Category Archives: Umbria

Hospital impressions

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Now for my hospital impressions.

Two hospitals: Silvestrini (S) and Casa di Cura Liotti (CCL). I had my first operation in January 2018 in Silvistrini. It is a huge University Medical center. Casa di Cura is a small, partly private hospital in downtown Perugia where I am now, September 2019. Here are my impressions of the two plus some other things I found interesting. Some are a bit mundane but it’s what I noticed!

(CCL) Is rather dark and dreary due to the lurid paint they use here. And they don’t like putting the lights on in the halls. (S) Was more the norm that you’d see in the US with light walls and neutral colors.

The colors they choose differ with each floor. What were they thinking? 🤭

(CCL) The beds are electric and I can up and down as I wish. You don’t know how empowering that is! (S) had cranks, and I was stuck in bed and couldn’t get to it.

(CCL) There are two beds. No curtain between them. Cozy. A bit hard to get used to but it is what it is. (S) DID have curtains in it’s shared rooms.

(CCL) Each room has a private bath to share by its two residents. (S) there was one very odd bathroom which was shared between two rooms by four patients.

(CCL) The food is not so bad. Palatable I’d call it. And with my little pack of additions it’s almost good. I don’t have a lot of appetite but my blood is low so I’m eating. (S) practically inedible.

A little different from my normal food pictures ha ha. I ate the pasta which was pretty good. Not the mystery meat or eggplant. I normally like eggplant but not this.

(CCL) All the staff are young and nice. They go about their work cheerfully to a person. Not one has been mean or short with me. I don’t have a nurse Rachett or a Senore huff n puff like last time. Way better here than (S).

(CCL) Provides water for patients and delivers it, and other help you need if you ask for it. (S) Did NOT provide any water and would not bring any. Nor could you drop something on the floor and ask someone to help you get it back or ask your bed get cranked up or down. They expected the family of the patients to do that. Two very different places.

My medicines caused a stir. I always wondered why they have their pills in little blister packs. Lots and lots of waste. I prefer the easy bottles we have in the US. Well, today I think I figured it out. I had brought my own blood pressure medicines which I had removed from the blister packs and placed in small jars. No, no, no they aren’t good if not fresh. An aha moment.

They have a passaggita in the hospital. Just like in a village! All the crutches and walkers come out and it seems like all able patients walk up and down the hall.

I have a room mate. She’s a small rotund Italian woman who had a fall which got her here. I’m guessing she’s 80. Her name is Francesca. She’s sweet and we’ve become friends. She’s been here over two weeks and I just heard she leaves Thursday. Happy for her. And, get this, she came with at least three family members from Puglia! 550km away. Her doctor said she wouldn’t get the good care she could get here. So I guess he got her set up here. I had heard the health care is much worse in the south, a definite consideration if a person is planning to move here. Just goes to show the huge difference people talk about may be true.
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More tomorrow.

Ginocchio intervento 2 – knee operation 2

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This will be a brief post just to update on how I’m doing.
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So the day arrived to check into the hospital. We arrived at 4pm as instructed. The orthopedic floor was full so I was put on the floor above. I had a nice quiet room to myself. I had broth for dinner.

Next morning I woke early and waited and waited for the surgery. Finally got wheeled off about 10:30am. First big surprise was they did the anesthesia differently. I had known I would get an epidural which numbs you from the waist down. The last operation they used mega tranqs to make me sleep and did the spinal in my sleep. This time it was done while I sat on a table! It was scary more than painful but it did hurt. And when they wanted to use gas to make me sleepy I said “I don’t want to hear, see, or feel what is going on!” Make me sleep. They did.

I woke on the way to my room. I guess I got there around three. The doctor came and explained the entire old prosthesis had to be replaced. The other one was defective. This was interesting news. They did give me morphine for the night. And another pain killer the next day that was different but strong. I’m afraid I was woozy and I don’t remember it well.

The next day the doctor visited and lifted my leg and bent it slowly. I was actually amazed at how far he could bend it with no pain. They put me on the bend machine which repeatedly bends the knee to a percentage of flex for an hour. Twice a day. And the flex increases daily. But I’m up to 70% with no pain. I am so happily surprised that this is so totally different from my last experience.

Next post I will give my impressions of the hospital experience and compare with the last one. It’s pretty entertaining.

Packing…

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When a person goes to the hospital in Italy they must bring everything they think they will need…and then some! In some areas of the country this even includes bringing your own toilet paper. On my last hospital stay I didn’t need to bring that, but I did need to bring my own coffee cup if I expected to have coffee in the morning, and my own cutlery. I also had to provide my own water.

Since my trip this time will be over three weeks long (!) I need to bring a lot of things. I have a little bag which I filled with things to improve the horrible food. Like olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Maybe this will help. We’ll see. I also have soap and a wash cloth and towel. And a bowl to use as a basin. I am bringing the noise canceling headphones we have. I had some last time and they were invaluable since my roommate had the TV on from 7am to midnight, tuned to bad Italian TV of course. I’m also bringing my own pillow. Better than the hard-as-rocks hospital pillows.

For the rehab I need clothes I can wear to work out. I got some capri length pants with wide legs so my knee will be easily accessible. I need to bring gym shoes and tee shirts too. Of course, I can get Luther to bring anything I find I need in the meantime.

Here is the array of things I’m bringing.

Note the cup, spoon and cutlery!

These are the things I’m bringing to fight the horrible, bland hospital food. Olive oil, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. I should be all set I hope.
So today is the day I check into the hospital at 4PM. The surgery is tomorrow morning. I’ll try to post later on the rest of the story!

Fun visit !

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Our friends couldn’t have asked for nicer weather. Autumn in Umbria is spectacular in an entirely different way from the brilliant greens of springtime.

The visit was with two friends. Eunice, one of my besties from my Book Group, and her husband Mark. Eunice was unable to come with the initial group of Book Group friends a few years ago. We had to make that right! So we experienced it again, with some new adventures thrown in so she has some experiences unique to her.

Our first outing was to Todi, one of my favorite towns in Umbria. Very high on a hill, it is fairly large and completely medieval. The heart of town is the Piazza del Popolo and here you find many gorgeous buildings to include the People’s Palace and the Captain’s Palace. The latter houses the Civic Museum and Gallery. We also found, for the first time, the funicular from a nice parking lot up to the top of town. It eliminates any arduous hill climbing.

Interesting door knob on our walk from the funicular to the Piazza.

One of the prettiest buildings and one of the only green areas is San Fortunato. Built originally by the Romans and converted to a church in the 1100s.

Also in the Piazza is the Todi Cathedral which features a rose window.

The  Captain’s Palace. Very Venetian looking I think.

We had a nice lunch in one of our favorite restaurants, Ristorante Umbria.

The view from the walls which was also enjoyed by our restaurant.

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Next up, a visit to Tom and Maximus. This will take a little explaining. Mark and Eunice are big Bernese Mountain dog fans. They have had several over the time I’ve known them. Their latest is Quinn who is 3 years old. When they heard Tom and Carol had a puppy named Max they wanted to meet him. So I asked Tom if we could come up. Well he’s a fine fellow and decided on a BBQ lunch for us all. It was a beautiful, clear day and we drove high up into the mountains to his house. Unfortunately Carol was in the UK because her father was ill so our friend , Joanne, who is Tom’s neighbor came up to join us.

We sat outside where it was breezy and much cooler than I had expected. I brought my World Famous Ribs for our contribution. Tom must have spent hours preparing all the food we had. We had an excellent time and the time flew. When I looked at my watch it was 6PM!! That’s what happens with a lunch here in Umbria with friends. Thanks Tom!

Pretty planter at Tom’s house.

Basil makes a nice arrangement on the set-up table.

The table and view.

The dessert was spectacular. And not too heavy.

Maximus (7 months old) was quite shy and took a long time to warm up to us. Everyone took time sitting on the floor with him. When we rose to leave he suddenly became very friendly! Funny pup. He also likes men more than women.

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Our last real outing was to a vineyard in Bevagna, a small town in the wine growing area of the famous Sagrantino grape. It was another spectacular day. The winery Luther chose was Villa Mongalli. We had visited it 2 times before. A family operation consisting of the semi-retired father, two brothers, and their wives and small children. The last visits we had were with one of the brothers, Pierrepaolo. This time his wife, Natasha, conducted the tasting. We tasted a spectacular Rosato, a white Grechetto, a Rosso, two Sagrantini reds and one more, super smooth Montefalco Rosso. We, of course, bought several cases, and Eunice bought one for her planned soiree on the terrace of their rented house.

Sagrantino di Montefalco

Array of our bottles in the sun.

The vines are loaded. This is Sagrantino. They said it won’t be ready to harvest until late October.

We tasted a couple of theses. They are unbelievably sweet!

View across the acreage with grapes and olive groves. Pretty patchwork. I think Bavagna and Montefalco hills are the prettiest scenery in Umbria.

Natasha sent us up the road about a kilometer to a church with picnic tables. It was a lovely place. Way up high with excellent views. And the temperature was perfect!

Our picnic tavola. Prosciutto cotto and crudo, a nice pecorino and two flat breads. We drank a bottle of the Villa Mongalli Rosato. Prefect way to have lunch and not over eat too much.

Eunice and Luther.

View from the table of the medieval town of Bevagna. One of my favorites.

We drove on down to Bevagna after our lunch and strolled the town. Pretty streets.

I loved the sparkling sun on the fountain water.

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After a two day break we joined up on their last night in Umbria at their rented house. We had a nice evening snack table outside on the spectacular terrace. It has perfect sundowners view as my British friends would say.

We really enjoyed Eunice and Mark’s visit in Umbria. It is always fun to show people around and it got us out of the house and into the beauty of our region!

Fratta ‘800 2019

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Another Ottocento has come and gone. As my loyal readers know, every late August, early September we have our annual festival called Ottocento, or Fratta ‘800. It celebrates the formation of the Italian republic in the 1800s. Garibaldi and his Red Shirts beat back the Briganti who had overtaken Umbria. In the four days of the festival there are reenactments and lots of gunfire and general mayhem, along with bands and dancers, stilt-walkers, duels, and executions. Always fun. Here are some pictures.

Saturday evening. Despite the rain the bands played on.

Curtained entrance to one of the Taverne.

They dedicated this statue to, Our Hero, Garibaldi!

Entry to the Briganti Taverna.

They played into the night. At 2AM I was up and the entire square was hopping up and down. What is it with Italians?! They simply hop up and down…I guess they can’t dance.

After.

The Briganti got up to some shenanigans of course. It took a lot of effort to finally find someone who could explain the meaning of the sign. Thanks Lisa! Literally it means “cows to pasture” I knew it had another meaning, probably more vulgar. Turns out Vacche also means Loose women. And Pasco could mean a male appendage. Then taken all together it means – The woman are out getting laid. Once I got the meaning I realized this was blocking the brothel. Made more sense then.

Belatedly, I found out the Briganti had set up larger than life-sized posters of themselves in drag. The facial hair made for some butt ugly women! Wish I’d gotten pictures.

The Briganti hoisted their banner in their lair this year.

The calm after the storm. Pretty Umbertide doorway.

Heat wave

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Welcome to summer! We went from cold rain to steaming heat. We are doing our normal “Shutter Management” . We open everything up when the sun sets, and close everything up when the sun rises into the sky. It is still nice and cool at night. Up in more northern Europe, Berlin, Paris etc. the heat was amazing. Records were set. Paris saw 45.7C or around 114F degrees. And remember, people don’t have AC here as a rule. I read an article about all the heating and cooling contractors up there being inundated with requests to install it. And they used to make fun of the Americans for having it. Harumpf. We merely got up to 37C yesterday. Warm but not terrible.

Umbertide is up to it’s old tricks. The Vespa Club hosted Vespa Clubs from ALL over Umbria. I saw shirts from Spoleto, Spello, Todi, Orvieto, Perugia. There were a LOT of vespas!

I went for a walk last week early, before it got very hot. Along the very placid Tivere river.

Along the way.

I had been asking Luther to let me know when the sunflowers were blooming along his running route out in the farm fields. He said today was the day. So I drove out there, after I was released from Vespa madness., to get a few pictures.

 

And finally a shot of our terrazza with all the pretty blooming flowers. A far cry from the horrible mess we had out here while our last pet sitters were here! The rain really delayed everything but I’m happy to say they have all recovered.

Happy Summer everyone!

Real Estate in Italy

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Real estate in Italy is a totally different animal than in the US. Reasons why:

  1. it is not a good investment. You will be very lucky to recoup your money from purchase and any renovations you do.
  2. you cannot be in a hurry to sell. We are told allow average of 3-5 years to sell here.
  3. Italians and Americans have very different ideas about houses/apartments. What should be in it. How much you should pay for what’s in it.
  4. Italians inherit property over centuries. They all have multiple houses. They do not have mortgages. They do not buy houses because they do not need to. They are house rich and cash poor.
  5. The market is stagnant. Or actually declining.

I tell you this because we have listed our house. Not because we aren’t happy here. It is my dream house. It is just the way I want it. But, being realistic, we are aging and a house on the fourth floor (American), third floor (European) is not optimal for aging in place. There is no possibility of an elevator.

Today we had a nice, young Italian couple look at the apartment. Normally we get English and Americans looking. We have listed at two agencies, one British/international, and one Italian. The couple seemed to like it. It is interesting because all the Italians we know say an Italian would never buy this place. One, because it is too expensive. And two, because it is not to their taste.

I beg to differ on both points. First, we paid €20,000 more than we are asking (!) and we put another €65,000 into its renovation. So, perhaps we paid too much. But getting it with all the bells and whistles for only €230,000 is a deal. Second, we renovated and furnished it with all Italian finishes and products. Our kitchen is manufactured by Pedini — a well known Italian kitchen designer. Our furniture is all purchased here. It is Italian in every way. But maybe a bit more sophisticated Italian than many Umbrians are willing to embrace.

This all said, I am in no hurry to sell. I will be very, very sad to move away from here. And I am not sure where we will go. It all depends on what is available elsewhere when we sell. I have many new friends here in Umbria. A nice support system, and I would miss them. I am loathe to leave it. Except…and it’s a big except…Umbria is not what I call Stranieri (foreigner) friendly. We cannot get a Permesso di Soggiorno (Permit to stay) for more than a year, commonly 2 years elsewhere. We are told we cannot apply for the EU Long Term Residence Permit, supposedly available to all foreigners after 5 years of Residency. Why? It is an arbitrary decision by this region. And no recourse that we know of. So, moving from here could facilitate these things for us. A real conundrum.

Of course, I don’t expect to sell anytime soon. So we aren’t going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Rest assured, I will continue to write on NancyGoes from whatever location we land in, in Bella Italia. In case you’re interested here is our listing.

Anatomy of a market day

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I am always fascinated by our weekly market. I like to shop there. I love the slice of life when the people from up in the hills come to shop and socialize. I even like all the Expats who come and fill up Bar Mary, sitting in the sun and having their first drinks. So today I decided to try to take a series of the life of a market set-up. Actually, I’d love to know more about the behind-the-scenes of the markets, but I’ve been unable to do that yet. Once I’m more fluent in Italian I will ask. In the market there are very small individuals who sell one thing. Like the young man in a white van with his Famous onions from Cannara. He does sell dried beans, lentils. Also fresh fava beans in spring and Cranberry beans in summer. There are also four Porchetta trucks selling their famous pork. Everyone has their favorite. There are the very big industrial vendors, and the small ones with their own produce. I have two favorites. One is a local family that I like to support, and across from them a larger, not-quite-industrial one which I go to for their citrus and seasonal things. The Polizia Municipale walk through and check all their permits. There are a few musicians who, when they come liven up the scene. And the inevitable people asking for money from you. So, that description got a little long! I just wanted to try to paint a picture of the scene. And now I will talk about the set up and break down of this market, week in and week out.

I got up at 5AM to take the first picture. The two what I call “industrial” vegetable vendors begin earliest because they have the biggest trucks which need to be unloaded and then get out of the Piazza. The one on the right with four tents is the biggest. But the one over by the building is about the same size. They mostly bring the produce from the south. Sicily, Basilicata, Puglia, Campagna. They are the cheapest stands. AND they yell…at the top of their lungs…to attract customers. Or so I’m told. I also noticed the markets in Sicily operate exactly the same with the same men yelling. So I’d hazard a guess that these big vendors are from there.

Early birds start to shop at the, just set up market. This is the market just before it officially opens at eight. There are smaller trucks who come in later than the big guys and set up last. There is a large blue cheese and cured meats vendor and it is a treat to watch that thing fold itself up.

Starting to break it all down. This is about 1PM. The market closes at noon but they will sell you stuff for an hour or more until they have it all packed. As you can see, the little trucks are mostly gone.

Before cleanup. This is one of the two big trucks. The workers have it all on pallets and roll it in.

They leave behind PILES of trash, but they kindly separate it into plastic, biodegradable and wood.

The first town trucks arrive about 1:30PM. These are the Umbertide trucks. They have small trash trucks, each picks up a different trash. After that the town street cleaner truck shows up. You may wonder why the town has to clean up after these people. Well, not just any town can have a market so it is considered an asset and privilege. It brings in business. So the town does its part.

The last “Industrial” vendor waits for his big truck. These guys have it all on the pallets and ready to go. Where is that damn truck? They do have a long day. I assume they must have a warehouse where they load the truck even earlier than the 5AM when they show up here. Then they are still here until 2:30 or so.

And finally – back to normal. Hard to imagine there even WAS a market today. it is amazing to watch.

Puppy rescue!

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Yesterday was an exciting day. I helped a group of FaceBook people in the UmbriAliens group find someone to raise two little puppies that had been discarded. They were found in a plastic bag hung on a tree limb. There were six, so young their eyes are not open and they still have their umbilical stubs. There were six. Now there are two. Four died. People don’t neuter their dogs here and when there are resulting puppies their solution is to kill or discard them. The good news is that these two are now going to be hand raised by my friend Angela here in Umbertide. The person who had been caring for them (Sarah) drove them all the way from south of Rome to Umbertide. Several others involved came along to see the babies and watch them find their new temporary home. No one is sure of the breed but the think they may be pit bulls. Which is good news for them because pit bulls are rare in Italy which will make them adoptable. There is one boy, and one girl. Pictures from Sarah.

Other happenings in Umbertide recently included a vintage car show. I had no idea they were all outside in the Piazza until I happened to glance out. These weren’t all exotic types. Many were ordinary cars of their time. Here they are.

All lined up and driving out. I always wonder where they go. Maybe to another town?

I really am ready for the spring produce to start coming into season. This time of the year there is very little new growing  yet. I’m sure seedlings are being nurtured but they aren’t in our local market yet. Just the same old boring winter veggies. I love them but I’m ready for something new. I always visit the Saturday Kilometer Zero market – our local growers and producers. This time in hopes there might just be something new. Not yet…alas. But the sun was shining and everyone was in a good mood so I snapped a few photos. Still waiting for spring…

Curly kale. Green and purple.

Cabbage and leeks. The leeks are sweet. I poached some in butter the other day which were delicious.

Dried grains are always around. Ceci beans, Cannellini beans, lentils, etc.

Umbrian olive oil – the best!

Specialty of central Italy, Porchetta. Whole boned pig stuffed with herbs and roasted overnight for about 12 hours. Addictively good.

Umbria is the land of Pecorino cheese from sheeps milk. And ONLY Pecorino cheese. The good thing is they make it in many ways, from fresh and soft, semi-hard, aged, and flavored. It is good but sometimes I miss the variety.

And everyone is starting to think about planting spring flowers. So far I’m holding off.

Senore Honey was there with all his products. Honeys from different types of flowers. I bought chestnut honey and was very surprised at the strong flavor. Not sure I like it. He also has bees wax candles and other things.

 

Pretty day for a walk on the river

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So, it seems the weather is slowly warming. We had a 60 degree day recently and the ENTIRE town was out walking and enjoying the sun. I decided to join them.

The townsfolk. The Nonni and all the grand babies in strollers were everywhere.

Clear blue skies with the town reflected in the river.

A price of winter

The winter fields, ready for planting.

Walls again.

Winter market is sparser but still has what you need.

My lemon tree has been very prolific this year. I counted 23 lemons on it! For January I brought it inside to the guest room where there is some sun and the heat is turned off. It likes it cold, but not freezing. Now that it’s nearly March it is back outside. I have to keep a close watch on the nighttime temperatures and cover it if it is supposed to freeze.