The Romans Built It

Over the years, the modern day Italians have done a lot of work on the aqueduct, including the current project to check for damage due to the recent earthquake.  But for the Romans it brought water from the mountains into the city which is now Spoleto  It boggles the mind that structures last for over 2,000 years, if constructed correctly.

BTW, the roman road that ran through this city is now called SS3, but it's the same route.  I guess they had good surveyors back then as well.  As for the pyramids...............

Cemeteries are Different Here

I was driving down a back road, and stumbled on something very different -  a cemetery which looks like a miniature town.  Arranged in streets and cross streets which were about 100 meters long, were a series of small buildings of the same size but unique designs.  The buildings were of very high quality.  Looking through the doors, I could see that is was like a mausoleum with bodies behind polished granite walls with the names and dates carved.

I later found out that the cemetery sells the land, and the owners put up the buildings (with strict guidelines), and then the bodies are buried.  The cost is from 30,000 - 40,000 Euros.  Some of the dates I saw were back in the 1800's, and there may have been some much older.  It really was quite beautiful.

One of the surprising things was that some of the doors were open a crack so fresh air could get in, and I knew the residents didn't need that.  Many had freshly cut flowers and/or burning candles.  I was told by a local, that they were approaching a holiday where a family tends to return to their home town, and visiting the dead is a part of that tradition.  There was a florist on site, but probably to service owners for this holiday.  You always learn something when you travel.

ps:  Since this post, I have seen many others, and usually on a much less costly scale.

Ciao

Why it pays to get up before dawn

Breakfast is great at 4:30 am, when you have all the makings from your local marketplace, and that includes freshly cut ham, farm fresh eggs, fresh fruit and coffee made in one of those screw-together hexagonal pots that make perfect coffee every time.  The real reason it is so good is arriving at the places you want to photograph before anyone but the street sweepers are there.  The sun was just coming up, but had not broken over the mountains yet.

These shots are from the very top of the hill town of Spoleto, where the fortress and the Duomo look over the entire valley.  The second image taken from the Duomo steps, and shows one of the many flights of stairs one must navigate to live in a hilltown in Umbria.  As I was leaving, the first of the tour busses discharged their passengers, so they could begin the arduous climb to the Duomo.  In an hour or two the area will be packed with people.

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A bit more about yesterday

I had a most wonderful time with our host, Ettore, at the farm; and was thoroughly impressed with his intelligence, creativity and his wonderfully warm personality.  He prepared lunch from the produce of his farm, and served in the ancient kitchen complete with open fireplace.  We also enjoyed some of the wine he produces.  

We discussed everything from the history of Italy in Roman times,  the Etruscans and their early “ownership” of Umbria, and Umbria’s birth as an independent entity.  He went into great detail about the loss of all the olive trees in Umbria when a freeze occurred after an unusually early spring.  All the trees were in full flower and then froze solid.  The trees had to be cut down to the ground.  They did restore themselves over time from the roots, but one can imagine the economic devastation from this event.  One tree survived in Trevi, and it is believed to be over 1,500 years old, it was near the church, so it is considered a miracle.

Of particular interest to me was his explanations of the farming business following the withdrawal of farm subsidies in Italy.  He grew three crops: Olives, wheat and tobacco, and that has helped him withstand a downturn in one of the three dissimilar markets.  Without subsidies; however, he needed a better business plan.  He began growing vegetables and fruit, with a heavy emphasis on organic since the margins are slightly better.  A cooperative helped reduce administrative expenses.

Here is Ettore's picture entering the rooms to be used for conferences and large dinners.

Presently, he is one of a small number of farmers in his co-op investigating the growing of hemp.  It turns out one of the byproducts of the hemp core is a building material which has structure as well as some wonderful moisture toleration and insulation properties.  It may be a perfect material to use in the earthquake-prone mountains of Italy.  He explained that there are several marketable by-products of hemp harvesting, but this one struck my fancy.

He already has the several rental units for tourists like me, and is creating more in addition to a small conference center on the main farm.  We spent four and one-half hours together, and I’m sure I will look at this as one of the highlights of the trip.  All this and he can cook too!.

Here is an interesting side note.  All the windows of the facility have bars except the home.  It seems that olive oil is so valuable, that safeguarding the inventory is more important than safeguarding the family.  This picture is from the factory side, and shows the shutters on the inside which were part of the system to maintain the proper temperature in the rooms processing the oil.

The factory had central heating, but the home did not.

More from Today in Spoleto

I do have a car here, and sleep was impossible past 4:30 due to jet lag, so I took off at sunrise and reconnoitered the area.prior to a two-hour briefing scheduled for 11:00.  That led me to Trevi, the town shown in the earlier blog.  Driving the snake trail up the mountain to the town one passes through miles of olive groves, the biggest crop on the east side of the valley.  Since Roman times, the east side of the valley grew olives and the west side grew grapes.  Oil and wine being the two main products of  Umbria.

Here are a few shots of the men picking olives, the harvest has just begun.  After spreading the nets under the tree, two of them will climb the ladders and "comb" the olives off the branches.  They sometimes use a battery operated vibrating device but it damages the tree more than this tried and true method.

This next shot is of the same town, as the earlier post, but in the morning.  Parking can be a problem in these cities, where many of the streets allow a car to pass with about two layers of paint to spare.

Later in the day, I had a great treat, when I visited a farm owned by the man who owns the apartment I'm living in.  The farm dates to the 1,5 oo's and his family has owned it back to his great-great grandfather.  He walked me through the veritable museum of equipment used to make olive oil over the history of the farm, and gave me enough information to go into the business.

Finally, a few shots of the apartment I'm staying in.  I can't believe how modern and beautiful it is, given it is a rehab of an old farm building.

Untours, that helped me set up this trip furnished the basket of food (enough for three days) on the kitchen table to greet me when I arrived, and the kitchen is completely furnished with the dishes, and cooking utensils.  I can't say enough about UnTours (based in Philadelphia).  If you like to drive, as I do, they are the perfect companion to give you the tools to enjoy exploring anyplace in Europe.  

Ciao!

Arrived in Italy

Well, this is Italy, although I had a little problem with my communications equipment.  For some reason Sprint does not work here even though Sprint assured me that I was all set up.  Secondly, my computer cannot hook up to the Internet at the apartment.  Therefore, this is being sent from a wine bar down the road.

This is the scene I saw from my apartment's back yard when I arrived yesterday.

It looked likd a rain storm was coming, so I grabbed a camera, and caught the sun lighting up Trevi, just five miles away.  It's typical of the hill towns of Umbria.  More coming, but my scrambled eggs with black truffles just arrived and my wine is getting warm.

Well, the time has finally come, and this is packing weekend, and Tuesday is departure day.  I've tested the new camera, invested in three lenses to cover what I hope I will need, and finished the packing list.  The weather in Italy seems to mirror what we have here in Columbus, Ohio, so not too much to worry about there.  Hopefully, the next post will be while I'm on the road (or in the air).

My aim is to share the trip with you, so you can experience through pictures and comments the experience that I'm having.

I've decided to give new technology a try with respect to my camera for the trip.  Friends have raved about the new mirrorless cameras, especially the Fujifilm, XT series.  So, when the latest version, the XT2 hit the market yesterday, I took the plunge.

The camera boasts all of the major features of a DSLR (Like my Canon 5D Mark II), but in a more compact form.  From my point of view, I''ll be carrying 40 pounds less gear, and be much more mobile in Italy.  I'll shoot enough in the next few weeks to prove the picture quality before leaving, and hopefully the images I post here will please you.

Many people have contacted me to see if the earthquakes in Italy will have an effect on my trip.  At the moment, there are no changes planned.  The epicenter of the quake was in Norcia, which is 43 km from Spoleto, which will be my headquarters for a week after landing in Rome.  I checked last night, and there was no significant damage in that area, and I plan on keeping the original schedule.

I had planned a day trip from Spoleto to Noricia, but that will not be on the schedule now.  The route is the blue line heading due east out of Spoleto.  The "blue circle route" on the map which passes through Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, and Orte encompasses many of the scenic hill towns I will be visiting, although I prefer the back country roads with my little stick-shift car.

All the admin stuff is complete: Renewed passport, airline tickets, rental car, accommodations downpayment, TSA Known Traveler number, Untour guide books, trip insurance, etc.  Now the fun part.  I'm amassing tour books and planning a detailed list of all the photography targets for my "Can't Miss" list.

Everything I read, makes me happy with the choices I made in picking Spoleto in Umbria and Amalfi on the coast.  I do have a partial day and night in Rome on the way out of Italy, but I've learned not to try too many things or one runs the risk of glossing over some wonderful experiences.  I think these areas will rival our previous vacation trips to Tuscany and Cinque Terra.

I have started learning a few Italian words (I never learned many when we lived in Belgium), and interactive, on-line, self-teaching sites are wonderful.  The book, "A quick Guide To Customs and Etiquette" by Charles Abbot is a real help in refreshing my knowledge in that area.  I'll always remember my first business lunch in Italy with my manager for Italy.  When the "finger bowls" arrived and I dutifully washed my fingers, my dining companion explained that "In Italy, we use that water for washing the fruit."  Wooops!