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A Valley in Italy: The Many Seasons of a Villa in Umbria
by Lisa St. Aubin De Teran
In 1989, novelist St. Aubin de Teran (Slow Train to Milan) and her family began to restore their "dream house," the dilapidated ruins of a villa near the small village of San Orsola in the Umbrian Valley of Italy. This book chronicles their first year of impossibly hard work amid the pleasantries of rich harvests and continuous celebrations. Orginally from England, St. Aubin de Teran gives the reader vivid impressions of Italian life, social customs, bureaucracy, and culture, presenting a setting where food and wine are the daily religion. Her book conveys a strong sense of place, with lush descriptions of the gardens, countryside, weather, and the family's active social life. The year culminated with a habitable villa; a full larder, including walnut liqueur and medicinal herbs; a New Year's Eve dance at the villa; a wedding; and a new baby. Recommended for the armchair traveler.
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On the Road with Francis of Assisi - A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond
by Linda Bird Francke
Francke (Ground Zero; Growing Up Divorced) invokes the legendary 13th-century saint as a spiritual tour guide of Italy, tracing Francis's footsteps to illuminate his spiritual and physical journey to sainthood. Submerged in the region's rich history, Francke traverses the country as Francis did for 20 years, lingering in Assisi (his birthplace), Venice and Rome, visiting chapels and devotional spaces bearing relics of his life or visual homage to the myths he inspired. Her vivid reimaginings create a window into Francis's life, which is blessed with an intriguing backstory that Francke skillfully revives in scenes of drama, despair and passion, as when Francis stridently severs ties with his father to a tittering crowd while "in the buff." She also lavishes attention on St. Clare, the feverishly devout nun who submits to the Franciscan order and falls desperately in love with its leader. Francke peppers her reverent yet witty account with local color and amusing anecdotes that usher history into the present, noting, for instance, that Peter Jennings kept on his desk a statue of St. Clare, as her miraculous witnessing of a Christmas church service marked history's "first live broadcast."
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Umbria: Italy's Timeless Heart
Italy's well-known and loved travel writer shares the secrets of his favorite province.
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by Paul Hofmann
Nothing is more authentically Italian than the mountains and valleys of gentle Umbria, where the olive groves and vineyards, like the ancient hill towns that populate the region, remain almost entirely undisturbed. These restful landscapes, less publicized than those of neighboring Tuscany, enfold impressive Etruscan and Roman ruins, medieval castles, grand cathedrals and palaces, and outstanding art such as Giotto's frescoes in Assisi, paintings by Perugino, who was Raphael's teacher, and other native masterwork. Paul Hofmann, whose most recent travel guide was hailed as "an indispensable book, a book to cherish" (The New Yorker), knows Umbria intimately. After four decades of visits and sojourns, he has produced this volume, rich with personal and historical anecdotes, profiling its cities and towns, villages and natural sights. Though the farthest reaches of Umbria are only a three-hour train or car trip from Rome, many of its hidden spots are unfamiliar even to Italians in neighboring provinces. Hofmann's affection for the region is infectious, his insight unparalleled, and in his able hands, its simple joys--twisting country roads, robust wines, hearty food--unfold for the visitor.
