Corciano and PerugiaA historical and beautiful hill town, Corciano will be our home away from home. Centrally located and ideal for striking out to local farms and regional attractions, the town is also situated in a very specific natural environment close to the Lago Trasimeno, one of the most important lakes in Central Italy. Under Roman rule it became a district of the Roman “agricultural villas.”
Nearby is Perugia, birthplace of St Francis and regional capitol. Perugia is also a Seattle sister city! |
Assisi & RomeNo visit to Italy would be complete without exploring the magnificent city of Rome. We will visit the capital city, (Ruggero's hometown!) including the Vatican museums, and the colosseum/forum.
We will also travel together to Assisi, the beautiful hill town St. Francis made famous and where he is interred. Learn more about the fascinating life of St. Francis here: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/01/14/rich-man-poor-man We will also explore the nearby town of Perugia - birthplace of St. Francis and and the regional capital of Umbria. "For centuries, Umbrian farmers were small producers of diverse crops, fully occupied by feeding their own families and supplying the local castles and monasteries. (Both the Franciscan and the Benedictine orders were founded here...) In the 20th century, agricultural and transportation technology inspired many regions of Italy to move toward large-scale farming, planting acres of tomatoes, olive trees and grapevines to meet international demand. But Umbria mostly kept its polyculture family farms, and the province fell behind others in culinary production, tourism and self-promotion. Ramon Rustici, a young farmer in the hills above Assisi, said that today, the region is reaping the advantages of maintaining the old ways. “When times became very hard for Italian farmers in between and after the wars,” he said, “the families here sustained ourselves, instead of losing our land.” Now, under the custodianship of three brothers, the Fratelli Rustici pig farm embodies modern values of sustainability and animal welfare." -Source NYT How are these traditions coping with the impacts of climate change in this region? We will explore these questions together in the green heart of Italy. |