Georgie Jumble is on holiday in Umbria, Italy.
She is staying with her Italian cousins and her Nonna
(which is Italian for 'Gran') in a charming hill top, medieval
village called Castel Rigone above Lake Trasimeno.
It is Georgie's first morning in 'Jumble House'.
She sits up and rubs her eyes.
The bedroom is bathed in a golden light and there,
peeping round the door are …………
……….. all of her cousins !
'Ciao !' 'Buon giorno !' they squeak excitedly.
'We have been waiting for you to wake up !' says Bianca
'Si! ' says Rosa, 'We want to show you our village!'
Georgie jumps out of bed and runs to the window .
The sun is rising behind the hills.
'It's so beautiful,' exclaims Georgie.
For breakfast Georgie has a cornetto and cappuccino.
The cornetto is like a
croissant filled with a creamy custard.
Then it's time to explore the village.
Just down the road is a huge church.
Madonna dei Miracoli
Georgie turns the latch on the door and they quietly walk
inside.
Georgie feels very small.
The church is so big and the ceiling so high!
Even the paintings are bigger than her!
Her cousins tell her that this is a very special church. It is a sanctuary because a
miracle happened here many years ago.
'What's a miracle?' asked Georgie.
'We will tell you the story later,' says Fabio
Then they explore more of the village.
There are so many steps !
Her Italian cousins are used to all this climbing but
Georgie is still tired after her journey. 'Sono stanco ! ' She
says.'I'm tired.'
'Come on !' Mario shouts, 'Avanti!'
'There's the football stadium' says Mario. 'Our team is
very good.'
Georgie likes playing football.
'I hope I can watch a match,' she says.
All the Jumbles love walking, and climbing and jumping and sport and all kinds of
exercise.
They are very fit!
They go for a walk down one of the many lanes and have great fun chasing about
and climbing the trees.
Georgie is so happy she turns cartwheels down the path.
Then, all of a sudden, 'WHACK' !
Something hits Georgie on the head.
Then she is hit again and again! Georgie looks up and sees little seeds falling
from the trees.
She knows they are seeds but doesn't know their name.
She looks round for the other Jumbles but they have
raced ahead.
'I must ask Nonna to help me to identify them,' she thinks.
Then Georgie sees a big pile of logs .
'I wonder what these are for? Is someone having a bonfire?'
'No,' says Lorenzo, 'We use them to keep the house warm in the winter.'
How strange thinks Georgie. I haven't seen a fire in the house.,
When they arrive home Nonna is waiting on the steps.
Georgie asks her about the logs and Nonna explains that they are ready for
the winter.
Most houses have a stove called a 'stufa' .
The logs are burnt on the stufa to keep the house warm.
But Georgie still doesn't know what her seeds are called.
Nonna sees the leaf.
This will help them to identify the seeds.
They look on the Internet for a chart to help them.
Can you help Georgie to identify the leaf?
Which tree is it from?
What are the seeds called?
Look carefully at Georgie's seeds and the seeds on the
chart.
There is a part missing from Georgie's seeds.
Can you see?
What is it for?
This link will help:
For more information and slideshows on Castel Rigone and Umbria visit:
Take a look at this video on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/GdfpXdSxZJ8
http://www.loveumbria.co.uk
http://www.loveumbria.co.uk/?p=558
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