What do you call a person with a strange fondness for cemeteries?

You call them a COIMETROPHILIAC and we qualify for that title!! 

We have always enjoyed visiting cemeteries and found the Verano Monumental Cemetery in Rome 

to be our MOST EXCITING discovery yet!!!

This massive cemetery is 20 centuries old and covers 205 acres of gardens. We could not begin to guess how many people are interred there, nor could we find any estimates online. It is fascinating to walk along  the paths, reading names and dates, and marveling at the unique artistic memorials.

 

There are literally hundreds of free-standing family mausoleums in every shape and design,...

...and hundreds of in-ground family graves. 

Some graves are cubicle in the wall stacked 10 shelves high!  

And the porcelain paintings are phenomenal!! This image of one-year-old Augusto Biondi ....

(The inscription is moving. In English is reads... "I fly to the sky to join my brother increasing the pain and desolation of the afflicted parents who painfully placed this memory so that one day they could unite with their deceased loved ones.")

...and these of the Petrangeli family are from the late 1800's. Wow!

The hundreds of sculptures adorning the monuments tell tender stories. Here a little boy peeks around the marble stone to see his little sister.

Here is a tender scene of a wife grieving for her departed husband watched over by her father. 

And this bust of "mom" is so life-like!! Since 1866 her stern look has probably kept her posterity in line!! 

Now it is your turn. Look closely at this monument and see if you can figure out the occupation of Donato di Veroli who died at age 21 in 1943. 

We took TONS of pictures and TRIED to choose just a few of our top favorites to share with you but, alas, our wander through this cemetery was so amazing and touching that it required a longer post to capture the wonder of it all! 

Three of Umbria's Lovely Hilltop Towns

A leisurely drive into the countryside took us to a few beautiful locations:

ARRONE

Arrone is an Italian village in the middle of a beautiful Umbrian valley surrounded by rocky mountains near the Marmore waterfall. It is a very popular area for hang gliding, biking, river rafting, hiking, etc.  As we drove up, up, up to Arrone we saw many people standing in the piazza near the town center.

The people had dogs on leashes, cats in crates, and even a cow on a leash. And they seemed to be waiting for something outside of church. Was it a wedding, a celebrity????

It was not until a parade of horses and riders passed by that we solved the mystery....they were all there to receive a blessing from the priest for their beloved pets and animals!! 

We chatted with a couple who had brought their beautiful Great Dane for the event and learned that it was the Feast of St. Anthony, the patron saint of animals. We had accidentally arrived at the exact day and time to witness this unique event!  

Next we wandered to neighboring CASTELDILAGO 

A Medieval hamlet on a hill with 1033 BC as its first recorded date. It requires walking through the town's narrow lanes, archways and stair-stepped passages all hewn out of rock. 

At the recommendation of the owners of the Great Dane, we had lunch at Osteria dalla Sportello. It turned into a dining experience to be remembered!!!  Delicious dishes made with local truffles, wild boar, lamb, asparagus, Roe deer, etc. It was remarkable! We wish we could share tastes but the best we can do is share pictures...... 

Our last stop of the day was MONTEFRANCO.  

Visiting these small, lesser-known hill towns gave us a real feel of stepping back in time. They all have a history of invasions, feudal and papal battles, and it is no wonder that they were built on high ground, where Umbrians could hope to find some protection.  

Every town has at least one church located in the center. It is the heart of the community and is another reminder that Italy (with over 100,000 churches) played a important role in preserving the Christian religion through the centuries. 

Friend Connections

Our son, Jared, came for a visit!! 

And while he was here we attended church in the Terni ward, about an hour north of Rome. He was able to connect with the friends of a friend of his at home who had served a mission in Terni 20 years ago.   

Making it even more special was that we had become friends with these same sweet people while working at the temple! As they say here in Italy "È un mondo picolo!". It's a small world!!

In-house Chef

 Being in Italy is amazing but being in Italy with Frank, my own "in-house chef" is fabuloso!!  Frank makes the most delicious dishes from the Italy's plethora of fresh ingredients....  

... like MUSSELS 

(before and after)

.....and OCTOPUS!!!

Quiet Beauty - #2

 Our very favorite find of the day! 

The Thursday after Christmas, while strolling near Piazza Navonna, we noticed a nondescript doorway with a deep courtyard beyond. We had tripped upon The Church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza. 

It is strikingly different from most of the churches we have visited in Rome. It contains just one painting is over the altar. There are no statues. Most churches are very elaborate, full of colors, artwork, symbols, figures, and gold accoutrements. 

But, this church is different, it is ornate but not with things. Its ornateness comes from the concave and convex corners and edges and everything being white. It was built in the mid-1600s and is regarded as a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. It was the chapel for the University of Rome, thus the name Sapienza which means knowledge or wisdom. 

And the "steeple" is awesome!! 

It is a remarkable spiraling lantern that looks very much like a soft-serve ice cream cone!!

Now here is the fun part of this find!! This church is typically open ONLY on Sunday...but we "tripped" upon its open door on a Thursday! That is what we call splendid serendipity!!