June 11^th

Every day we visit an Umbrian highlight: Perugia, the university city and origin of the chocolate baccetti (kisses), Assisi where the Francis of Assisi lived as a poor outlaw and later honored as a saint. Orvieto with its giant dome and famous wine, Gubbio, another medieval town. One more picturesque than the other. All of them very catholic.

Visiting these places for a week with a Christian White German group is more a challenge than I had thought. It is the monoculture in the group and the assumption of being Christian/catholic, heterosexual and German. I indeed did grow up like that but my reality today is different. I am totally invisible. I did ask both tour guides about the history of Jews in the places but the answer was there were none. Of course on my own internet researches in the evenings I found the stories of invitation and expulsion throughout the middle ages. The moneylenders are mentioned. So it was clear others must have been here as well.

More known are the communities in the Tuscany but also there our Tuscanian travel guide had nothing to say.

Our days go like this: we visit churches, then town piazzi (places), we learn about the neighborhoods, the history and architecture of these towns, many of them former Etruscan settlements. We admire the narrow street, the arches and stones. Then we have an hour free. My uncle, his girlfriend and I look for a café and enjoy a cappuccino and watching people (if we have not lost each other in the meantime between looking for bathrooms and buying souvenirs). I so much admire him and his ability to simply enjoy and let others have a good time, too. He grew up poor and with little family support and is such a model of sharing and be in the moment.

In our group is a man who clearly has communication disorders in the autistic spectrum. Her found his way to our dinner table and joined our party of three. Many in the group ignore him and others make jokes. I do mention to others that I find him the bravest in the group too dare to go on such a trip. It is very nice not to have to please people anymore. My first fruit of being 50. Life will be interesting and for sure more fun.