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Introduction
•
Shops and Restaurants
• History
and Sights
• Festivals,
Celebrations, and Events
• Further
reading
Introduction
Panicale is a typical mediaeval Umbrian hill top town.
Neighbour to the Tuscany and the Lake Trasimeno's
south shore, it boasts 500 inhabitants. During the
summer months, this number inflates to about 800.
These occasional residents, mainly from Rome and Florence,
return for the summer holidays to their hometown,
populating houses that have been owned for generations
by their ancestors. Panicale is in fact my father's
hometown. The town is within short driving distance
to Perugia (where many of Panicale's residents are
employed), Orvieto, Montepulciano, Assisi, Cortona,
Todi, Deruta, Siena and other well known towns worth
visiting. To match these known towns are even more
unknown towns, which regardless of their anonymity
have much to offer in terms of cuisine, art and culture.
Shops
and Restuarants
At a one-minute walk from the Panicale apartments
(10 minutes if you are staying in the Casa
Tanaquilla), you will find three grocery
stores selling everything from fresh vegetables to
pasta, salami and cheese, a butcher who if he has
run out, will make sausages while you wait, and a
bakery, where fresh bread and onion and salvia pizza
may be purchased starting at 6 am. Linda, in her Bottega
will cut your prosciutto by hand (The way it should
be sliced), as well as sell you truffles and fresh
mozzarella. A barber will give you a hair cut and
a shave, or if you want to catch up with the latest
gossip, drop by the hairdresser. A tourist information
office, a real estate agent, a pottery shop, a drug
store as well as other shops selling odds and ends
are all within walking distance. On Fridays, there
is a mini market on the main piazza, and in the summer
months, foreign papers are available at the local
Tabacchi (Tobacco) store.
The post office is open Monday through Saturday and
the banks Monday through Friday. The bank had for
over ten years promised to install an ATM machine.
They kept their promise in 1997, as soon as a competing
bank opened a local branch, preceding them with the
installation of the first ATM. For some time, there
where two ATMs. People might grumble and complain,
but they tend to change husbands and wives more often
than they change banks. ... So the count is now back
to one as the new bank withdrew giving room to the
tourist office. They did keep the ATM, however…
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Unfortunately, Burger King can
only be reached after a two hour long drive, and the
local Chinese take out (30 km away) went bankrupt
a couple of years ago. One has to rely on mamma Bruna's
home-made pasta followed by an excellent fried guinea
fowl in the Da Masolino restaurant. Attilio's four
cheese pasta or his pizza can be tasted in the ristorante
Le Grotte di Boldrino. Lillo Tatini is yet another
restaruant in the town walls, where they will come
out and grate the Truffles over your courses. Oh,
and there are two bars providing you with everything
from an espresso or a cappuccino to a beer or an ice
cream. If you get on friendly terms with the locals,
they might invite you to one of their private clubs.
History and Sights
Panicale's origin dates back to archaic times. As
early as 2000 B.C. Indo-European herdsmen called Acherni
and Italic people lived on the hill. Some 1000 years
later, Etruscan farmers took over and were later joined
by the Romans. Historians believe that the name of
the Castle comes from the Latin words Pani calet,
i.e. "to be in the heart of the god Pan",
the patron of nature and forests. The names of the
surrounding areas and villages are all of Latin origin.
They include Gioveto, the god Jupiter, Missiano, The
messenger of Janus, and Ceraseto, the place of Ceres.
Many more can be counted. In the 9th century A.D.
Panicale was already a Castle, and 500 years later,
a constitution ruled the life of its people. Its defence
walls still stand after numerous wars against Florence,
Rome, Perugia, the Vatican State, and other neighbouring
towns in the area.
Between war and peace times, popes and soldiers of
fortune all lived or passed through the Castle on
their way to Perugia, Assisi, Florence or Rome. Some
left still visible traces of their more or less friendly
visits. Around the 17th century, dwellings were permanently
built inside or leaning on the walls. As late as 1898,
the old moat was filled with gravel leaving space
for gardens and a ring road. The southern part of
the ring road is called Fosso Largo (Wide Moat), while
the northern part Fosso Stretto (Narrow Moat). Parts
of the moat were turned to gardens that were leased
for 99 year to the owners of the houses. The lease
expired in 1997, and to a mistake of the local council,
they forgot to extend it. That meant that the property
of the land automatically went over to the leaseholders.
Truth is (Well, at least rumours have it) that some
of the people in the city council responsible for
the renewal of the lease were themselves owners of
a house and leasing the garden, and by forgetting
the renewal, they assured themselves of their garden.
On a side note. If you understand a little Italian
and want a good laugh, try to attend one of the council
meetings. They are open to the public, and at times,
you can hear the shouts and arguments all the way
to the bar! It is not for the faint of heart.
Back to the history. The village can be entered through
two gates: Porta Fiorentina, used when arriving from
Florence, and Porta Perugina used when arriving from
Perugia. There are a total of seven churches. With
a population of 500, not all of them are regularly
used. The largest church, San Michele, is used on
Sunday mornings for celebrating mass in Italian, and
in the afternoon for song and prayer. The church contains
The Annunciation of the Virgin, a fresco made by the
famous Renaissance painter Tommaso Fini, also known
as Masolino da Panicale (1383 - 1447). He was a friend
and possibly a teacher of Masaccio. When it comes
to art, however, Panicale's pride is Pietro Vannucci,
known as Il Perugino (1446 - 1524). His family originated
from Panicale, but moved to the neighbouring town
of Citta della Pieve. Il Perugino is probably best
known for being Raphael's teacher. His Martyrdom of
San Sebastiano, which was recently restored, is located
in the San Sebastiano church. San Sebastiano is a
small, romantic and extremely beautiful church right
outside the walls. It is today mainly used for weddings.
The Sant' Agostino church has been deconsecrated,
restored, and is now a lace museum, showing off Panicale's
lace tradition by day (Popes and Kings have ordered
lace from Panicale). Occasional art shows, concerts,
and mute cinema projections take over by night.
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Panicale's newly restored theatre
was originally built in 1690 by some of the area's
most prosperous families. Today, it hosts concerts
and plays from local and travelling ensembles. Panicale's
local theatre group is still going strong, playing
both classic and modern pieces. Attending a concert
or a play (Regardless on if you understand Italian)
is a must that will transport you 200 years back in
time. Of the 200 seats in the theatre, only 20 are
located under the stage. The rest are in booths on
three levels. Prior to a show, everyone is looking
in the other booths, gossiping, wondering over who
is cultivated enough to go to the theatre and who
isn't. And every one is as usual angry over the fact
that the mayor has once again been given the best
seats. Of artistic value in the theatre is the curtain
painted in the early 1800's by Pier Vittori. It shows
the Panicale born soldier Boldrino Panieri receiving
the keys of Perugia. (The Boldrino
apartmentin his house is available for
rent). The San Sebastiano church and the Caporali
theatre are usually locked, but visits can easily
be arranged through the tourist office.
If you think this is it, you are wrong. There is much
more to see in the village. A way around it is to
find more in the books and articles have been written
on Panicale. Unfortunately, the only book published
in English (and Swedish!!), is called Panicale,
a piece of Italy. It is a guidebook which
takes you into the daily life of Panicale's inhabitants,
exploring the festivities, local politics, wines,
cars, food, religion, customs gossips and other secrets.
The book was originally written in Swedish by my brother,
and translated and updated in 1998 to English by my
mother. Both versions are available at the tourist
office (My brother is older and larger than me, so
I had to write this. But then again, the book is well
written, and well worth reading, so I am not saying
this just to be nice to him. I warmly recommend it).
At the tourist office, you will also find Luciano
Lepri’s traditional guidebook on Panicale, and
recently deceased historian Caprini’s Pani
Calet, a piece of fiction featuring all of
Panicle's famous people, talking about the history
of the village. The latter two are also pleasant reading
if you know Italian.
Festivals,
celebrations and events
Religious and cultural festivities are common in Italian
rural villages. In Panicale, they include local religious
festivals such as the feast of San Pellegrino, Panicle's
very own saint, or more traditional festivities such
as the Easter procession. Cultural festivals include
the wine festival, held in September. The wine festival
takes place right before the harvest starts, and features
food, dance, and a procession where every contrada
in town, under a lot of secrecy (and spying on the
other contradas) puts together an allegoric chariot
which is then processed around the town walls. During
the chestnut festival, held every November, you can
taste the Mosto, the grape juice which will eventually
be put in barrels to ferment and become wine together
with freshly grilled chestnuts.
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Political events include the
Communist Unity feast. Don't worry! This is yet another
opportunity for people visiting in August to taste
great home made food and drink cheap red wine. All
sold at a nominal cost. Bands (rock, blues, jazz,
classical) often play for free in the recreation area,
and the village celebrates what once used to be an
attempt to gain votes. Every one is welcome, regardless
of political beliefs and backgrounds. No vodka, smelly
fish eggs or military marches will be forced upon
you. Just good spirits and the desire to have fun,
with the older generation giving nostalgic looks at
the red flags with the hammer and sickle, a site you
otherwise so rarely see around today.
In the summer months, free concerts are held within
the city walls inside churches and outside on the
different squares. They include jazz, classical and
medieval music concerts. It is needless to describe
what it feels like sitting outside in a piazza listening
to good music when enjoying a glass of wine. Especially
when the band is using the area around the 15th century
fountain as a stage and the background curtain is
a 16th century church or an illuminated medieval building.
In the winter months, plays and concerts are often
held in the theatre and churches, even if at a lower
pace than in the summer. The Pan Kalon association,
a local association run by locals aiming at maintaining
the historical roots and beauty of Panicale, helped
raise funds for the restoration of the Organ in the
San Michele church. They often organise concerts there.
Should nothing be happening in Panicale, look around
and ask. The chance that it is in one of the neighbouring
villages is large.
Here, I could go on. The rest, however I will leave
to you to explore on location. The streets, churches
and buildings are filled with details of the people,
famous and unknown, which at one time or another lived
or visited the village. The surrounding areas offer
everything from historical sites, beautiful landscapes,
and outdoor activities. Festivals often take place,
and in-between them, peace and quiet take over. A
peace and quiet which can not be described, and thus
has to be experienced.
In Panicale, we have a wide selection of properties
available for short and long term rentals. They range
from one to two bedroom apartments in the town center
to rustic farmhouses just outside town. All properties
are owned by friends of ours, so we know they will
take great care of you, giving you a warm Umbrian
welcome and making your stay special.
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