One Day in Spello

Spello just may be the perfect Umbrian hill town. 

It has layers of history - old Roman gates, ancient city walls, and meandering streetscapes lined with Medieval sandstone houses. Art filled churches stand atop pre-Christian temples.  

Small artisan galleries and shops line the streets in the historic center. And the flowers! It seems that every street, window, doorstep, and wall are filled with green plants and flowers. Then there are the views. Situated high on a hill, the vistas are wide, green, and gorgeous. No wonder Spello is included in the list of I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia (The most beautiful villages in Italy).  

Two gastronomic things add to Spello’s charm – wine and olive oil. The local wine is Sagrantino, a bold red. The olive oil is also bold – a stronger, spicier variety than the Tuscan oils I am used to. Made from Moraiolo olives, the flavor was wonderful. I had a chance to sample both during lunch at Enoteca Properzio, a great place for tasting both the wines and olive oils with lots of info provided by the staff. Thanks to J. Gorwoda for some of the photos below. I was so busy enjoying my pasta that I forgot to snap any other photos at the restaurant.

With only 1 day to spend in Spello during a week exploring Umbria, I didn’t have a chance to fully explore all that the city has to offer.   The highlights of the day included:

• Wandering the steep and winding Medieval streets. Spello is full of twisting alleys, courtyards, and squares. One alley, the Vicolo dei Baci, must see lots of kissing couples. The architecture throughout town is lovely, and everywhere there are flowers.

• The Baglioni Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The interior of the chapel is stunning and filled with frescoes by Pinturicchio.  One problem – no photographs are allowed.  It took all my willpower to leave my camera in my purse. The photos below are from the web. Best to see it in person!

Just outside the Baglioni chapel is a small garden, Giardiano Hortus. A graceful gate marks the entrance; a series of brick arches the perimeter. It’s a quiet, simple space that made for a perfect break in the afternoon. Also fun watching this little boy picking a wild flower for his mom.

One thing I did not get to see during my visit was Spello’s famous Infiorata, the festival of flowers that marks the feast of Corpus Domini (Body of Christ).  Many towns have infiorate on this day, but Spello’s is one of the most famous. For the festival, the streets are carpeted with elaborate designs made of flowers. Teams plan their designs for months and work through the preceding night to create the displays. The date changes from year to year, generally held on the 9th Sunday after Easter. This year it was on June 21-22, in 2026 it should fall earlier in June, the 6 – 7th. I hope to be there to experience the Infiorata and to explore Spello in greater depth. There is so much more to see.

Street art in Spello proclaims that happiness is contagious. I agree!

Wandering Through Parma

When I think of Parma, located in the Emilia-Romagna region and one of my favorite places to visit, many things come to mind. There is of course the food – delicate buttery slices of Prosciutto di Parma, chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and beautiful filled pastas. If you can’t eat well in Parma then, well, I hardly know what to say. 

For anyone who enjoys food tours, Parma is a great place to book an outing to see how Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Aceto Balsamico are made. And, if you look down when walking through town, you will spot some tiles related to Parma’s food scene set into the pavement.

 Parma has wonderful museums, theaters, an annual Verdi opera festival, a beautiful cathedral and a stunning baptistery. The architecture is lovely and colorful and the city has an energetic vibe. And, if that were not enough, it also has fabulous public spaces and parks.

I took advantage of many of those things on my recent visit, but also spent some time just wandering through the city and enjoying a variety of neighborhoods, street scenes, and green spaces.

I especially enjoyed wandering through the Borgo del Gallo, a small neighborhood within the historic center of Parma. Just off one on Parma’s main streets, stepping into the alleys of Borgo del Gallo feels like stepping into a small village. The narrow street is lined with shops, markets, and cafes. It is a lively hub of activity with a unique character.

In the center of Parma, just in front of the Pilotta Museum complex is a public space centered around a huge shallow reflecting pool. Several monuments anchor the edges of the space. It is a place where locals sit and socialize, where children play, and a good place to cool off on a warm day or rest after a visit to the fabulous museums of the Pilotta.

Palazzo Ducale, Parma

My last wander took me to Parma’s Oltretorrente neighborhood. A literal translation of the word Oltretorrente would be “beyond the torrent”. It is the old part of the city, on the west side of the river that flows through town. My destination was the Parco Ducale, the park that surrounds a Palazzo that was once the home of Parma’s Dukes.

The park is Parma’s biggest green space. Lined with trees, it is a shady place filled with families, students, walkers, bicyclists, and dogs.  At one end is the Ducal Palace (now home to Parma’s police) and at the other a small man-made island with a central fountain. 

In between are grassy areas, walking paths, a playground, and an outdoor cafe. It is a fabulous spot for being outside in nature, relaxing, and people watching. 

Each of these spots are important to Parma’s history and day-to-day life. For a visitor, they make for a nice glimpse into the life of the city and a respite from a busy day of more “touristy” activities.

Astronomical clock, Piazza Garibaldi, Parma

The Garden of Palazzo Pfanner

Garden spaces in Lucca are treasures. They are especially important for those of us who live in small apartments without outdoor space of our own. Public gardens, and private ones open to visitors, provide the opportunity to sit quietly on a bench, to enjoy the peaceful beauty of trees and flowers, or to just breath in and out, finding respite from a busy day. 

Even better if the garden sits behind a historic palazzo, surrounds a fountain spraying water high into the air, and offers views over the graceful arches of the limonaia onto Lucca’s walls above. 

The limonaia in the garden of Palazzo Pfanner

The garden of Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca is just such a spot. A private garden, it is open to visitors for a small fee. It has long been one of my favorite outdoor spaces, a perfect spot to read a book, daydream, relax, and enjoy the blooms that change from spring to summer to fall. It is also a wonderful spot to listen to a small concert or enjoy a variety of events that take place at the palazzo.

Last spring and summer the garden was closed for major renovations. It has now reopened, refreshed and ready for visitors once again.

The newly planted grass is edged with irises and rose bushes. In mid-May, the scent of roses filled the garden.

The highlight of the garden for me arrives in late May and early June when the Hydrangeas bloom. Their colors, ranging from white to pink to pale purple, all set off by bright green foliage, are stunning. They are one of the garden’s best offerings and I was happy to find that after last year’s work they remained undamaged and in place, lining walkways and walls and filling the garden with color.

Many other of the garden’s best offerings remain in their original places too – the stands of bamboo which create shady alleys and hidden corners, the towering Magnolia tree, the large terra cotta pots of lemon trees, the classic statues, and the old walls that surround the garden.

One nice change is the addition of QR codes to the plant identification markers. Click on the code for a link to information about the roses, hydrangeas, camellias, and magnolias.

Only one change left me a little sad. The run down, unrestored small brick barn area that once stored beer barrels (back when the palazzo was a beer garden) has been restored. The old brick walls have been plastered over and the area now houses a new bathroom and storage. I miss the look and history of the old rustic barn (old, left, and new on the right below). But that’s a small hiccup in this otherwise spectacular garden.

What a joy it was to once again sit in this garden! (I can’t resist a few more hydrangea photos)

The Colors of May

The month of May is the perfect time to be in Tuscany. April’s rains are mostly gone. The skies vary from clear, deep blue to blue studded with white clouds. Temperatures are mild and a bit breezy. Mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons are warm but not yet hot. We are still having some rain, but the showers are brief and not nearly as chilling as the April storms.

Other than a few lamentations about allergy season, everyone is out and about in Lucca enjoying the beautiful, mild days. It’s a joy to sit outside in a cafe or restaurant or to sit and watch happy children ride the carousel. 

Best of all, the last few weeks have seen an explosion of color in Lucca. The roses are especially gorgeous, with large rows of them blooming in parks and public spaces. 

Flowers fill containers in piazzas, spill from window boxes, bloom in private gardens, and decorate balconies. Stands of star jasmine arch along doorways and walls or climb above terraces, filling the streets with the wonderful scent of jasmine.

 The wildflowers are my favorite. I love the ones that have found homes in the crevices of old stones. The delicate flowers blooming all along the walls of the fosso (the canal that runs along one of Lucca’s streets) are delightful. 

Wildflowers along the fosso

May days are perfect for long walks and discovering Lucca’s hidden corners, especially the ones filled with flowers.

Verde Mura Is Where Spring Gardens Begin

Some recurring events serve to mark time, shepherding in a new year or a new season.  One such event in Lucca is the annual spring garden show, Verde Mura. 

Each April, Verde Mura takes place atop the walls that surround Lucca.  Just about anything one wants for a garden – whether garden means a small herb patch, several long rows of vegetables, a bed full of flowers, or a small stand of fruit trees – is available.  

With garden art and assorted crafts on display, there is little need to look elsewhere for spring garden inspiration.

This year - surprise - there were chickens and one very loud rooster !

Readers of this blog may recognize scenes from Verde Mura because I’ve written about it in past years.   But the event always seems to bring something new, not to mention it really does mark the beginning of spring for me, and so each year I go, camera in hand, learning about everything from heirloom beans to new varieties of tulips and daffodils.  

Sadly, I don’t have space for a garden in my tiny Lucca apartment. I can sometimes manage a few potted herbs, but that’s about all.  Despite that, I always come home with at least a gorgeous bunch of flowers, some treats from the food vendors (this year delicious black pepper and almond taralli), and the joy of having spent a few hours on a spring morning up on Lucca’s walls immersed in the colors and scents of the Verde Mura.