Perugia, and Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds.

"Village outside of Perugia"
Ink & Watercolour  sketch. Peter Kreet

The summer of 1962, I spent in Perugia in an attempt to learn Italian. Like most people living in a foreign country, you tend to talk to your fellow countrymen, that is not a great deal of help. Perugia presented a diverse face to the world, with students from every corner of the globe. The main attraction being the Italian language school were one could study Italian from one month to a year. There were three terms, beginer, intermediate and of course advanced were you would study Dante and other Italian classics. The classes were highly entaining as only Italian was spoken, so considerable mime and acting skills were required  by the instructors. Often with hilarious side effects, as we tried to match the phrases through mime.

Perugia was the seat of the ancient Etruscans before Rome conquered central Italy around 295BC. As such it is one of the oldest towns in the country, still having it's Etruscan town gate. Beside the language school, the town could boast a medical, musical and fine art accademy, so it is very much a student population with all the vibrancy that implies. There were plenty of good cheap eateries and a lively night life. I always follow the advice a wise uncle once gave me "always follow the parish priest for the best and cheapest place in town to eat.

It  was here that I first my future wife, Heather, an Australian girl although at first I thought she was English as she spoke perfect English. She was a very lively girl, very talkive,who seemed to be able to engage anyone in conversion at a moments notice. This was just as well As I'm rather shy with strangers and even when I know people well not  very talkative.

At the time some fellow student friends were coming up from Rome to attend the Festival of Two Worlds at Spoleto.A mutural friend of ours was exhibiting some highly political photoes at the Festival. Unfortunately the local Bishop took offence to some of the images as they were fairly anti-catholic. One image I recall showed some nuns lifting their habits to step over a puddle of water in the gutter, while a Dominican priest looked over his shoulder in order to gain a better view of their legs!  These sort of photoes did not go down well and the exhibition was banned. However a Swiss publishing house saw the work and published them in Zuric. My friend went on to make a big name for himself in the fashion industry working for Vouge, Elle and other high flyers maginizes.

To return to Perugia I was discussing my plans to go to Spoteto over lunch, when this very attractive blond girl came up and suggested she would love to go. In addition she assured me she was very good at hitch-hiking. My previous attempts at obtaining lifts, left a lot to be desired, often resulting in few lifts, or finishing up in an awkward situtation with various member of the clergy, who apparently found young men attractive.Heather however was as good as her word and we made the trip in no time at all. At times I was required to hide behind a bush untill a lift was obtained much to the disappointment of  Italian suitors.

Spoleto proved to be rewarding, we saw the premier of "The milk train doesn't stop here any more", many fine art exhibition and open air concerts in the town square. My Scots friend from Rome Gordon arrived with his partner, an American girl who had decided to make some money selling Texan Hot Dogs with a very hot Mexican chilli sauce. Italians, like many people are very conserviative in matters of food and did not take to the hot dogs. For several months back in Rome we had these sausages served up in every imaginable conbination. Luckly she was a very good cook.

This was the first of many such outing Heather and I made that summer out into the Umbrian coumtryside, visiting vineyards and villages on pinics. Sometime we would take our painting gear as much to my delight Heather was interest in art, more of that later.