i've returned from umbria. sort of. got in yesterday.
our internet was spotty and i was completely unplugged for the last few days. kept my ipad in airplane mode so the borrowed book on my kindle wouldn't be zapped away by the library.
so begins my lengthy travel log of our spoleto adventure. we arrived in the late evening. catching the train from rome was easy and the only mishap along the way was when i collided with a handsome carabinieri with a big gun at the rome airport. ran smack into him. mesmerized i suppose by his big gun. or the long flight.
um i also nearly fell off the train at the tiburtina station and crash landed into 3 nice italian ladies who were not carrying guns. that's what happens when you're sitting in an elevated seat and step into the aisle and miss the actual step. oops. but the nice ladies righted me and i was good to go. no further problems developed until the next day when i locked myself inside of a cafe bathroom. but please, let's not dwell on anymore bull-in-the-chinashop scenarios.
the next day we woke to picture-perfect weather. temperatures hovered around 58 degrees. we began what would be a daily stroll into town. the farmhouse sits high above spoleto on a wooded hillside. to reach the ponte delle torri foot bridge into town we first walked down a wooded trail.
this was our first glimpse at the bridge which is built on the remains of an ancient roman aqueduct. we paused here in the woods to admire the view. unfortunately we were so busy admiring our surroundings that we didn't take note of which trail we were on.
later on our way back home we got lost and ended up hiking uphill on a rocky rugged path about an hour north of where we should have turned to get home. it was an exhausting mistake that we only made once!
as soon as we descended into spoleto i could see that we'd chosen our umbrian hideaway wisely. it is not a tourist hub. the tourists that we did see were mostly italian, although we did overhear a few from the UK. and heard american english spoken once. i personally love it when i'm not surrounded by other english speakers when i travel. 
it would have been helpful if we had spoken more italian, but as usual we got by with a good italian/english dictionary and lots of gesturing. the shopkeepers were friendly and eager to assist us in our translations.
there are views in every direction that you look.
and narrow lanes twisting this way and that.
flowers and vines grew out of walls and tumbled over window boxes.
thick twisted wisteria vines rambled up walls and climbed up balconies and pergolas.
the farmhouse we rented was right out of the pages of a storybook. the hottub didn't work which was a disappointment, but we quickly got over it. the views were splendid and the house was really special.
here's one of many views from the property high above spoleto.
i studied the movement of the sunbeams and cloud shadows on the land. this is the view from the living room windows.
green fields and groves as far as the eye could see. green green green.
rain clouds gathered then retreated. over and over.
i hung out the window eager to see what would happen next.
which way the sunlit clouds would blow.
and also there was wine.
and food.
in this case a small mound of strangozzi alla spoletina. it's a simple rustic dish and if you want to recreate it at home HERE is a recipe i found in food & wine magazine.
a delectable plate of black pork – tender pork in an onion, red wine sauce.
more to come tomorrow!
It looks like you have had a wonderful trip. I love the glimpses you share in words and pictures.
I love that photo of the window with the beautiful lace curtain. Someone must have been standing inside admiring the view, yet unable to resist tying two of the pompoms together.
OMGOMGOMGOMG.
holy effin s
This is heaven on a biscuit.
up high! high high!!! I must stop going to seashores and go up HIGH!!
Welcome home, you were missed. I don’t travel but feel like I do through your lens and writings. Enjoy
Welcome home Mary Ann – looks like a wonderful place.
Ahhh – Italy – I just love Italy. Have never been to Umbria though.
it´s on my ‘have to visit’ list now.
Thanks for sharing you beautiful pics.
Dear teacher, I am delighted that you so soon shared your musings about your Umbrian trek. Thank you for your wonderful sense of humor, shared so generously with all of us who feel we know you, even if only via the “wires” that is the Internet. I missed seeing your Instagrams the last few days, and am glad you are safe at the Cottage with the Posse.
OH MY! What loveliness to find here today! That first photo…at the train, I loved that mode of travel and am so sad that it went by the wayside. Love trains.
Great looking food, little hamlet of Spoleto…how did you come to chose it?
What a treat to tag along with you girls. Thanks for sharing with us. Glad you’re back and can’t wait to see more.
Welcome home!
Sounds like another fabulous trip. Can’t wait to see the next installment. Sounds like Umbria was everything you’d hope it would be.
Truly lovely photos **sigh** and longing for more….
I’m thrilled you’re home, and it sounds just magical. A perfect relaxing trip; and perfect for your sketching adventures. Just trying to capture the light and the clouds… Sorry I got twitterpated in Instagram and got you and sister all mixed up, I was just thrilled to hear from you, in Rome no less! It’s an exciting thing in a MAM fan’slife you know. 😉 can’t wait to see how your non-trad journal unfolded.
Missed you so much. Welcome home.
Such beauty!
Side note…. I have my own little wisteria inspired by your trip. She is new to me and ever so lovely. I promised to love and make her happy, and so far she is returning the favor. My own little souvenir from your trip, thank you.
Oh, Maryann…..I’m just sitting here smiling and sighing! It must have been difficult to leave! Reminds me of the film, “The Enchanted April”. But delighted that you’re back home safe – missed you!
love seeing all your photos!
Oh such a comedy filled start to the latest Italian adventure! But the views from your windows reminds me so much of our views in Orvieto. Yes, you could really just look and watch the light out the window all day. I’m wondering if you woke up to mist covering Spoleto some mornings.
Welcome home!
What a nice blog you have, and nice to see an interesting story from Umbria.
So lovely to share your trip; the photos are mesmerizing. I am going to try that recipe; it looks fabulously simple and delicious.
Thank you for sharing your photos, you have been missed, welcome home.
Breathtaking. Welcome back!
simply beautiful!
Erin in Morro Bay
Really enjoyed the beautiful pictures and welcome home. You (& your sense of humor) were missed 🙂
Jane S.
This is wonderful. I’ve been following your Instagram posts too. Welcome home!
I always love reading about your travels. You tell exactly what I want to know. Thank you for sharing!
Welcome home, the views are magnificent. I wait in eager anticipation for more pictures and posts.
welcome home! thanks for the peek at your vacation and it sounds like there is more to come! 🙂 🙂 🙂
welcome home sweet one, oh the stories you share that always make me smile. Gosh the views, I can’t get over how you can ever take your eyes off the amazing views. I don’t think I’d ever sleep, it would happen given the trek to town but still…it’s visual over load but I love it, every single photo… I sit here and take in your photos from every angle, like going over them with a magnifying lens, trying to capture that moment, feel the air, smell the greenery, and just well float along….magical is the only word that comes to mind, to call this place home would be unbelievable to me…Wow W O W I’m more than a little excited to see your sketches…take your time making the transition back into the embrace of Moss Cottage…I’m not sure I’d ever be quite the same having visited such a place as Spoleto.
Wonderful! Just wonderful!
I woke up thinking about you this morning…and here you are, home. From the photos it looks like it was an absolutely superb holiday ~ scrolling through them slowly, I can actually feel myself there. Welcome home!
Welcome home. I’m sure the cats were glad to see you. Looks like it was a peaceful trip. Can’t wait to see what’s next.