Ci spiace, ma questo articolo è disponibile soltanto in English.
Nel 2003 Rebecca ha iniziato a scrivere dei saggi per il sito Slow Travel, raccontando la sua esperienza di ragazza di città che dagli Stati Uiniti si è trasferita nella campagna umbra.
Le sue riflessioni sono riprodotte qui.
Umbria Slow:
Mmmmmmmm, I can almost taste those wonderful Cannara onions! What a disappointment to have missed the festa this year. :(
Actually, Italian and other European villages face “depopulation and decline” because Europeans, and especially Italians and Spaniards, are not having children. Not being on the tourism A-list isn’t the real problem.
Hello Jarrell, thanks for your comment.
Certainly the reason that small towns in Europe are struggling with depopulation is complex and multifaceted. Part of the problem is sociological and part is economic. Umbria’s population is actually growing, but slowly but surely migrating to the newer industrialized and better connected areas in the Umbrian valley were there is work. Even towns on the tourism A-list are slowly but surely emptying out of residents, aside those who work in the tourist industry (Assisi, for example). And one of the primary reasons Italians are having less children is economic–you can see my blog post about it here. So what comes first, the chicken or the egg? I don’t know, but I will do my part to promote the villages in the meantime (I’ve had my two kids, so have done my part there, as well!)
Luckily we were back in town for the last two days of the festa. I was determined that jet lag wasn’t going to keep us from our annual onion feast – although luckily my mother in-law (Cannarese) makes onion pizza throughout the year… and her onion polenta – ecstasy.
Anyways, it’s always nice to see all of the young teenagers involved with serving up the food with their parents in the kitchen or at the cash register. But this year we were all taken aback by our server: a 7 year old, as they say here in Italy… still with milk on his lips. He was adorable and very efficient, it must have been the previous two weeks of practice. And it was hilarious watching Arturo instructing him about our order. But no problem, he got everything right with his pizza loaded tray and his little head and shoulders just peeking over the table.
… and I agree with you about Giardino Fiorito although the Avis stand is a close second with their onion parmesan and their pizza topped with crispy thin fried onions. Oh, I’m ready to go back!
I know you were disappointed…on the upside, just one more reason to come back next fall! Un bacio….
Hi Patrice!! Welcome back! Coffee, chinwag? Call me!