Hotel La Torretta Petrignano

December 7, 2009



Didn't know what to expect of Perugia, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. It actually have a very medieval feel to it. It sits atop a mountain and I can see why it was originally located here as one gets a very beautiful view of the valley below….and any wandering mauraders! Italy is on a 4 day holiday since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on Tuesday. The ...

... when sunlight hits it! Again, this basilica also sits right on the edge of a hillside overlook, so the views of Assisi from here were gorgeous.

Inside, the Basilica di Santa Chiara was lovely. Similarly to the crypt of St. Francis, the most moving room here was the crypt underneath the church where St. Clare is buried – another place of deep spirituality and tranquility.

From the piazza of the Basilica di Santa Chiara, we took a taxi (I just wasn’t ...

Back to the land of pay toilets. Don.t know why that bothers me so much but it does. It just doesn.t seem right. Anyway, we are now in Assisi. We got off the boat and it was raining, and then we had to take a detour to Assisi. the road was very narrow and hilly, It was a little tense for awhile. Saw St Francis ...

... we made our way to some of the cathedrals and then down to the main center of chocolate wonders. I sasw a block of chocolate the size of a human being that was being cut with a giant saw the crumbled with a sledge hammer and sold by the gram.

By now the day was winding down and we had a long drive ahead so we made our way back down the hill and drove leisurely home!!

Good job, well done!

... 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 ...

... We didn’t imagine ourselves what portion of history we are going to meet up.

At 10 o’clock there was concert and then presentation of the Mayor Silvano Materazzi and introduction by Jack Arbib, we soon will come back to Signor Arbib, but first let me tell you who was Salomon Fiorentino: Born in Monte San Savino, district of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy in 1743 and died in Florence in 1815, writer and poet, wrote the “suicide of Neera” and various ...

... Italian town. We saw the famous Siena Duomo which compared to the Florence Duomo, was packed with detail every where you go. They had an incredible Bernini Chapel, a sculpture by Donatello, and busts of all these popes around the nave as well as cool floor marble art. They also had this stupid guy who was playing with pigeons in the main square to get laughs and tips. I took some time today to explore Florence in the morning. Its nice how ...