Some Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  Perhaps it was Einstein.  We don’t really know.  But regardless of who said it first, Umbria visits on us a certain form of insanity.  We do the same things over and over again, but here, each time we get a different result.  That’s probably why we’re crazy about Umbria.

A challenge we often confront when hosting groups in our little corner of the world is how to show them some of the many highlights that we love, the things that make Umbria special, without falling into the same rut, time after time.  Keeping it fresh, while being sure not to miss the essential experiences that make this area truly special is something we work hard on.  There is so much to do, so much to share here, that you could spend a month visiting a different small town each day (we wrote about designing two completely different Food and Wine itineraries last fall) and still not see it all.  But there are certain activities and experiences that you want everyone to share.

A visit to Fabriano, the ancient birthplace of papermaking in Italy, a fascinating town in the neighboring region of Le Marche, about an hour from the villa, is just one of those experiences.

Suzy and I discovered Fabriano a couple of years ago while wandering down the Marchigiana coast.  We were blown away by this incredible hidden gem, especially its unique Museum of Paper and Filigree (Watermarks) which sounded like a snooze but in fact bordered on life altering.  Over the past couple of years, our connection to Fabriano deepened and developed, as we began to sell the museum’s handmade paper at Bella Italia and as we met Giorgio, director of the museum and spent several amazing visits to the town under his guidance.

So a visit to Fabriano with our eclectic group – our twin sons and daughter, three of their friends, one’s girlfriend and her mother – was a must.  But our itinerary – a visit to the Paper Museum, with its two hour hands-on presentation of the history and art of papermaking paired with a visit to the nearby museum of printing, and stops at two smaller museums – a museum of the history of the pianoforte and a museum dedicated to bicycles designed for various professions – threatened to be a rehash of our previous visits.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

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The drive to Fabriano, along a different route than in the past, was, in contrast to the winding overland route we had taken in the past, fast and pleasant.  This area is undergoing a massive amount of highway construction, only a little of which is complete, leaving you at the mercy of old state roads.  But our new route took us mostly on a straight, flat and wide highway that delivered us to Fabriano fresh and smiling rather than queasy and grumbling.  We proceeded to the Paper Museum where the ever-smiling Giorgio met our group, rearranging the itinerary slightly due to our late arrival.

From the moment he welcomed our group we knew that this would not be a simple “rehash” of our previous visits.  By force of personality, and the incredible depth of the intellectual and cultural offerings that this little town has to offer, it was clear from the very first moment that this would be a unique and memorable experience for the newly initiated as well as the repeat visitor.

Giorgio rushed us across town to the ex-convent that houses the printing museum and the piano museum.  The piano museum, which has yet to open to the public, was in the final stages of preparation for its grand opening, taking place this Saturday.  Despite the work crews and frenetic activity, the museum’s director and inspiration, Claudio Veneri, who also happens to be the owner of the collection of 18 pianos dating from the early 1700s to the early 1900s on display here, took an hour of his time to walk us through the history of the piano, playing period pieces on different instruments, showing the evolution of the instrument and how the instrument’s evolution affected musical composition.  Of particular interest [spoiler alert] was a piano on which Claudio played Mozart’s Turkish March.  Having experienced this previously, Suzy and I knew that at the refrain Claudio would add percussion – a drum and bells that are built into this particular instrument – a shock and a delight to experience for the first time.  And although he did not permit us to photograph in the museum I will never – never – forget the look on Chase’s face as the first bang of the drum and ring of the bells came out of the frail looking, boxy instrument.  Jaw dropping may be an overused expression, but his jaw literally dropped and eyes popped, as he was powerless to speak, simply staring and being completely surprised and overwhelmed by a first time experience that he will never again be able to replicate.  For us to experience his reaction is the sort of thing that makes our tours around this area so rewarding for us.  Call us crazy, insane even.  But it is possible to do the same thing over again and get a different result.  With apologies to some Einstein.

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Time will not permit me to recount all of the wonderful repeat experiences that day in Fabriano that were first time experiences for our guests.  The eye opening experience of seeing how old rags are converted into pulp and then paper; the light bulb that goes off when considering for the first time the centrality of paper to the human experience and its contribution to the sweep of history; the amazement over the inventiveness of man in converting a two wheeled mode of transportation into a mobile office.  There were completely new experiences as well, including lunch at a local restaurant renowned for their pork butchery, winning awards for their specialty sausages and seasoned guanciale.  The first bite of their salt, pepper and garlic scented sausage, in a style so different from the ones we are used to in Umbria, was worth the hour long drive.  Jaws dropped, no different from when Claudio brought in the percussion.

Different experiences, same result.  What word would you use to describe that, Einstein?  We say, “Umbria.”

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy

Visit our Fabriano Album!
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