Moderno Assisi

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 ...

... for the steep hike to the top of the mountain) to our last major site of the day – the Rocca Maggiore. This massive 14th century hilltop military fortress – oft-expanded, pillaged, and then rebuilt again – was really neat to tour, and offered us amazing 360-degree views of Assisi, Perugia, and Umbria beyond.

Upon leaving Rocca Maggiore, we began our descent into Assisi once again (for part of the way, down a long, narrow staircase built into the ...

... 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.

... 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!

Hi Everyone!

This past weekend was the Perugia Chocolate Festival…It was amazing! Basically, I was in heaven. It was a chocolate lover’s paradise. We took a bus from Florence and arrived in Perugia by mid morning. It was a bitter day which gave me a perfect excuse to have some out of this world hot chocolate and churros. A bunch of my friends and I had lunch at a ...

... br> Then, when I stopped and turned off the steaming vehicle, the starter continued to run. I did not know that this was possible. The starter, the one that cacked out in Seville and was replaced with a perfectly good rebuilt one, decided not to shut down. It ran and ran after the vehicle was shut off. It heated up. Black smoke started to billow from it. I could smell a very hot elictrical smell.
I madly looked for the main fuse, to shut the thing off ...

Hello Everyone! We just arrived back in Italy yesterday having spent a glorious month in the sunshine! We loved Greece and had a great time there. Got masses of photos so gonna put them on first then will add detail afterwards if there's time! Ok here goes! We left Pompeii and drove across to Bari to get a ferry. Fortunately the weather did improve following the last entry so Italy didn't seem quite so bad as we left it! We were hoping we'd be able to get a ferry to Greece straight ...

... that he rebuilt and used as a home base was later covered with one of the largest churches in the world, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. It is very strange to walk into this gigantic church and see this tiny, plain stone chapel sitting in the middle (frescoes added later). We didn't spend too many days here but we enjoyed every minute we spent. We recommend this place to anyone.

... home. On Sunday, we went to an Irish pub which plays American sports to watch the Superbowl, but it was not quite the same as watching it in the states. First of all, the commentators were British (as the Brits apparently enjoy the Superbowl, and broadcast it on their TV stations), and the commercials were the same 2 repeated the whole time: Coors beer, and one for an Australian car. We left after half-time, at about 2:30 am, but it was just too late to stay ...

... from the airport to the hotel was a little exhausting the day before.....I was ready to do it again, but callie wanted to take a taxi.) Anyway, we got there way early and they eventually showed up and we got on a bus to assisi.... Needless to say I slept most of the way.... We made it to assisi. Now, I was warned beforehand to pack light because we had a big hill to climb with all of our bags....I was well ...