Ancient places often have ancient names, and in Italy, the names of some of the medieval hilltop cities often reflect the simplicity of an era long, long ago. “Civitavecchia” simply means “old city.” “Civita di Bagnoregio” means “city by Bagnoregio.” “Castiglione del Laga” means “castle by the lake.” “Citta della Pieve,” where our Italian house [ Read More ]
Archive for June, 2025
“Am I just dreaming?” I honestly couldn’t tell as we sat around a beautifully set table on the terrace of the stunning Italian farmhouse overlooking the neat garden of herbs framing a lovely pool. Just beyond the pool was an olive grove with rolling Umbrian hills providing a remarkable backdrop. Sometimes experiences in life are [ Read More ]
“Location, location, location!” Anyone who’s ever bought a house learns this mantra right from the start as a significant priority, and it makes no difference if you’re in Tennessee, the Pacific Northwest, or somewhere in the historic backroads of Italy. If Dan and I had continued to search for another year or two, we still [ Read More ]
There’s a good reason why I won’t tell you Flavia’s last name. If I did, you’d seek her out, fall in love with her like we did, and we’d end up having to share her, which I don’t think I want to do. Flavia was the first Italian to convince us– immediately– that Citta della [ Read More ]
The July sun was brilliant as Dan and I inched our way higher along the winding, narrow road leading constantly upward toward the ancient buildings that lined the horizon at the top. There are scores of medieval hilltop cities in Tuscany and Umbria– most of them hundreds and some even thousands of years old– built [ Read More ]