the larger main entrance could be barricaded and the narrow opening, usually leading to a very tight staircase, would be much easier to defend. As is usually the case, superstition provides the more appealing narrative.

Just off of via dei Consoli is the medieval police station, the Bargello, and next to it the Fontana dei Matti – “The Fountain of the Mad.” The legend claims that if you walk around the fountain three times you will lose your mind. Presumably every teenager in Gubbio has tried this at least once and it is also a temptation too great for many visitors to resist. I was not tempted in the slightest, seeing no reason at all to push my sometimes shaky luck.

Towering above the town, near the summit of Monte Ingino, is the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo; a monument honoring Gubbio’s patron saint. There are two ways of getting to the Basilica; either via a steep and winding footpath which leads up the mountainside from behind the duomo, or by a precarious ski lift-like contraption that is very reminiscent of either a string of dangling human bird cages or some form of medieval torture device. Gubbio is renowned for one great annual event, the Corsa dei Ceri; a foot race up the mountainside to the basillica that has been conducted each May for nearly a millennium. The Corsa dei Ceri is no ordinary foot race. It is a combination civic celebration and religious procession with a dose of carnal fertility rite thrown in for good measure. It is second only to the famous Palio di Siena in the pantheon of popular Tuscan and Umbrian festivals. The Ceri are three large priapic, wooden columns topped with effigies of Saints Ubaldo, Antonio and Giorgio. The carved Ceri are four meters high and very heavy. During a procession through the town the Ceri are raised to their erect position accompanied by a chorus of excited cheers from the crowd. There is an entire day of various celebratory stops and feasting, and then the race begins. Three teams of ten men, which can be replaced every ten minutes, race up the mountain path to the Basilica carrying the Ceri. Of course, the Cero of Saint Ubaldo always wins.

One of Saint Francis’ most dazzling animal escapades is supposed to have taken place in Gubbio. As the story goes, an enormous marauding wolf was terrorizing the inhabitants of Gubbio; devouring livestock and townsfolk alike. Attempts to kill the animal usually ended up with the brave hunters becoming the piatta del giorno for the fierce carnivore. The situation became so bad that few people dared to venture out beyond the city walls. Francis, who was living in Gubbio at the time, was well-aware of the town’s plight and decided to intercede. In spite of many exhortations to stay within the walls, Francis headed out into the surrounding wilderness in search of the animal accompanied by a small group of comrades. All but one of his supporters eventually turned back in fear. When Francis finally found the wolf, or perhaps vice versa, the animal was poised to attack with jaws opened and fangs bared. Francis made the sign of the cross and admonished it: “Come to me, Brother Wolf. I order you in the name of Christ not to hurt anyone!” The animal immediately closed its jaws and laid down at Francis’ feet. Francis then formed a non-aggression pact with the wolf who placed his paw into Francis’ hand as a sign of agreement and followed the saint back into town. The townsfolk were astonished by this exhibition of the power of God and vowed to feed and care for the wolf for the rest of his days. The animal subsequently lived among them in peace. Not even the dogs of Gubbio barked at him. The town was grief stricken when the wolf finally died of old age two years later.

Mysterious Gubbio – so much to discover, but where does myth leave off and history begin? I heard a rumour that the bones of an extremely large wolf were found beneath one of the town’s smaller churches. I only hope it is true!

Matthew Daub is a professional artist and university professor with works in major public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. He has been leading plein air painting workshops in Italy since 1994. In 1999, Matthew and his wife Barbara formed Arts Sojourn as “a vacation for artists and their friends.” The program is designed to appeal to artists of all levels as well as non-artists who enjoy the company of creative people in a slow travel format.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

We stay at a convent Bed and Breakfast on our trips to Orvieto. It is nice because we have a garden, library, lounges, and scenic overlooks in which to spread out. We have begun asking the nuns to cook us our first lunch and for it to be a soup. It is homemade, and for those who are just recovering from jet lag, it provides a light, delicious meal – the perfect thing for a tired body recovering from the assault that is airline food.

Lunch is served simply, but we are always given the unexpected prepared with immense care and presented beautifully. A caprese salad of cherry tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella. A simple dessert of cheese and honey. A sampling of aperitifs made by the nuns themselves and served with their own biscotti. A side of grilled vegetable. Homemade tiramisu.

Cherry tomato caprese

We receive this kind of generosity throughout town, unexpectedly. The offer of a guided visit to the 400 museum quality medieval costumes worn in Orvieto’s most important community event – the Corteo Storico. A behind the scenes tour of the iconic Michelangeli workshop. An invitation to see one of the hundreds of Etruscan and medieval caves under the city in which a sculptor has spent 20 years carving the walls. The opening of a garden hidden behind the walls of the city streets. An invitation to see a local paper shop make marbled paper.

Carvings in a cave under Orvieto

When you stay in one place and see familiar faces, when the locals recognize you and see you aren’t just passing through, they open themselves to you. For travelers wanting more than just the surface glimpse of a culture, it is an enormous gift. The generosity and grace with which it is given does humble, reaffirming our relationship with others as co-inhabitants of what is, in fact,  a very small planet.

Kristi and Bill Steiner began leading “learning vacations” to Orvieto, Italy in 2003. Through Adventures in Italy they provide a cultural immersion experience. Many trips include the pursuit of some kind of creative work that complements and reinforces exploration of Italy’s culture. Relationships built over the years enable Kristi and Bill to provide experiences that a typical visitor to Orvieto never gets.

Trips are held in May and September/October every year. Their Discover Orvieto and Girlfriend Getaway trips are available to groups any time of the year.

Learn more about Kristi and Bill’s trips.Stay abreast of Adventures in Italy developments, and follow Bill’s musings about travel and Italy on his blog Make Haste Slowly.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Francesca converted an old hay barn into two self-catering apartments and a double room, incorporating at the same time a magic spell. Although the accommodation is rustic, everyone who stays is entranced. The upper apartment has witnessed several proposals of marriage with the couples returning for their honeymoons. Some of my clients who I brought only for a brief honey tasting under the cherry tree have declared they never want to leave, regretting their choice of a hotel in Lucca.

Is it the stupendous view of Barga from the swimming pool?

Is it the rare breed chickens in their feather hats?

Is it Dido sneaking into the kitchen looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth?

Maybe it’s Francesca preparing to catch a swarm of bees?

It could be the pizza party Francesca throws once a week for her guests and invites her friends and relations (many of whom speak English) making the guests feel as if they too have friends in Italy.

Sometimes my clients make the pizza dough and sometimes Francesca buys the dough from the baker. One time we stopped for lunch on the way to Al Benefizio with the dough in a refrigerator bag. It was so hot that day that the dough rose too fast and burst out of the bag threatening to engulf the car, and I had to grapple it back into the bag and make it behave.

We help light the oven around 5 pm so it has time to heat up by the time the first focaccia is put in to test the temperature at around 7.30.

From then on it’s fantasy time. There are loads of toppings

and you can create your own, or you can drink and chat and eat whatever comes from the oven.

If you stay till the end there’s a surprise dessert: chocolate pizza!

Heather Jarman invites you on inspiring culinary tours of life behind the scenes that you won’t find in any guidebook — get to know the food artisans and craftspeople of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont and Liguria. Come join me and my Italian friends and dip into a lifestyle where lunch is more important than business. Find out more at Sapori e Saperi Adventures and follow Heather’s own adventures on her blog.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

This area of central Italy is so rich with sights of interest that we could spend at least a month going no farther than a half hour to an hour and a half away, each day, and still have more to choose from.  From Viterbo, south, to Deruta, north-east,  the number of exciting places to visit and explore is endless.  Each spot has something special to offer.  Viterbo has a rich history connected to the Etruscans and the Roman Papacy and is located in the Lazio region, while Deruta , in Umbria, has a very obscure, undocumented history other than being very connected to Peruggia.  It is so well known for it’s lovely hand-painted pottery that no one seems to notice anything else about it.  Nearly every shop in the town of Deruta is a family run ceramics store. Then there is Acquapendente, dating back to the ninth century, and on the way north through Tuscany towards Siena.  One experience after another, each town telling its own story of Etruscan, Faliscan, Roman or other cultural history.  Cultures leaving their mark for us to find and appreciate; wonder and imagine about.

Another fulfilling aspect of having the luxury of “living” in the countryside for a period of time is that of coming home after a day trip, relaxing on the veranda with a glass of wine, then gathering those in the group who enjoy cooking, to prepare the evening meal.  Usually this takes place on days when the group has visited an outdoor farmers market in the course of their wandering.  Using the freshest seasonal produce the cooks spend an hour or so preparing food the way the locals do. 

Pasta can be cooked in so many ways.  We like to to find a local pasta shop and see what the specials for the day are, then plan the meal around that.  Of course, some days we prefer a meat, fowl or fish dish so we find either the local butcher or fish shop.  Springtime is great for a pasta and asparagus recipe:

Choose a pasta like fettuccine or tagliatelle; use only the top third of the asparagus stalk and par boil it for 1-2 minutes, depending on size; toss pasta, asparagus and grated romano or peccorino (or both, if you like) cheese together, then generously drizzle fresh, local olive oil and season to taste.  Top with fresh anchovies, lightly marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you have a complete, authentic Italian meal from this region.

Another favorite of ours for an appetizer is also just a dish for spring.  Zucchini flowers, stuffed with an anchovy and a bit of local peccorino cheese, lightly battered in beer and flour, then quickly set in a pan of hot of safflower oil for half a minute.  With a glass of white wine and a sunset you will think you are in heaven!

So, just a few musings about things we like to do, see and eat when we visit Italy.

Ciao, tutti!

Cheryl has been traveling to Europe, particularly Italy, for more than fourteen years. Her interest in Italy, its history, art and rich culture led her to purchase property near Orvieto, allowing her to spend more time there. Cheryl’s exploration of Italy include the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, as well as the areas around Venice and south towards Sorrento. She continues to travel into Italy’s less traveled regions, and enjoys sharing her discoveries with others. Relaxed, leisurely tours are her specialty with an emphasis on the comfort of her guests.

Cheryl spends the rest of her time near the beach in San Diego, cavorting with her two small grandchildren. She’s an avid reader, health advocate and community volunteer. Her career as a social worker brings an understanding of people’s needs to the tour business.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

One of the questions that I see asked frequently on the internet travel forums comes from people who want to know if it is necessary or advisable to purchase their tickets in advance from the US. I would say that the answer is generally no. Unless you are traveling on a very popular route on a fast train with reserved seating at a high demand time, there is usually no reason to purchase in advance, unless you want to try and grab one of the limited discount “Mini” fares available only by advance purchase. Advance discounted sales are not available on regional trains, which are very inexpensive to begin with. Normally, you will just purchase your tickets at the station prior to boarding, or a few days in advance if you happen to be near the station.
If you are looking to purchase for a longer trip in advance you can do so on the FS Trenitalia website. www.trenitalia.com The site is available in English, but it is not particularly user friendly and I have found that US credit cards are frequently rejected by this Italian company even after you have successfully completed all of the previous steps. I recently obtained two advance purchase Mini fare tickets through another company, Italiarail www.italiarail.com. The transaction could not have been easier and there was only a $5 US transaction fee above the cost of the tickets, but let’s get back to the station.
Be sure to arrive at the station early and allow plenty of time to make your purchase if you are buying before boarding. The ticket windows may have long lines. Part of the anxiety attached to train travel in Italy is how to navigate an unfamiliar system when you don’t speak the language. Don’t worry about the language issue. You can try buying tickets in Italian if you’ve been practicing, but there’s no need. I’m quite sure that the person in the booth will understand “two round trip tickets to Florence please,” just as well as “due biglietti andata e ritorno a Firenze per piacere.” Good pronunciation of the name of your destination is far more important than understanding the language. As an easy alternative to the ticket window you can also use the automatic kiosks that most stations now have. You can usually select an English transaction, so don’t be afraid to try the machines, but be sure to bring some smaller bills with you as these machines usually limit the amount of change they will give and some do not take credit cards.
Before you board be certain to stamp your ticket in one of the little yellow or orange boxes that you see hanging on the wall in the station and on the platform. Just insert the ticket and push it firmly into the slot. Some machines are balkier than others. Try again if you do not hear it stamp. Find another box if it does not work after several tries, they don’t always work! You MUST validate your ticket before you board by stamping it, as your ticket is not valid for travel without this stamp! Forgetting to do so will result in a fine if the conductor on board discovers you riding on an unstamped ticket. Keep your validated ticket in a safe place to show the conductor if he asks you. Do not validate your return ticket until just before boarding on your return trip. Regional travel tickets are good for six hours after they are stamped, so this means you can make intermediate stops on that line using the same ticket.
When you are waiting for your train to arrive, pay attention. Keep track of the TV screens that are now in most stations. They announce arriving trains and what track (binario) they will be on. Rarely, you may find a change of arrival tracks and trains are sometimes late (in ritardo), so do not just hop on the next train, or you may end up visiting an unexpected destination. We always try to listen to the announcements over the loudspeaker, but we have often found it to be next to impossible to understand what is being said as the loudspeakers usually have the sound quality of someone with a pillowcase over their head talking into a paper bag.
One of the most useful tips that I share with clients in our orientation is how to confirm that this is the correct train before you board. It’s actually a no-brainer even if you don‘t speak any Italian. Find someone on the platform who does not look like a tourist. Simply say the name of your desired destination with the intonation of a question and watch for the person’s head to bob or nod either “yes,” or “no,” or shrug an “I don’t know?” If the person does not know, simply ask someone else. Once again, there is no need to speak or understand Italian, but proper pronunciation of the name of your destination town is helpful.
If you follow these simple instructions, you should now be able to find your correct train, purchase and validate your ticket, and get on board without having a meltdown, but here’s one more word of advice: never panic, no matter what the situation is. Italy is a civilized country, generally safer than the US, and most Italians actually like Americans and are happy to help you. You will always return home somehow.
My next post will offer some practical advice about your actual train ride and how to know when to get off at the correct stop. Buon Viaggio!

Matthew Daub is a professional artist and university professor with works in major public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. He has been leading plein air painting workshops in Italy since 1994. In 1999, Matthew and his wife Barbara formed Arts Sojourn as “a vacation for artists and their friends.” The program is designed to appeal to artists of all levels as well as non-artists who enjoy the company of creative people in a slow travel format.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.