Panicale, a little part of Italy
is a guidebook that is different from the usual kind. The author
takes us to his ancestors' town, in the green heart of Umbria. In this
little town you 'll find all that has contributed to make Italy what it
is: history, churches, art, food and the Lamborghini cars. We also meet
the town people. Inside its walls, Panicale has some 500 inhabitants and
the author finds his way to all of them. He takes us straight inside the
Umbrian cuisine with its hospitality and shows us where to find the best
roasted guinea fowl. He knows where the keys to the seven churches are kept.
He lets us take part in the magnificent Easter procession, the grape harvest
festival and la Castagnata Panicalese, the chestnut feast in November. We
may join in the ordinary day and follow the women when they cross the square
to sit down for a refreshing rest around the fountain. The atmosphere is
condensed. Timelessness lies heavily over Panicale. Pagan gods, faith-healing
saints, powerful popes, and despotic war-lords have forever left their marks
on the town. If somebody wants to go outside the walls, he gets tips as to
excursions to still more churches, fortresses and vineyards. The author Luca
Cesarini was born in Rome 1960. His mother is Swedish and father Italian.
In 1980 he left for Sweden. After studies in history of art, he switched
over to theology and was ordained a priest in 1989. He serves now as a Lutheran
minister in the parishes of Fjärås and Förlanda just outside
Gothenburg but is, at the same time, deeply involved in promoting the relations
between Sweden and Italy. Occasionally, he takes Swedish groups to visit
Italy, also following in St. Brigid's footsteps.
Kerstin Wallin
journalist of the Göteborgs Posten
Luca Cesarini
80 pictures, maps, descriptions, tips!
Göteborgsposten: "Ett barn av två länder"
La Nazione : "La cittá va incontro ai turisti. Publicata guida in svedese"
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