Valentine's Day and the MG - Terni, February 13-14, 2010
From the depths of winter, Saint Valentine, Patron Saint of Terni, brought about the meeting of the MGists of Umbria and its surroundings.
On February 13th, the eve of Valentine's Day, the traditional convivial gathering of Umbrian enthusiasts was held. Many members came from other regions, including President Fabio Filippello and Pier Paolo Parma, the tireless secretary, from Sardinia, Lombardy, Lazio, Emilia, and Romagna.
The Piediluco Rowing Club hosts us for dinner on the shores of the dark and cold lake, brightened by the lights reflected on the water from the town, home to the Olympic rowing championships.
It's worth mentioning the deliciousness, variety, and abundance of traditional local dishes, now famous and appreciated by international gourmets. Umbria is green and gargantuan. The next day, a crisp and sunny morning on February 14th, saw around thirty MGCCI members discover—for many—new itineraries, starting from Terni towards Stroncone, the medieval "Castrum Ugonis," along the ancient road that connected Rome Caput Mundi to Umbria Citerior, now the SS313.
The destination is the Speco Francescano near S. Urbano in the territory of Na i.
Here Saint Francis stopped to pray during his many peripatetic itineraries, preferring a cave in the rock that opens on the northern slope of the hills, almost mountains, which starting from Na i stretch towards the border with Lazio, where the ancient village of Configni is located.
Meditate on the unparalleled panoramic view of the Terni valley that can be enjoyed from the small convent, amidst woods dotted with traces of heavy snowfall.
The friendly Franciscan friars intent on celebrating mass for the faithful and the faithful MGists, in the tiny chapel-oratory where it is said that Saint Francis retreated after his prayers in the nearby Speco.
A visit to the small convent is full of surprises, with a miniature cloister with a beautiful wellhead in the center and, above, the original cell with the bed where St. Francis lay ill for a long time.
Sanctity and mysticism in a place unparalleled for its wild natural beauty. The Gubbio wolf was certainly once found here, and it still is today, reintroduced as part of wildlife restoration efforts.
After this immersion in the pristine nature of San Urbano, through almost deserted provincial roads and hilltops dotted with olive trees and the occasional farmhouse, we accompany Fabio Filippello, our incomparable president, towards the SS313 which will lead him to Sabina, where he lives.
We return to Terni, where the Valentine rites, of which the steel city is rightly proud, are celebrated in a gigantic consumerist-religious festival. Amidst crowds of faithful consuming and carrying their purchases from the Valentine's Fair, we manage to visit the basilica where the saint's relics are kept.
The day is warm and the cafeterias are crowded everywhere.
For lunch we're near Na i, where the crowds of faithful are a little thinner.
In the afternoon, we play the ancient Roman game of "ua, each at his own home."
The joyful reunion in Terni is over, and the tepid suns that are coming will bring us back with our beloved MGs to the roads of Italy, and Umbria. See you next time!