Grifone Hotel Ristorante Perugia

... today. That has to be my favorite saint. Very busy here even though end of season. No wireless interent. We have one more day and we start home. I think we are ready to get home. It has been beautiful here and I have learned so much, but all good things must come to an end. See you all next week I hope.

... absenthe.

Next we decided to explore the surrounding village before entering the crowds above. Perugia is a beautiful midieval village and very well preserved. Incorporated into this ancient setting are some very modern things like an underground moving walkway, taking you through the mazez below the pallazo. On this day, there were special booths set up for children and chocolate vendors.

Perugia, Umbria, Italy davefremland

... pizzeria where I had delicious lasagna. After lunch we browsed through the many stands. Sample after sample led to some major purchases. It was hard to pass up the various chocolate products when the smell just filled the air. There was everything from chocolate beer to chocolate “pills” to chocolate pasta!!

Heaven.

I’ll update you soon,

Siara

... br>We had a traditional dinner consisting of foods from that region. I had a pasta followed by the most sumptuous lamb. And Licia had the same. We took a stroll through the charming village and then drove back to our village for the night.

It was quite cold but with the fresh air and quiet, I got a great night's sleep.

... the pool but the second day we went back into Perugia and had a look around before catching a train to Assisi. The train station isn't in the centre of Perugia, so we had to catch a mini-metro to the top of the hill which gave us a great view before exploring the town on the way back down. We spent the afternoon in Assisi, a short train ride from Perugia.
Assisi is a major destination for millions of pilgrims due to its religious ...

... this route before it was through the dark and didn't see any of the beauty) from Florences was some of the most beautiful we have seen so far in Italy. The train takes you past Lago Trasimeno a drop dead gorgeous lake with picturesque islands floating on its crystal surface, surrounded by lush green hills. Now this is the real heart of Italy, were you slow your pace to suit the life around you.

One of Italy's best preserved hill towns ...

... at some place overnight to go hiking and rafting etc. The concert with the kids on top should make things interesting.

Along with the kids comes Hugo the coach driver, man he is an interesting character. He is from Belgium but has traveled basically everywhere doing tours and stuff, he even worked for Contiki at one point. He tells me all sorts of stories about things, only trouble is he tells the sames stories ...

... open valleys for miles, then high mountains capped with snow in the far distance. I saw about 50 churches, as well as an underground city. The underground city is right under the centro, and they have escalators from the bottom of the hill, thru the underground city, to the top of the hill or the centro. I went back to Parma, they were open and Mara was right, they make the best sandwich! Fresh cheese, prociuto, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo with chopped olives. I did a ...

... I found a park further out with a great view and an outdoor theatre. Having a look at the line up for the 2 nights I would be there, I was a considering it for evening entertainment. Further investigation, however, revealed they were dubbed in Italian, so much for a movie! 4pm was rolling around and I had to be back to check my bag into my room. After a refreshing cold shower to alleviate the heat and a run to the local market I was set for the ...

... as big for two dollars, and dinner is on them (as long as you buy a drink.) But seriously, There's no way I could pick a best part of this trip, it's all been pretty amazing. That's without classes though. They start friday, and it's going to be a lot of work. seven hours of language a day, maybe even more. I miss you guys though, and can't wait to get back to LVC and hang out. I'll update this piece later. Most triumphant.... September 1st. Day three? So it feels like I've been here ...