Umbria, Where It All Began
Umbria - Credit Adobe Stock
There’s something about meandering through the streets of unknown towns that makes you feel like you are on the brink of a major encounter.
Couple this with a virtually inexistent knowledge of the local language, and you are setting yourself up for a truly sensorial awakening. Such was my state of mind as I strolled through Terni’s old town in search of beauty, novelty, an indication that in 2021 the world was back to normal – and that 2020 was truly behind us. Passersby wandered aimlessly down Via del Corso, once the prime center of this Umbrian city. Although many shops remained closed, there was a sense of hope and renewal in the air. Summer had begun, inundating the town with light and laughter, and the “Ternani’s” hungrily lapped it up as a sign of better times ahead.
As I turned left towards Via del Tribunale, I reflected on the peaceful coziness (the german word “gemütlichkeit” comes to mind) of pedestrian pathways and their ability to create an atmosphere unto their own. The path narrowed slightly, and I found myself summoned by the intoxicating piano symphony that emanated from an open window in one of the historic buildings that ran alongside the path. (I was later to discover that this was Terni’s Musical Conservatory, which had relocated to Palazzo Giocosi Mariani in 1995, after significant renovation works.)
And it was under the spell of this music that I alighted upon the doorsteps to “Nena Officina Creativa” – Nena Creative Workshop. I was enthralled. The white entrance arch was enclosed within two sets of elegantly ascending spearheaded wrought iron gates that perfectly matched the main door frames. But it was the lighting above all else that lured me to gaze into the boutique. It was bright and welcoming yet unintrusive all at once. There were cushions, handbags, and jewelry as far as the eye could see, but what called to me was the workspace at the back of the shop where a bespectacled woman was clearly in the middle of artistic creation. It was practically therapeutic watching her work …
As fate would have it, however, my husband joined me at that precise moment, and although he would have dutifully accompanied me in this impromptu treasure hunt, we were due to meet friends for aperitivo … so I dragged myself away, mentally noting that I would return to this magical place.
In the 20 or so months that followed, life was busy happening – I became fairly fluent in Italian, we endured yet another lockdown that winter, until, finally, the plans for my business venture began to fall into place. So, when the time came to write the first Umbrian brand story for “BrandIngredients”, Nena Officina Creativa was naturally the one I was most drawn to unveil…
Courtesy Nena Officina Creativa
