Italy del Giorno

The “Love Bus” on the road in Rimini – this band of four instrumentalists were parked on the side of the road, jammin’ with the door open for passersby near the beach.

Olivo di S. Emiliano — Trevi

Pictured above is the olive tree of Saint Emiliano — the first Bishop of Trevi.  An historical record from the 9th century tells the story of Emiliano’s martyrdom in the 3rd century – he was tied to a young olive tree and decapitated.  This tree, also from the 3rd century, is said to be the one where Emiliano met his demise and has, since that time, continued to grow and flourish despite numerous deadly frosts over the centuries — the most recent in 1956.  The “gelata di 1956″ hit after an unusually warm winter and killed almost all of the olive trees in the area.  The Olivo di S. Emiliano is presently a protected landmark, tree number 102, and measures 5 meters high and 9 meters in diameter.

The well in the courtyard at San Damiano in Assisi. 

Happy New Year from the shores of Lago Trasimeno.

Piano Grande in late November

When in Rome we always stop for a drink at the rooftop bar of the Hotel Minerva. 

The views are extraordinary and so are the prices but we’ve always felt it is worth it. 

This creature popped his head out to see who was trespassing on his mountain.  The Wikipedia entry for Marmot says that they were responsible for the bubonic plague.

 
The marmot is related to the squirrel but is much larger.