CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO, Umbria– Giancarlo’s Christmas card arrived right on schedule and it was great as usual. But the envelope was an additional celebration this year. Those stamps are a couple inches wide and is it just me or do those popes and saints look about life size?
Thank you for sharing these reminders of the Holidays with us, Giancarlo.
Buone feste!
See you in Italy,
Stew Vreeland
BUON NATALE A TUTTI! BUT. DON’T FORGET SAN STEFANO’S DAY… THE HOLIDAY THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
Did you know this day after Christmas is a holiday in Italy? I can relate to that. Christmas is on a Sunday this year and a lot of people are going to wish they had that next day off. In Italy they always do. That day is called San Stefano’s Day. It is like Boxing Day in the British Empire. But rather than being all about presents etc. in Umbria it is all about Tombola. Which is like Bingo. But it has more personality/legend/lore. Every number has a nickname and story to go with it. The Tombola games themselves are fun trip souvenirs, not to mention that they are a good way to motivate your self to learn Italian numbers and counting. And it is a pressure-packed learning device, as you have to be quick hearing the shouted out numbers, quick with yelling your numbers out and actually getting them right. Playing in a town-wide Tombola can be heart pounding exciting for a self conscious foreigner. Well, it was for me! But memorably fun too. If you find yourself in Italy over the holidays, ask around and chances are good there will be a game and it will surely be open to the public. That is what we did one year in Panicale. I played and I won . . . an Italian Hair Dryer. Now, if I only had enough hair to need said hair dryer. Sigh. Oh, well, the girls in the family were happy. And isn’t that what the holidays are supposed to be all about?
Where ever you are, enjoy the moment, enjoy being with who ever you are with and as always, we hope to . . . .
See you in Italy!
Buone Feste,
Stew Vreeland
HOLIDAYS AND UMBRIA JAZZ. EVERY YEAR BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS. ORVIETO
Remember Y2K? That once in a millennium holiday we found ourselves very deliberately in Umbria. Our thinking ran along the lines of “if there is a meltdown, and we are going to be stranded somewhere for ever, lets spend that forever in Italy!”
And that was detailed in this story about Winter in Umbria.
Regular Umbria Jazz, by the way, is epic and it happens every summer in Perugia. We have been there many times and love it, but I honestly think the winter version in Orvieto may be the best. They call it Umbria Jazz Inverno. And jazz or not, it rocks. I’m not what I would describe as a music nut at all. But this is special. It is such a big event, so multifaceted and Orvieto is such a smaller town, its just all encompassing. The music is all around you and pours out of castle windows and covers you in the streets below. We never wanted to leave.
See you in Italy,
Stew Vreeland
Usually when it comes to car rentals I’m lucky to get a coupe let alone a coup. Have to say I think I scored a coup this time. First of all, this is no ad. I only wish I got paid for anything I said here. So, we went to Expedia where our daughter had such good luck in Italy last month. Typed in Rome and Nov 1 – Nov 16th and it was $600 plus USD. which isn’t terrible. $300 a week. And as we all know, car rental is a big part of any trip to any place. Necessary evil. But often the trip money we most hate to part with.
But then I thought I’d compare it to Kemwel. They’ve had good prices the last couple times we’ve gone to Umbria via Rome. So, I googled them up and typed in the same exact details. Now, I don’t want to sound brag-y or anything but -$406. For 16 days?! That’s what I thought. Should have seen how fast I got that paid for.
No idea what the deal is. One of the joys of off-season travel? Crisis in Greece? Who knows? Who cares why at this rate. I mean, look at the very next car down. $648. For a TWO door. Versus our FOUR door. And scroll down like maybe three or four cars and there is THE SAME EXACT CAR. For almost $700! And if you wanted that same car with an automatic it was within pennies of $1,300. Holy cats, Batman! I know, I know. Not everyone can drive a stick. But this corn-fed Iowa farm boy, I assure you, can. For that money you can go back to school. Driving School. And learn how to be shifty like me. The absolute only thing I can see different is that on our fab rate the mice type says “off airport supplier.” Well, ok, but for $300 you can shuttle me halfway to Sicily before I start complaining. But still. I thought I ought to do due diligence. So, I called Kemwel and asked and they said I should take the “Advantage” bus right from the curb and it is a five minute shuttle to pick up the car. Don’t worry. If it’s a total bust, I will Man-Up as they say and report back.
I have no idea if this rate is a fluke or that day only or what. Whatever it is, at this price, I’ll take it.
See you in Italy,
Stew Vreeland
ITALY, NYC–Couple good ways to slice it. One is checking out our friend Steve Callen’s blog. Steve is a film maker from Down Under. He’s chucked it all down there for the moment and is living The Life in Italy. But old habits die hard and the video cam is still grasped tightly in his fist. To our benefit. He’s got a couple video Slices of Life in Italy. One two-parter is him doing a walkabout in Florence. And another one is going on An Explore south of Naples. As Carter said peering into Tut’s Tomb “I see wonderful things.” And his audio capture in Panicale . . . and the story that went with . . . they are able to put me there – on the very Umbrian cobblestones – without pictures. To my mind’s eye, it is a graceful piece of art. And his Spielberg Sighting Story is most excellent fun.
Need another slice? Our friend Shireen got our attention today with a link to an Urban Daddy story about a store that is all Tiramisu. Shireen is ahead of the loop on many things and we look to her for fun trends on all things electronic. She recommends Urban Daddy app and website. They are both pretty slick. We’ll be in Boston a few days next week and we will definitely be using that app there. Addresses, phones, photos, maps, pretty nice.
See you in Italy,
Stew