The Quintessential Norm

Raphael Kadushin's piece, "Quintessentially Italy", is a generally well-written article on Umbria, but for the most part it's your basic travel piece. The lead does what it's supposed to, it grabs my attention enough that I am willing to read on but it's nothing shocking. There is some well-versed descriptive language like when he describes the trip to Todi from the Duomo, saying; "Then drive straight into the pastoral scenery on the road to Todi, past the sloping hills, olive groves, and bell towers that all look familiar because you've seen them before in the background of numerous Renaissance paintings". While the imagery is decent, the description is like the bell towers, familiar, while the inclusion of the mention of Renaissance paintings adds a hint of interest it's nothing new.

A little while later he does inform the reader of the Festival of Two Worlds; "For two weeks from late June to early July, the town swarms with world-class musicians, actors, singers, dancers, and mimes, along with crowds clamoring for tickets, especially when the venue is held in the former Roman colony's first-century amphitheater". This is at least something new, and something of importance, something I'm glad he made mention of.

He then discusses local cuisine, and ends talking about the Umbrian hills. Perhaps, it's the fact that by the time I read this piece I'd already read several other pieces on Umbria that make this one seem ordinary or maybe it's because truthfully the other pieces were better, more interesting, more insightful. Either way I finish reading this piece without really taking much away from it, and without gaining any new insight and little new knowledge.