I. Love. Umbria.
Tuscany better be pretty dang good, because personally I think the book should have been titled Under the Umbrian Sun. Or maybe it was and the publishers thought Tuscan Sun had a better sound. Regardless, I left my heart in Umbria. The cooking class we went to on Tuesday far surpassed any and all expectations. During the class, Gerry’s passion was so contagious. She was literally living out her dream and I had the honor of experiencing it with her and, by the time we left, I was considering trading in my Auburn degree for a culinary degree. Making my own real Italian pasta was, until Tuesday, something only the incredibly lucky got to do. Never in my own life did I think I was going to be able to learn that skill. I’ve already looked up how much a pasta maker costs on Amazon because I never want boxed pasta again.
Assisi was incredibly gorgeous. I was incredibly reluctant to leave. Everywhere I looked, I wanted to take a picture. The white and pink marble and the tiny winding hilltop town made me smile so much my cheeks hurt by the end of the day. I made sure to get the staple products of the city, olive wood and pottery, before I left and I know I will treasure my cutting board and mug forever. I think my favorite part of the day was just sitting, eating my gelato, overlooking the city for an hour before we left. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the rolling hills and how the buildings fit in so perfectly with the landscape. In my opinion, Umbria is Italy’s best kept secret and I hope it stays that way so more visitors can fall in love with it as I did. Pax et Bonum translates to ‘peace and happiness’ in english. Pax at Bonum is exactly how I felt in Assisi!
Kelly Cashon