Assisi

Beautiful String of Doves

Straight Ahead is the
Old Roman Temple

Assisi Church of Sain Francis

I'm on a Roman Road!

Vineyard

Day 13
Umbria - The Other Tuscany

On the bus again heading south to Umbria, beautiful scenery passes by us. The bus rides are great, there is lots of room and everyone can have a window seat. It allows time to read ahead about our next destination. It's also a good time for extra sleep or for catching up on writing in your journal.

Ferdi calls Umbria the other Tuscany because it's pretty much the same, only not as expensive because of the celebrity that Tuscany has received from recent books and movies.

We went to Assisi, the town famous for Saint Francis. The group visited the tiny church this Saint built by himself. It was one of the most beautiful churches on our trip because it was so simple, humble, unadorned, and yet so warm and inviting. After seeing this little church built by the Saint it was annoying to go outside and see all the street vendors trying to sell Saint Francis trinkets. Especially since this Saint was known for his anti-materialism.

We visited a museum of an ancient Roman road. Wow, I got to walk on a Roman road. It was amazing to imagine legions of soldiers marching down this very road. What history! There was also a Roman Temple that is now used as a church, but the architecture was still very much roman so you still get a real sense of those times.

Walking down a village road I saw a wonderful pastry shop! I only bought a few pieces, okay so I bought five. My favorite was a round piece of flacky pastry topped with pecans and caramel. Mmm, good!

This is What's Left of My 5 Pieces

Now that dessert is secured, it is on to find the main course for lunch. I was on a quest to find porchetta! It's a dry pork barbecue. The pork is de-boned, stuffed with herbs, and barbecued. So many places were sold out, but I finally found a little cafe that had some. I found some steps to sit on with a great view of the Umbrian countryside. Ahh, the porchetta was surprisingly flavored and not at all dry like I thought it might be. I'm so used to Southern sauce soaked barbecue that I was a little skeptical at first. This was so surprising!

On my way back up the stairs I found Ferdi at a cafe overlooking the huge lawn in front of the Big Church of Assisi. We enjoyed the view together and had a nice chat. I ordered a pear juice. The juices here aren't like their sugary North American counterparts at all, they are just liking eating the real thing, except without the chewing.

I told Ferdi I hadn't decided if I was going to go inside the Big Church or not. He said, "Oh come on, I bet we can do it in 5 minutes. I mean you're here. You might as well."

So we gave it a go. We passed through the long aisle looking at the frescoes overhead. We continued down the stairs to the middle level. The tomb of Saint Francis is here. It had an eerie candle light glow to it. I guess you can go to the third level and walk underneath the tomb - no thanks! We exited the church into the expansive stone courtyard and in 5 minutes flat!

On to a real treat, we are staying in an agritourism hotel, Agriturismo La Rocca, out in the country just outside of Orvieto. The government of Italy gives subsidies for people who have a working farm or vineyard and bring in tourism. The one we were staying at had its own vineyard, olive grove, and farm animals for the restaurant. It gets its name, La Rocca, from the large golden colored rock formation that towers behind the hotel.

What a surprise, this place is like a resort! There are little bungalows, a central hotel with separate restaurant, patio, and pool; all overlooking the gorgeously lush Umbrian countryside.

After an excellent dinner I went with Anita and Don to their little bungalow for some evening wine and conversation. Back at my room I turned on the TV for the first time on this trip and tried to watch a teen movie, Cinderella with Hillary Duff. I thought with it being dubbed in Italian it might make it more bearable - alas, it was not.

Orvieto

Not aTrolley Crash! Gasp!

That Was a Close One!

Picture Perfect

The Owner Conducting
Our Wine Tasting

I've Never Seen So Many Glasses!

Best Pate Ever!

So cute!

A Little Company For the Night?

Day 14
Umbrian Inspired!

Today we visited the nearby town of Orvieto. Perched atop a plateau of orangy - golden volcanic tufa rock. It's a very strong but light rock for building. The town seems like it is part of the rock it sits upon since they built it from the same material.

We took an adorable little trolley up the steep slope to the town. You head up and up and up. Then you see another trolley heading straight at you, gasp! Then you notice the rail splits right in front of you and the other trolley passes you by. This is another lovely medieval town of many charms. There are little steep streets with buildings smooshed together and little cafes spilling into the lane.

There was a weekly market going on with lots of fresh fruit vendors. You could buy all kinds of things here; cooking utensils, underwear, meat, sweets and all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

The only culinary flaw in Italy is the bread. It's just seen as what you use to soak up the last of the sauce. For some reason they still make it in the medieval style without salt which makes it rather flavorless and very tough. The only kind I recommend is the soft and herby foccaccia.

Of course I had to go to the porchetta stand! I ordered mine and a little group of tourists asked for my help in ordering. They didn't really know any Italian and had no idea where to start. I told them what to say and they were very grateful so I taught them a few extra phrases I thought they'd appreciate.

Back home I had downloaded free podcasts of Italian lessons. Armed with my trusty Rick Steves' Italian phrase book and these podcasts I learned Italian on my commutes to and from work. It really pays off! My best advice is learn the very basics and then learn your foods. Knowing how to carry on a full conversation doesn't get you far when you're staring at a menu with no clue as to what you might get on your plate! It's a very humbling experience.

Now that my tummy was content it was time to thin my wallet. Orvieto is known for their lovely ceramics. I was getting a little overwhelmed with all the shops overflowing with every kind of ceramic wear. Most of it is done in the classic style of the region. It was usually white backgrounds with colored details or images. Than I came across a shop that was completely different from all the rest. It was much more modern with a wider color palette. I fell in love with these two cute little egg holders. They were a little pricey but worth it, and so distinctive.

We returned to La Rocca for a wine tasting! I've never seen so many glasses before. The owner explained the complexities of their wines and they had amazing food to pair with them. Their wine was excellent and their home made pate very memorable.

The rest of the afternoon we had no schedule. It was the one of the most relaxing times of the tour. Most of us just enjoyed not feeling as though we had to pack in everything on our sightseeing list. There was hardly anywhere to go! I joined some of my tour buddies on the patio and took my paints out. They teased me not to for fear the lovely sun would hide behind rain clouds. But the sun stayed out and I actually finished a little watercolor. I was also inspired by the afternoon sun hitting the La Rocca tower. It looked like a Cezanne painting. I managed a few quick sketches before the light changed.

That evening after dinner we all slowly walked back to our rooms stuffed with another superb meal. I opened my patio door and started packing things up for our departure tomorrow. When I came out of the bathroom a black and grey tabby cat was sitting on my bed! He was the same cat that had visited me when I was painting. I guess he was lookin' for a little lovin'. I petted him and he just rolled over on his back as if we were old friends. Then he curled up on one of my pillows and began having a bath while I packed my things.

I slid into bed, I on one pillow and he on the other. I fell fast asleep. In the middle of the night I woke up and my visitor decided to go. I got up to close the door after him and as he was walking across the patio I said, "Ciao Bella." He stopped turned his head toward me and gave me one "meow" before continuing on his way. As if to say, "Was it good for you?"

I don't think I'll tell my cat Scout about this little rendezvous.

Watercolor of the View From the Terrace

La Rocca, In Charcoal and Watercolor