Un giorno ventoso in cima Umbria
Despite the numerous online forums complaining about the difficulty of getting a public bus from the airport to the city centre, it proved remarkably pain free and inexpensive, albeit with a few basic words of Italian. |
01 /. The Roman aqueduct 02 /. The Hotel Fortuna at night 03 /. Looking back at Perugia from the Market 04 /. Dan in Piazza Italia 05 /. Clare in front of the Catherdal |
Camminare nella vecchia Perugia
After a long nights sleep and a good continental breakfast, I felt considerably better despite the passing of my 32nd Birthday! Likewise outside the blue skies persisted as did the howling wind. The centre of Perugia is accessible by foot and can be explored easily within 24 hours. Having ticked off several of the more obvious sites we sat under the shade of the Cathedral and grabbed a bottle of water. Unfortunately we weren’t alone and the pigeons above said ciao by defecating on my leg! At least the water came in handy. |
01 /. Looking south from the Market 02 /. One of the many ancient archways 03 /. Statue detail (without pigeon!) 04 /. One of the old gateways 05 /. Inside the Cathedral 06 /. Looking down the Roman aquaduct 07 /. Sunset in Umbria 08 /. Clare gazing towards the south of the town 09 /. View from Rossi Scotti 10 /. Out of the old City gates 11 /. Heading back towards our hotel 12 /. The Perugia courthouse at night 13 /. Neon sign detail 14 /. The old town hall 15 /. Perugia Cathedral at dusk 16 /. View of the Corso Vannucci late at night |
Lingua e cultura
When you think of Italian cuisine, a Choco Kebab probably isn’t the first you would think of. However, that exactly what we had! With limited Italian and no English, ordering proved a little tricky, but the resulting kebab was great. (Basically a crepe with cream, Nutella, cameral and flaked chocolate – although any number of combinations was possible!) |
01 /. Various posters, marketing and signs from Perugia 02 /. View from the Cathedral steps 03 /. Saturday evening Passeggiata 04 /. Clare posing among the natives 05 /. Various portraits of us including Clare cleaning bird poo! 06 /. A choco Kebab from Perugia |
Una mattinata con Francesco...
With a day trip to the surrounding area planned, we headed for the train station which was about 2 km from the town centre. This gave us the opportunity to use the Mini Metro Railway which is monorail line running from the outskirts of town to the city centre. Both over and underground, the unmanned carriages run every 2 mins for a euro, saving a steep walk. |
01 /. The Perugian 'Underground' 02 /. Perugian Mini Metro 03 /. Assisi Train Station 04 /. The old entrance into Assisi |
Assisi, the town synonymous with Francesco was our first stop. Along with half the population of Umbria it seemed, we made our way to the famous monastic buildings. Unfortunately as it was Sunday morning there was a service in full swing. It seemed inappropriate and intrusive to linger too long although many visitors continued obliviously. Having taken the obligatory tourist shots we climbed the narrow streets to the heart of Assisi. Deceptively bigger than it first looks, the town is charming but with a keen eye to cash in on its most famous resident. |
01 /. Tourist pose outside Assisi 02 /. Assisi town centre 03 /. The local law and order on patrol 04 /. Relegious detail 05 /. The restored Assisi Cathedral 06 /. Francesco himself... 07 /. Cathedral details 08 /. Assisi town centre buildings 09 /. The view from the top of Assisi 10 /. Clare resting and taking in the views |
Un pomeriggio sul lago
Having disembarked the 13:17 train from Assisi at the small lakeside town of Passignano Sul Trasimeno, we headed for its sleepy centre by the lake shore. Hungry and in need of refreshment we grabbed a Panini and basked in some genuine heat from the sun. Even the odd Italian took off their scarf! The Sunday afternoon weather brought out the local families, joggers, dog walkers and those just in need of some quiet time by the water. The tranquil atmosphere was a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist crowds in the morning and a very pleasant place to while away a few hours. |
01 /. Dancing fish in the lake 02 /. Sunday afternoon stroll at the lake 03 /. Dan looking nautical 04 /. Possibly the worlds biggest frying pan? 05 /. The old Castle at Passignano sul Trasimeno 06 /. Feeling some heat away from the wind 07 /. Lake Trasimeno itself! 08 /. Train station detail |