Category Archives: Mercato

Umbria numbers

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I am happy to report that the numbers in Umbria are holding very steady. Since I stopped posting the daily numbers three weeks ago, there have been 6 new infections, and 2 deaths.

As of yesterday, June 15, we have entered Phase 3 here Italy. This means that; Cinemas and theaters will be allowed to re-open from June 15th. With a limit of 200 people. Amateur contact sports, including team sports, are allowed from June 25th. Nightclubs – either indoors or outdoors – will be authorized from July 14th.

But many of Italy’s regional authorities have brought in their own rules on reopenings which could be different from the national rules.

The decree confirms obligatory quarantine for visitors arriving in Italy will continue, except for those entering from the EU and members to the passport-free Schengen zone.

Social distancing and face mask requirements will be the same. You must wear them in enclosed public spaces. Schools will not open until September.
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One thing that has gone by the wayside is any semblance of spontaneity when traveling. We are planning a road trip in two weeks. Normally, Luther and I would toss the suitcase in the car and off we’d go. We’d see a likely trattoria beside the road or a cute village where a nice place to eat is likely, and we would stop for lunch. No more. Now, I’ve got to know what time we will leave, so I can calculate where we will be at lunchtime. Then figure out what is nearby, find a restaurant, determine if they are open (many did not reopen) and then obtain a reservation, which are now mandatory. When en route, you can’t just stop if you see anything interesting along the way because it will impact your progress, perhaps making you miss your lunch! A sad thing. Alternative would be to pack a picnic 😁. Might be easier.

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Market day. Today, I was in search of cheap cotton clothing to make masks from. I found out those house dresses the old Italian women wear are not cotton, but some sort of nylon material. Wouldn’t breath. BUT, I found the cutest pair of capri pants.😍 All cotton, nice waist with a really well made sleeving for the elastic. They have drawstrings. I brought them home and tried them on and they fit nicely. I love them so much I must go back next week to get more! Thing is there is no guarantee any will be left. They had lots of colors and patterns. Hope they still have them next week.

Otherwise, I did my errands. Dropped by the farmacia. And shopped and bought in Libri ai Cani. Books for Dogs. They have been doing well since re-opening. Good for the rescues they support. Of course I bought some produce. It looked very nice.

Pictures below are the non-food part of the market. It has been dispersed in a larger area so the tents are not too close. But the competition could be fierce for the bargains! This first table had nice things for €3 — anything on the table. 

Til next time…stay safe miei amici 🌈

Mercatino di antiquariato e vintage

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Sunday we had our first, first-Sunday-of-the-month, flea market or mercatino di antiquariato e vintage. It was good to see them back! I, in the past, have never bought anything at one of these. But we did buy two things. A plate and a beautiful photo book of Perugia. The book is going to be a gift. Pictures!

Monday
We had terrible storms for hours during the night. And it continued to pour into the morning. It put a damper on our plans for today.

We had planned to get the Angelo Giallo (our Porsche 🙂) serviced and also visit the hospital in Perugia. We canceled and rescheduled for next week. A joy of being retired! 

Tonight we had a delicious chicken stuffed with brie and prosciutto from Calagrana. It had a nice garlicky dipping sauce. Delicioso! 

I hope all are well as we try to extricate ourselves from the lockdowns. The young people are partying on the weekend and I am concerned because they are not masked nor social distancing. I guess we all must wait and see.

Meanwhile we have made plans for our first trip! We will go to the Maremma in Tuscany. On the Mediterranean coast. About a 2.5-3 hour drive. 3 nights. A birthday celebration… More details to follow. Take care everyone, don’t loosen up too much, too soon! 🌈

Covid 19 Phase 2 Day 6️⃣

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217,185 positives in Italy. Up 0.6% – 30,201 total deaths since beginning of the outbreak.

There are 1,406 positive cases in Umbria. 71 total deaths.

1,273,887 cases in the US – 76,475 deaths.
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Hi everyone! Today, I am on my blog pulpit a bit.  If you don’t want to read it scroll to the bottom of this post to read my bellissimo news about our Kilometer Zero Market.

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US News. I can’t resist reprinting this little tidbit.

With polls showing most consumers still afraid to venture out of their homes, the Trump administration has intensified its efforts to soothe some of those fears through a messaging campaign that relies on tightly controlling information about a virus that has proven stubbornly difficult to contain.

So…they are controlling information (i.e., deep sixing the CDC report because it recommends waiting)…this is the information that people NEED to be able to make an informed decision on their OWN health and safety. When they intentionally delude the populace into believing it is OK to resume life, knowing full well that it is NOT safe yet, they are WILLFULLY putting (intentionally misled) people in danger of catching this virus. I am astounded at the very audacity of this! And the cold calculation by trump to allow people to get sick and perhaps die, all because he wants to get re-elected. Words don’t convey…

NY Times….A useful — if chilling — way of thinking about the new phase: It’s the “trial-and-error” phase, in which different countries take different approaches and the world witnesses the results.

Human guinea pigs. Sorry for all those who will suffer and die.

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European News. I just read an interesting article in the Daily KOS about Sweden. I had been wondering how they were doing since they had taken an opposite approach to most everyone else. Herd immunity. No shutdown. It has not worked out well. We must also take into account more than half of Swedes live alone. And they have top-notch universal health care…unlike in the US. Nonetheless…

If nothing else, Sweden’s alternative response to the virus was … a good control group. And what we’re learning now is that failing to shut down hasn’t just led to more deaths, but—surprise surprise!—it also didn’t prevent its economy from tanking. In fact, Sweden is poised for more economic pain than its neighbors. 

Some pretty big differences between stay-at-home strategy and let ‘er rip. And remember…the economy is no better for this choice.

It is good to have a “control group”. Maybe the Swedes would not be happy being classified as such. But there you have it.

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Saturday! Bright and sunny! Exciting day as the Kilometer Zero market is here today. Yesterday I observed they had painted more marks in the piazza. It was confusing to me but I see the vendors figured it out. There are 13 tents. No crafts allowed. Only food. I am so so glad to see most of the farmers have survived. It must have been hard for them. And I note many are a bit sparse in what’s on offer. That is to be expected I suppose, since you can’t hurry the plants. Here is the view from my window. Next are the Polizia Municipale watching. Finally, the posted rules for entry.

The beautiful vegetables of early spring. I’m pleased I did not miss the peas. They will be in soon a woman told me.

Then the cheese stand with the Pecorino Staggione pictures.  This is aged pecorino. Excellent and sharp flavored. They also had fresher pecorinos of course.

Here is the stand for Blassi, our closest winery. They sell their wines but they are also famed for their porchetta. Here It is!

The people. Everyone is excited. The farmers and the customers. The stated rule is one meter distant from each other. Most were doing that. There were some couples shopping together. Of course we all wore masks. 

I came home with carciofi – artichokes, spinace – spinach, 4 fresh uova – eggs, fava beans, and some of Luthers favorite crackers. I’ve surely missed this market more than anything except maybe freedom to walk. Happy days.

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Signing off for now. Have a great weekend but keep yourselves safe. 🌈 We are the keepers of ourselves. No one else.