La Maest Foligno

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 ...

... On the way to our hotel room, we stopped into a final church – the Chiesa di San Rufino – and toured its interior, as well as its exhibit on Pope John Paul II. This chiesa was unique in that it had huge glass panels built into the floor that showed more Roman ruins – as well as the remains of several ancient crypts – underneath the cathedral floor. The church nave also contained beautifully carved statues of Saints Francis and Chiara.

Assisi, Umbria, Italy annalisamurray

... 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.

... the most interesting surprize.

Perugia is surrounded by modern buildings and from the parking area there is a very modern, completely automated "minitram" connecting like a long rollercoaster, through the village below and under the mountain to the far side of Perugia. This is probably the most modern and efficient devise in all of Italy.

Arriving at the far side of Perugia, we were herded ...

... 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

... My friend has a nice, sparsely decorated flat in the heart of the village. We settled in and then went to the neighboring town of Amelia for a nice dinner.

Licia had worked in that region for a few months and had been recommended to a good restaurant near Amelia. We drove over the rolling hills to the small hilltop village ...

... and everything. We had a great view to the surrounding hills.
Perugia is a quaint town with cobblestone streets. We got a bit turned around and ended up back in the same spot we started walking but eventually found our way around the town. Then we headed to Assisi. We walked through markets and saw numerous churches. The stones and narrow streets reminded me of Siena. We grabbed a milkshake and gelato and headed back to Perugia.

... Today the square is still a local meeting point for tourist and students alike.
The heart of the square belongs to Fontana Maggiore (Great Fountain) built between 1275 and 1278 by father and son team Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
At the other end of the Piazza is the Cathedral of St Lorenzo with its pink façade, which was never truly completed. Work begun in 1345 and continued until 1587, however the door way was only built in the late 1700's.

... lunch we stumbled on a look-out and found a little Italian family having lunch there as well. We scouted a grassy spot under some trees and laid out our quilt and had lunch. We drank our chilled white wine while eating our pecorino cheese, prosciutto, fresh bread and juicy peaches. I took pictures, Marty read until we both dozed off, while hearing the happy sounds of the Italian family under the bright blue sky and ...

... in town, and headed to the butcher for tonights dinner. We got a specialty of the area, roasted pig wrapped around some herbs. The last day, we headed to Assisi, which is famous for the chapel of St. Francis. There were lots of people there for the Miglia 1000, which is an old car race reenactment. The town was decorated with lines of white doves tied to the roofs. The square for St. Francis was quiet grand, and quiet crowded. We walked through and saw the burial ...