Tuscany and Umbria May 2014

Yes, the river Arno may be heavily polluted, the constant stream of wide-eyed tourists peering over maps and laden with souvenirs constantly throngs the pavements, squares, and pedestrian walkways, vendors peddle cheap beads and fake leather handbags, food and wine are overpriced and mediocre, but nothing seems to quench the undeniable glory of this ancient and beautiful city. And the bells… everywhere in the little mountaintop walled medieval towns, the sound of bells.

Highlights?
The Piero della Francesca Trail where in Arezzo I saw his amazing frescoes narrating the story of the True Cross – like a medieval graphic novel. The Pregnant Madonna in Montercho – the only known representation of a pregnant Madonna who looks like a typical sulky teenager and is flanked by two rather superior and bored-looking angels. The walled city of Urbino in Umbria, where I stayed in a 12th-century monastery next to the Ducal Palace where Piero’s famous ‘The Flagellation’ is housed.

But apart from the unforgettable, timeless, priceless art, there is the beauty of the Tuscan and Umbrian landscape in spring.

Viewing his magnificent ‘Resurrection’ in Sansepolcro where Christ is stepping out of his tomb looking more like an avenging angel than a saviour was another memorable moment.
But apart from the unforgettable, timeless, priceless art, there is the beauty of the Tuscan and Umbrian landscape in spring. Wildflowers are everywhere – scarlet poppies, purple bindweed, yellow-eyed daisies, pink wild roses, blue forget-me-nots, and a host of other small and large blossoms. Green meadows, long country lanes bordered by tall cypresses, old grey and russet castle walls, ancient church spires, twisting, impossibly narrow cobbled streets.
Maybe it’s the recession, but there seem to be few tourists about (except in Florence which is always packed). Many village shops are boarded up and houses are shuttered and lots are for sale.
These oh-so-beautiful Italian provinces offer an experience into another world – one of timelessness where days slow down, drift into one another, and are punctuated by the sound of bells.
It’s all absolutely gorgeous, but if I had to live here I think I’d go mad quite quickly…

---