a weekend in the country

views from our walk in the countryside
On Friday we headed out for a weekend in the countryside with friends, a dog, and lots & lots of green...

We took a train south to the town of Chiusi, where our friends picked us up and drove just over the Tuscan border into Umbria and to their lovely home that they've been restoring for the past year and a half.

chiusi cathedral • details from the facade • doorway in chiusi
That first evening, was just spent talking, walking around the property, talking, watching the sun set over Chiusi, enjoying wine and dinner, and talking even more. We slept so peacefully in the quiet of the country, and woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning. About mid-morning we left to explore the small, Tuscan town of Chiusi which is home to some of the ancient Etruscan ruins in Italy. We visited the cathedral and wandered the quaint streets. There weren't too many people around, especially tourists, although there was a pleasant "buzz" amongst the locals walking their dogs, kids in the park, and shop owners lingering in doorways. We learned that during WWII, many deserters, escaped POWs, and other soldiers hid in the Etruscan ruins buried below the city.

cypress by the lake • view from the fortress • triangular tower
After leaving Chiusi, we drove to Castiglione del Lago on Lake Trasimeno, one of the largest lakes in Italy, which even contains 3 islands. We've spotted this town out the windows of the train before on many occasions as we passed through this region. I was always curious about the lake and this town that juts out into the water with a large fortress at the end. The most prominent tower on the fortress walls is a triangular shape, said to better defend against cannon balls, since the angles of the tower walls would tend to repel the cannon balls in another direction after impact and not take the brunt of the blow as would a straight-on wall. We visited the interior of the walls where there is an amphitheater and small olive garden, before walking around the top of the wall and over to the adjoining palace. In the distance, we could see colorful kites and even a hot air balloon from the annual Coloriamo i Cieli festival, which is one of several air show events in Italy during the springtime.

pet graveyard • view of umbrian villa • WWII shell in the grass
Back at the house, we enjoyed a spread of fresh, mixed bruschetta and pecorino at a wooden table outside under the shade of a tree. Then we started a walk around the area, which led us to some amazing views and stories. We kept repeating how green everything was...fields winter wheat swaying in the wind, looming cypress trees dotting the roads, silvery olive trees with the small beginnings of blooms, and the occasional patch of red poppies. I think this was one of the flowers I most looked forward to seeing in Italy. They always make me smile, and they have the stereotypical postcard look to them. They also are unique in that you must enjoy them where they grow, because when they are picked, they look and become flimsy so there is barely enough time to even make it from the field to a vase. We traipsed through the woods, past a pet graveyard, around dirt roads bordered by colorful fields, on small hills with views over the countryside, and even past a few old artillery shells from WWII that were still lodged in the ground here. We were told of many wartime stories that happened in this area, which reminded me of the stories we were told during our stay in Chianti back in November. I always have a hard time picturing how it must have been during that time; and even though it feels like another world, many WWII soldiers are still alive today (including Chris' grandfather who fought in Italy).

sunset over chiusi • house behind the trees • through the screen
After a bit more walking, a slightly pink neck from the sun, and more photos, we settled in for another late evening full of wonderful food and lots of conversation. We are so thankful to our friends for their hospitality - it was an outstanding way to spend the weekend...but it wasn't over...

...the next morning we were off to Arezzo...