UMBRIA, ITALY - HEALTH

My wife and I are both English and have been living in Umbria, Central Italy for almost 30 years. During that time various friends, clients and relatives have suffered from broken, shoulders, legs and ankles, have had heart attacks and nervous breakdowns, have torn their hands, cut their fingers and had things in their eyes, have suffered from perforated ulcers and internal haemorrhaging, but apart from that, have been pretty healthy! The local Italian, or Umbrian health service is outstanding.

So, our area of the Upper Tiber Valley is served by three excellent hospitals, Perugia, Umbertide and Citta’ di Castello. No-one, as far as I know has ever received a bill for more than €30 – 40 despite the cost of their treatment, ambulance transfers and after care. Excellent Umbrian Health care.

My visits to all these hospitals has found them to be clean, well equipped and caring. No-one waiting, or dying, in the casualty or emergency reception. No-one parked to live, or die, on trollys in corridors, no-one ever turned away because they hadn’t paid their medical insurance, and no-one being turned away uncured. unhelped or uncared for.

I can't rate the local health services more highly.

We run a country house, hotel, B&B, guest house called La Preghiera, rent a villa for holidays and vacations called Moscatelli, and build and restore ancient farmhouses, country houses or real estate and, depending on where our guests, friends and clients have come from, our local health service seems to be, like our home and properties, four star.

John Tunstill, Umbria, Italy.

Festa-bruary

Middle of Winter but there are still a
number of plays and live music
concerts around the area, the biggest
event has to be the Carnivale in Piazza
where the children of the area get to
dress up and parade around the town.




1st - Tuoro, Teatro Comuniale, Silent Movies of Buster Keaton
7th – C.di C, Il Fondino “Rockin Opposition”, music and poems by Facopo Falchi
15th – Piazza Metteotti, Antique Market
15th - Umbertide, Teatro dei Riuniti, Production “Era una notte calda d’inverno”
17th – C.di C, Teatro Comuniale, Production of “Viaggiatori di pianura Acque mobile”
22nd - C. di C. Festa di Carnevale, lots of fun for the kids.
22nd - C. di C. Teatro Comuniale, Production of “Clash to me”
22nd – Gubbio Monthly market of locally produced, ecological goods.
27th - C. di C. Teatro Comuniale, Production of “U ciclopu” directed by V. Pirrotta.

Exhibitions throughout the Upper Tiber Valley

Alfredo Santarelli 1874 – 1957, Ceramicist, C. di S. Francesco, Gualdo Tadino.

Shaken Not Stirred

For anyone who has seen the opening sequences of the latest James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace” you will have witnessed the exciting spectacle of the “Palio di Siena”. The race is run twice a year in the Tuscan town, on the 2nd July and 16th August and has been a feature of the “Piazza del Campo” since it was first organised in 1656 to honour the apparition of the Virgin Mary nearby.

Siena is divided into sixteen Contradas or districts that all compete for the prized Palio, a beautifully designed banner awarded to the winner. Each Contradas has its own coat of arms, emblems, colours, patron saint and supporters; which include the she wolf, porcupine, the forest, the snail and the tortoise and attracts passionate followers.

The event itself consists of four days of celebrations, medieval costumed precessions and displays, culminating in flag throwing exhibitions, parade of the jockeys, a cavalry charge by the mounted Carabinieri and then the race itself. Siena ’s piazza is turned into a racecourse, the floor covered with earth, protective bleachers erected and stands put up for the 33,000 spectators. Many more are crammed into every available window, roof and balcony to witness the event.

The race is a chaotic; bare-backed three laps of the course with the winner taking all, surprisingly enough it is not the last person to cross the line who is considered the looser but the second placed rider. Visitors will get to see a celebration that stretches back centuries and in these modern days of corporate sponsorship and big business the Palio di Siena still maintains a medieval feel at its core.

If you are coming over to Italy for the Palio, why not check out our medieval monastry offering excellent accommodation and within easy reach of Siena. www.lapreghiera.com