Plan…Travel…Repeat

The beach house was a wonderful pace to wake up to. The sunrise was beautiful, the air crisp but not cold and fresh and clean.

We had a little incident with the coffee pot but Jeff was able to make everyone coffee anyway so other than having to mop up 10 cups of water from the floor disaster was averted. Not that getting up the water was not difficult since we had one towel and one hand towel a piece and there were 2 small kitchen towels. Margaret found a squeegee and a dust bin and with that and a sponge Jeff got it all up.

Once everyone was up Margaret made eggs and toast which were really good. So our day got off to a good start.

Margaret arranged a bout tour of Capri Island for today and it was amazing. The boat was docked at the marina we could have walked too if the path wasn’t closed but instead we needed a ride. The driver picked us up close to our villa. We had to climb the stairs and walk down the road a bit but it wasn’t bad. We thought we had to go a lot farther so we left really early and were happily surprised when it was just a short walk.

At the pickup spot there was a sign from one of the marina restaurants saying that they would pick you up and bring you back so at least we can get a meal one night. The name of the restaurant is Funiculi Funicula. Only Bob knew that was a reference to a song about the funicular on Mt Vesuvius. Once he stated humming it we all recognized it but none of the rest of us knew the name. It is kind of a circus tune that even the Grateful Dead covered.

It was a little chilly for the boat ride but we wore our swimsuits anyway. Ever hopeful that we could get in the water somewhere. The boat was nice, clean and looked well maintained. The skipper was young and cute so it looked like we were going to have a great afternoon.

Capri sits right across from Massa Lubrense but sailing through the open water was cold in our suits and coverups but we managed to stay at the front of the boat anyway. Once we got close to the island and followed the sun around the side it was fine. We were going to tour the grottos then stop for a bit on the island and then watch the sunset from the boat on the return.

Capri is amazingly beautiful. I think it is the pretty place I have ever seen. The cliffs jutting up from the water covered in trees and cactus with the clouds muting the top was otherworldly.

The first stop was the coral cove. You can almost glimpse the coral on the second photo. There was a purple line around the water line and right under it you can see the orange coral. It was a little easier to see in person but not by much. It was also a tight squeeze for the boat but our driver had no problems.

The next stop was the Mary Madelyn grotto. There is a small stalagmite at the top that looks like a figure. Not sure why they named it after Mary but they did. I thought it was a bit creepy. It really did look like someone was up there looking down on you.

For the next bit we just circled the island. We saw the largest arch on the island which is said to resemble an elephant. I can kind of see it but it had to be pointed out before I actually saw the trunk and ears.

More of us enjoying the island views.

Not sure what these rock formations are called but they were huge. We sailed around them and saw them from both sides.

Next we saw the green grotto. It is very similar in water color to the blue grotto that is so popular. However this one you can see inside without having to go in further than a larger boat can do. So basically you see what makes the blue grotto popular (the color of the water) without having to wait in a 2 hour line and get in a little row boat. Now you don’t have the thrill of entering into a cave with a small dark opening but I don’t think it would be worth it. The water in the green grotto was glowing. It was the most turquoise water I have ever seen.

We went a little further around the island with more breathtaking views. Until we got to the heart grotto. I was confused at first and thought the formation slightly resembles a heart but they were stretching it a bit. Then we actually enter the cove and you see the formation the grotto gets its name from. There is no mistaking that it is a heart.

The cement grotto was cool in its size. It had these huge bubble looking rocks making up the ceiling and the boat seemed to almost perfectly fit. There wasn’t much room. We drove in and backed out.

We got off for a brief stop in Capri. Kelle and I tried the lemon sorbetto. It was extremely nice.

We got back on the boat and continued around the island. We saw the blue grotto from the outside but could only see the opening and the small entrance to the cave. We could also see the stairs where the people would wait in line for their 5 minute tour inside.

A few more pictures from the tour.

On the ride back we stopped to taste the sunset with some limoncello. It was getting quite cold on the boat so we didn’t make it all the way to the sunset but we got close. The boat tour was one of the best things we did in the trip. I highly recommend it.

After we got back to the shore we took a recommendation from the boat guy to a restaurant a few towns away. They said 5 minutes but more like 20. However the food was some of the best we had in the trip and the best chocolate sachet I have ever had.

The drive back to our place was much shorter and we all called it an early night.

Today we head out to Sorento or actually Massa Lubrense. We have rented a villa with a lovely view close to the pier. It will be the relaxing slow portion of the trip. A little time to lounge around before heading home.

I hired us a car service to drive us down. The train had worked out okay from Perugia and we probably could have done it. However by the time we took a taxi to the train station changed trains in Naples and got from Sorento to the villa. So although more expensive not a by a lot.

The driver wanted to come earlier so we did move it up to 8:15. We were all ready to go by 7:30 so we could have gone earlier. But this did give time for the coffee drinkers to have that before we left.

I was a little nervous that everything would fit in the van but it all went in fine with some strategic packing. Two bench seats for 6 of us and one up front. Wasn’t the most comfortable ride but not bad.

We saw a part of Rome I had never seen before and the sports college that looked like part of the Rome Olympic facilities. Once out of the city and on the toll road it was a pretty drive. I did not know that the mountains continued past Rome.

We had a brief stop at a travel center then on to coast. Traffic through Sorento was crazy and the roads were super narrow. There was no room for people to walk but they were doing it anyway. Some of the views were incredible so I see why they would want to walk up to them but I definitely could not.

It took us about 3:30 hours but we finally arrived in our little town Massa Lubrense and to the address provided. However that was for the whole complex of houses and our driver couldn’t figure out how to get to ours. They had sent me a pin location but that didn’t help. It took a few tries but I finally got one of the hosts on the line and they gave the driver directions and we arrived.

I knew there were stairs down to the villa but I wasn’t prepared for how many with our luggage. The host showed up with his son and helped carry it down so it relatively quickly.

The views from the villa are amazing. It sets right over the ocean with great outdoor seating and every room has big sliding doors out to the terrace. So they all have ocean views.

The villa sets about halfway down to the water. So we have stairs both ways. Probably a few more to get up to the road but not many. The beach is rocky but people are down there. Most just sitting in the shore but a few kids are playing in the water.

One big problem the path into town is closed for maintenance. Seems they are pouring a new concrete path. Our host says just go around it but we can’t figure out how. Without the path we are basically stuck in the villa. Not a bad place to be stuck but not what we want.

Our host agreed to take some of us into the town for some food and wine about 5. We arrived at about 12:30. We left Rome early so if we had breakfast it was just a snack. We had a few chips and some stuff Margaret got at the travel center to tie us over but that wasn’t going to last long.

The grocery run happened and they returned with meat and cheese some pasta and wine. We were set for a few days if need be. We were able to do a nice spread for dinner so all was good.

We toasted the beautiful sunset with Prosecco and headed off to bed. A little bit of a rocky start to our stay but I think it is going to turn out to be a great few days.

After yesterdays Coliseum went so wrong we weee due for a better day and the museum went like clockwork.

We had a little hiccup with breakfast/ lunch but otherwise the day got off to a good start. It is hard to coordinate with 7 and we have done more as a full group than I expected us to. Some wanted coffee then lunch others wanted breakfast. But in the end it all worked out and we met back at the apartment to head to the Vatican.

Our hotel was right down the street but we headed out early in case we went to the wrong location. Memories from my last time visiting the Vatican, where we were at the wrong door for our tour and seeing people hunting for their tour start place yesterday made me a little worried. As we got closer the line to get in was crazy long and my heart sank. However, the Vatican had employees out along the line directing people and they told me to keep walking. The people without tickets stand in a crazy line in one side those with tickets stand on the other. We arrived about 45 minutes before our entrance time and got right in the front of a short line to get in. They let our line start 30 minutes before our time and we showed our tickets in one line then went through security then up to the group tour line. We were even too early for that and we had to wait 10 minutes and try that again. At 1:15 we got our guide and headed in. So relieved it had gone smoothly.

Our guide was really good. She had her doctorate in art history and was very knowledgeable about the art and its significance. She was also really focused on the use of color and the way art had evolved through the centuries. She was Polish spent some time in Canada and the US even taught at Lubbock but was currently looking for a teaching job. She snuck us through small places and around crowds to see the highlights.

We saw the early Roman statutes the Belvedere Man and the Laocoon and His Sons. She explained that although they were copies of Greek statutes the originals had never been found and since they were bronze had most likely been melted down for weapons. She spoke quite a bit about how these early sculptures influence the renaissance artist like Michelangelo who was young when the Laocoon sculpture was found in a field and the story goes that he went and saw it being dug out.

From there we continued with the Roman art and saw and walked on some feet tiled floors from the first century a chariot sculpture the Constantine Sarcophagus made of red porphyry a very hard red stone. We also saw the Brussels Tapestries which are amazing. It is shocking how much detail they can get with thread. We of course spent a lot of time in the Raphael rooms. The School of Athens never disappoints and the other works are equally as striking. I also was surprised to see a dragon in one of the frescoes painted by Raphael students. We quickly went through the “modern” rooms where she pointed out the Gauguin and the Van Gogh.

She left us in the Raphael rooms for us to head down to the Sistine Chapel in our own. She did spend a lot of time explaining the painting but could not guide in the chapel. We walked quickly on to the chapel and enjoyed that for a little while. It is sad that you can no longer take pictures. I wish I had snuck one but I didn’t. The set up is quite different than I remember from my last visit but after the chapel you had to walk through rooms and rooms to get back to the exit and other main collections.

Most had been in the museum long enough and headed out to get some drinks and snacks. I wanted to we the Raphael oil paintings nd tapestries and Kelle wanted to see some of the Egyptian art so we stayed in the museum. After asking directions a few time we finally found our way back to those exhibits and wandered through quickly. The Raphael’s are amazing and I am glad we stayed to view them. They had a lot of great 13/14 century religious art but we had seen so much of that in Perugia we just walked right through. We did get to see copies of ok 3 of Michelangelo’s Pietas which was good not only to compare but because of our mistake of the day that I will discuss later.

The Egyptian room is crazy. They have statues from 2000 BC. They also have a couple of actual mummies on display. We stopped in the courtyard to take some photos with the Egyptian lines but I was running out of power on my phone so not a lot of pictures but will get them from Kelle and add them later.

From the museum we headed to Saint Peter’s to go in the church. I expected to be able to walk right in the museum but that was not the case. There was a huge line. It was about 1:30 wait. Of course there were people saying they could sell us tickets and we could go right in. We knew better and decided against it. We had seen the copy of Michelangelo’s Pieta so at least we saw that. I wanted to show that to them the church but had no idea we needed to get tickets. Live and learn. Seems everything needs tickets these days.

We stopped for a drink and I tried a supli which was delicious. I wish I had tried some others along the way. We headed back to the apartment to meet up for dinner.

We had a few more drinks. Margaret tried a martini but it wasn’t for her. Kelle and Jeff finished it. Most of decided to go back to the same place we had been get drinks everyday Zigs but Kelle and Jeff went off to find something else.

We had a few more drinks after returning to the apartment and by a few I mean bottles. Faye, Bob and I cleaned out the last red bottle so we didn’t have to carry it on to the next stop. We were happy to take care of that for everyone.

Rome had been busy. Easter is in fact a high tourist season for the city and all of Italy but we made it work. I actually will be sorry to move on but looking forward to being on the ocean.

The day started early so that we could get out to Trevi before crowds. We were all up at and ready by 6:30 except for maybe Kelle who instigated the whole thing but she rallied and we headed out to learn the metro. The station wasn’t too far from the apartment and we bought 24 hour tickets (which was a life saver later on) and boarded the train to Trevi.

We weren’t the first people there but we were still before the major crowds. They don’t start the tickets until 9 so we could be on any level. Kelle, Jed and I threw in coins for luck and our return to Italy but most people were just taking photos. There were several girls there do Instagram stories and I bet they took 200 photos. we all snapped ours and headed on.

From Trevi we headed over to see the Spanish Steps. Sadly they did not have any flowers on them and they were just a staircase. My first trip the area was bustling with shops and bars but it was pretty quiet now. Even the tea shop didn’t open until 10.

We didn’t see anywhere for everyone to get coffee so we jumped back on the metro and went back to the Trevi stop where we had passed several. The first one we stopped at was having trouble with their espresso machine so we went back to one we had passed. It was a bit disorganized but we did eventually get almost everything we ordered. Jeff never got his coffee and Clark’s was wrong but it worked out okay and we headed out to see the coliseum.

We had tried to buy tickets online but could never get it to work on the official site. Thankfully we didn’t buy from a tour group because we saw several people trying to find their tour group so that they could get in. However we did buy from a tour operator when we exited the metro. We paid 30€ for the tour and then they were going to take us to a private line so we didn’t have to wait in the extremely long line to buy the entrance tickets. We were going to get our entrance tickets have a tour of the forum and then go in the collision our own. Turns out the secret line was equally as long. Maybe not as long but we waited around an hour. Our timed entry to the Coliseum was 3 it was 11:30. They kept telling us not to pay attention to the time and the person who sold us the tickets said that they would get us in as a group when we were done with tour portion. All lies.

It was so hot our guide wasn’t good. We had to Sina ladies with us so he spent a lot of hi time just talking to them. He was born in Japan but was mainly Italian. He made several comments about how bad America is. Even though I am not hung ho America it was frustrating to hear someone else say it and even worse someone who took money from Americans to give an English tour. We should have just waited in the line and got the time entrance and then left and come back. Live and learn.

The tour guide was bad, he didn’t even give good information about the Forum and it was hard to hear even though we had headphones. He mumbled into his mic most of the time. We were all hot and tired and Margaret was mad and really fussed about the Coliseum entrance time. We hadn’t eaten enough there was no water or shade. Faye started feeling bad and needed to leave and get food so she and Bob were leaving and Margaret and Clark decided to leave to. They ended up ubering back to the apartment to get out of the crowd and were too frustrated to want to come back for the Coliseum. When we walked out of the Forum over the sea of people we could see the new metro stop so Kelle, Jeff and I decided to hop back on the metro ride it a few stops out to find lunch,shade and drinks. Turns out that was the best decision we made all day. We picked a stop by the name Pignetto, which we hoped was like where the apartment is and most offices and locals but turned out to be most residential. However we found a great spot. Ate outside in the shade with a great breeze. The food was delicious the wine was cold and our day turned around. We each tried different basic pastas. I had the Cacio e Pepe, Kelle had the carbonara and Jeff tried the Gricia. They were all delicious and some of the best food I have tasted so far.

After our lovely lunch we got back on the metro rode back our few stops and walked right into the Coliseum. Once you have your timed entrance you just show up 15 minutes before your time and get in. We walked up at 3:05 no line and walked straight in.

The Coliseum was amazing. It is more impressive now than the first time I saw it. I don’t know if I am older and have more respect for what went into building it or better understanding of the history that happened here but I really enjoyed this visit. They did have a small exhibit that had a lot of artifacts and gave background info that was nice to see. But the fact that we could touch, and sit on columns from 2000 years ago is crazy. Ended up being a great day.

After the coliseum we headed up to the church to see the Moses statute. It wasn’t far and had great views back over the Coliseum.

The church was small but Michelangelo’s Moses was impressive and I am glad we made the effort.

If you noticed that Moses has horns – he does. Seems At some point before the 1500 Moses was mythologized and given horns. I am surprised the church did not have them removed. It seems somewhat sacrilegious to have Moses the bearer of the 10 Commandments have goat horns. Regardless the statue is really good. Not as dramatic as Davis but still worth seeing.

The little church also held chains they claim were used on Peter. You had to pay to get the screen to open to view them but someone did and it stayed open for quite a while and we were all able to see them.

we stopped for a drink in our way back to the apartment and I had my first Negroni of the trip. I am not a big fan but the bartender had misunderstood so I drank it anyway. It was not bad so I had another. The second was a lot stronger so I am going to stay with the spritz.

Dinner was back to the local place we had the day we got there and the pizza again was good.

A little bit of a hiccup but in the end it was a good day.

Are apartment is close to the Vatican and a few of us decided to go see the Pope give the Easter blessing.

It had been a relatively early evening so we were up and out by 8:30. I had read that you could get tickets but couldn’t figure out how to do that so wasn’t sure if we would even be able to get in. Turns out the tickets were for the middle section some of which had seats but the sides were open to anybody. We were there an hour and half before it started so we were actually quite close. A band and military type parade went by but otherwise we just watched the dignitaries and church officials come in waiting on the pope. He did start right on time.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was a very nice service. There were readings in several languages a lot of pomp and ceremony that I didn’t understand but I was glad I went.

There was a sea of people and our good spots got crowded quickly. At one point these two older Italian ladies pushed their way in. I think they were trying to get to the fence but they didn’t make it. One got stopped right in front of me. She couldn’t have been 5 feet tall so she couldn’t have seen anything but she tried. She would lean back into me and try to balance on her toes to see over the men in front of her. so until she gave up she was basically using me as her wall and I had no where to go. Her friend got fussed out by the lady in front of us and she tried to use tears and be all emotional about seeing the pope but the other Italian lady didn’t buy it and wouldn’t let her through.

The sun was glaring on us we were packed like sardines and the service was going on and on. When I read that there were 100,000 people there I wanted to get out of the crowd. People had began to leave so we followed them out and made our way over a bit to find somewhere for lunch.

Faye and Bob came out and met us and lunch turned out to be another good spot. We had Italian sandwiches with American fries and some of the best calamari I have had.

We went back to the apartment to regroup then some of us headed out to see a few sights on our way to the trastvere neighborhood where we had dinner reservations.

We walked across the bridge to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. People were everywhere. We decided to wait in line to go into the Pantheon and it wasn’t too bad. It was free but they handed you a ticket and I guess to some extent kept the crowd size down inside. They had it set up for some type of church service. Not sure if they actually had services but since it was Easter maybe they did. It looked different than the last time I was here not sure if it was crowd or if something had changed.

After that we started the long trek to Trastavere. I had read it was a really cute neighborhood but I guess we didn’t explore it enough. We saw a few bars on the Main Street and stopped at one for a drink midway down but it was nothing special. We got to the restaurant a little early and they had our table ready. Faye and Bob arrived in style in a black Mercedes and we started our dinner.

They were out of the wine that we ordered so she brought a similar one in a magnum bottle. It was easily drank and it looked fun sitting on the table. The menu was a little adventurous still Italian but different combinations than we had seen. I went safe with mama’s lasagna but it was kind of plain. I wish I had tried something else.

The taxi driver almost left without me but we made it safely back to the house where we went straight to bed because we had an early morning for tomorrow.

Travel days are always stressful. Getting everything repacked, making sure you don’t leave anything and making al your connections is never fun but has to be done.

We had a late start time due to the train schedule. We wanted to go directly to Rome so that was 11:48. That gave us time to enjoy one more full breakfast at the hotel. Margaret and I were packed and ready so we just lingered in the breakfast room until they were closing it down. I will miss the croissants and cheese when we are back to AirBNBs.

The cab ride down from the hotel was crazy. The roads are so narrow but still twisty with lots of corners. I felt certain he would have scratched the side of the car on some of the turns but he made it. He did bring in his side mirror for some extra room on some of the streets. We got to the train station with no incidents and had about a 40 minute wait.

Perugia was the origination point for the train so it was there early and we went ahead and boarded. Sadly it was not on track one so we had to go down and up the stairs to get over to the track so again I am wishing I had packed less (not regretting my purchases at all) so that my luggage was lighter.

The train got fuller and fuller as we moved toward Rome so I finally had to get my bag up on the rack. I was actually quite proud that it could be done. Bob had to help and by help basically he did it but we got it up there.

We had to convince Jeff that we didn’t want to do the metro from the train and went with taxis instead. You can order taxis on the uber app and they show up about $15 cheaper but often they are slower to come. Both Clark and I ordered taxis and got Prius. we had to fit 7 people, 7 suitcases and 7 backpack/ bags in. It was a tight squeeze but we all made it to the house.

It took us a while to get in. I was supposed to let them know when we arrived and they would remotely open the outside door. When they responded that it was open another day was trying to get in so we were standing back away from the door and didn’t get to it before it closed. Then they didn’t respond again. At 3:30 the door unlocked because there were some business in the building as well so we just waited until then and luckily the door to the apartment stayed unlocked until we got there.

The apartment looked just like the pictures. Plenty of room but nothing fancy. No 17th century fresco here but it was fine.

We were all starving so we basically dropped our stuff and headed out for food. we found a restaurant just down the road called Zig. It was close had pizzas and a bar so it would work. Turns out it was perfect and we had a great time. The hostess/manager was a lot of fun and gave us good tips about getting around Rome and what to try and what to skip. The pizza was delicious a totally different style than Perugia (thin crust and less cheese) and the alcohol was generous pours. She told us where the grocery was so we headed there after to get wine, water and a few snacks.

Once we were back at the apartment everyone was tired so we were calling it a day and just having some of our wine we just bought. Kelle and I decided to get back out for a gelato but it was only around the corner so we didn’t have to go far.

Not a busy day but we made it to our third stop so still a good day in Italy.

Today we planned to spend seeing the sights of Perugia with hopefully more sun and less wind. The day started with the delicious breakfast at the hotel. Then Margaret, Clark and I began our wandering while everyone else had to go back up to their rooms to get ready.

The sun was out so we went back to the overlook to take some pictures. We also found a second terrace to look out over the other side of town. It was still a little windy but not too bad.

There was some kind of festival or small market with a few vendors out in tents selling painted pottery. Surprisingly I didn’t buy anything but Margaret and I did find some jewelry to buy. In Perugia they hand paint clay beads and we both bought a few of them. I bought one last time and was happy to add to my collection.

Kelle joined us and we headed to the chocolate museum. It was actually much better than I expected. It was mostly the chocolate origin story with information about the development of different types of chocolate. It was a lot of reading but was interesting and they gave you chocolate. The display was around the outer edge with the middle being a replica of coco plants with a slide for the kids. There was a group of boys that just kept running back to slide again. Not sure what that had to do with chocolate but it kept the kids entertained.

After the museum we met back up with Jeff and had a Prosecco on the terrace overlooking the city.

Sadly the wind picked back up and we decided to go to the Umbria museum to get out of it. The Umbria museum is full of 1200 – 1500 religious art. Probably only religious art during those centuries and even that is mostly Mary and full grown manchild baby Jesus’. They seemed to get better for a while and then return to weird babies again. They are also full of cherubs with just wings for bodies. After a while they all seemed to look alike. I did like the prevalent use of pink in some of the paintings.

We popped into the church after the museum. It clearly had lost its stained glass as some point because most of it was modern. It did have some nice needlework which I assume was either an alter cloth or just decoration some point in the last 100/200 years. They were setting up a scene for Good Friday and carried a statute of Jesus through the church on a table covered with a blanket. Like somehow it would be wrong to see them just carry the statute to the right chapel. They carried him on the table took him off laid him on the floor recovered him took out other red cloths covered the table then picked up the Jesus statute and covered him again. It was quite the production and drew a pretty good size crowd.

The sun came back out and the wind died down so we decided to take advantage of the hotel terrace and have some wine and snacks. We had a lovely view and a lovely spread to tie us over until dinner.

We had reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner so no pizza tonight. It was a lovely place that gave you a Prosecco when you first sat down and a little bite of lentil soup just to get you started. We were sitting near the door and Margaret’s Italian crush came in. He is an Instagram guy who owns/works in a men’s clothing store in Perugia. His store is very fancy and his posts are over the top. Margaret was very excited and was debating going to talk to him.

The chef came by to talk to us and had a connection to Texas so stayed at the table for quite a while. Turns out his first job was a place in Midland during the 70s oil boom. After he left our table he went to the table Margaret’s man was sitting at and stayed with them for a really long time. On his way back to the kitchen he stopped to see if we had enjoyed our food and Margaret asked about the Instagram guy so faye asked the chef if he would help her get a phot with him and he agreed. Even said he would introduce Margaret has his new American girlfriend. It caused quite a stir but Margaret was in heaven.

The food was delicious and we had a great evening. I will hate to leave Perugia in the morning but it is time to move on. It was a good stay even with the cold and windy days.

We decided we probably shouldn’t do Assisi on Good Friday so we headed off today. First we had a delicious breakfast in our hotel. We had been kind of snacking for breakfast at the apartment but here we had all sorts of options. Hotel Fortuna puts out a good spread. I went with the croissant with ham and cheese. Clark chose to stuff his croissant with fruit filling. They provided several options in these handy little injection bottles. I think Clark plans to find one to use at home. Faye caught a cold and shared it with Bob so they decided to stay in for the day. Since it was cold and damp it was likely the right call.

After breakfast we headed back down to the main part of Perugia on the bus. We felt very local. The bus picked up in the piazza looking over the lower town so we got some good pictures but it was windy and cold so we didn’t make it long.

The bus ride went smoothly and are train was a little delayed but not bad. It was only a few stops to Assisi so it wasn’t long until we arrived. I didn’t remember the train station being so far from the historical center but we easily caught a cab up to the church.

The church is amazing. It has a very peaceful feel to it. It is big but it somehow feels intimate. You don’t get that cavernous feel when you walk in. the ceiling is painted blue with gold stars and the walls are pretty much frescoed. Sadly they don’t allow pictures but I bought some postcards and scanned them so that I could remember how it looked.

Last time I was here there was a recording on repeat Silenco/Silence. They were more discrete this time around. The staff would just come up and hush you if you were talking too loud.

We went down to see the tomb of St Francis which was moved here from the Church of St Clair once the st Francis was completed. There was a priest at a table handing out blessing cards and it almost looked like someone waiting to read your horoscope with taro cards. I know that was completely wrong but that is where my mind went with him sitting there with various saint cards to hand out.

They currently have a museum of 12-1400 church pieces on display at the church. they had some nice things but nothing extravagant. Most was a collection from an American who liv d and dies in Assisi and donated his collection to the church.

We took a few pictures outside before starting the track up to Santa Chiara to is Americans – Saint Claire. She was a contemporary of Francis of Assisi and also devoted to poverty and started a convent for women disciples. She is often. Displayed in1300 art work right along with St Francis but as a women she has fallen out of favor.

Her church was similar to St Francis but much smaller. It had a similar blue ceiling and similar frescoes but only in the alter and precept areas. Her wax body was prominently displayed. They say that when they exhumed her after centuries the body was uncorrupted but since that time it has deteriorated and now display her in was as she looked when first exhumed. They also claim to have some of her hair which is quite blond. I am glad it is not really her body but not sure why they need to lay her out is wax.

We found a nice spot to stop for a late lunch and they graciously fed us even though we were pushing their afternoon closing time. It was really good and I really needed a break, some food and a drink. I had a lovely truffle cream sauce with sausage and it was one of the best things I have eaten in the trip.

From lunch we headed back down but made an unexpected stop at Santa Maria Maggiore. There were a several people around so we thought we would stop in. It is a rather small church and once you enter you are in the line to view one of the newest saints, Carlos Acutis. He had died in 2006 at like 15 years of leukemia. He used social media to display the e miracles of Christ to bring young people back to the church. Anyway once in line there was nothing to do but walk by his body. Not exactly what I had planned for the day and it just seemed sad. I had seen things around town with his picture and now I know why. All a little creepy for my taste but not being catholic I guess I don’t understand.

We got really lucky has we walked back down looking for a cab and caught a bus heading back to the train station. Arrived with enough time to have a beer and a cannoli before heading back in the 20 minute trip to Perugia.

Once back in Perugia we met up with Faye and Bob for some drinks then headed back to the pizza place to try it again. It was equally as good second time around

It was cold and wet so we called it a night and headed to bed.

Sadly our stay in Florence has come to an end. I am excited about moving on to Perugia but I always hate to leave Florence. It is one of my favorite places and even though I know I will be back it is hard to pack up and go.

The apartment has been amazing. it was a bit of a splurge but in my opinion well worth it. It is not everyday you have your wine sitting on a couch checking out 1637 frescos. Hopefully are other two Airbnbs will be as nice. They won’t have the frescos but hopefully the ocean view will but equally as fascinating.

But first train to Perugia where we are staying in a hotel. The train station is not horribly far from the apartment but no one other than Jeff wants to lug our suitcases through the city so we ordered cabs. The other night it took forever for us to get cabs this morning they pulled right up so we got to the train station super early and we had to stand around and wait about an hour. When they finally gave our train a platform number it seemed like everyone there was headed out in our direction. Somehow we got separated and Faye, Bob and I went one way to get out of the crowd and everyone stayed in the mix of it. We found plenty of seats in our car but I think they weee a little crammed. Wasn’t a long ride so not a big deal.

It was cold and wet when we arrived in Perugia so we caught a cab up to the hotel. Perugia is a lovely hilltop town. Which I loved on my first visit several years ago. I remembered a funicular from my last trip and either dreamed that or they have taken it out. They had something called the mini train which might be it but it seemed different.

Our rooms were all ready so we dropped off our bags and headed out for lunch, snacks or whatever you have at 3:30 when you haven’t really eaten all day. Most places were either closed for their mid afternoon break or didn’t have seats. We finally found something. It wasn’t very Italian looking but turned out they had a full bar and the food was fine. We also got to watch two old Italians play cards which was entertaining.

Having been fortified we tried to walk around but it was super cold and everyone gave up. Except me I made it a bit longer just wandering the back streets. I caught the tail end of a kids Easter performance before heading in myself.

We decided on pizza for dinner since we were all tired and it was cold and wet and the pizza place was close. Turns out it was a good choice the pizza was delicious. They had probably 30 options with all sorts of toppings. I had sausage and truffles. Margaret had pumpkin, blue cheese and ham hers was way more interesting than mine and I was a bit jealous.

It was too cold to do anything but come back to the hotel so a relatively early night in Perugia. Tomorrow we are heading off to Assisi so hopefully the sun will come out.

I had nothing planned for our last full day in Florence. There were a few things I wanted to do but no schedule. Started off wandering with Margaret, Clark, Kelle and Jeff. I wanted to hit the old pharmacy for some skin products, Kelle wanted to find particular bracelet charms and Margaret was looking for something for the grandkids. We wandered for a bit together but eventually broke off and I spent the day with Kelle and Jeff.

We went back to the sandwich place we went to on the first day but got a table inside so we had a bottle of wine. The sandwiches were just as good the second go around. From there we went back to get gelato at Vivaldi’s. Still the best I’ve eaten. We stumbled around for a while and came across and opened wine window so we got afternoon drink.

We weren’t far from our place so we thought we would go to another wine store but it turned out to be a bust. It did have the Sarti but I had found the bottle earlier and had decided it wasn’t worth the valuable space in my luggage. The wine selection was sad so Jeff didn’t take much time at all.

We headed back to a place that had spritz and bruschetta for 6€ to have a few more cocktails. They were good so we had 2 before heading back to the apartment to meet up with everyone for dinner.

We had seen a place on our rambles that wasn’t too far so we went back there. I tried a chicken dish which was good but not my favorite. I finished it off with vin santo and biscotti and discovered I don’t really like vin santo. Really don’t like biscotti crumbs in my drink glass. Kelle helped me finish it and it was back to the apartment for one last night.

We finished off a little red wine had a huge accident with the last bottle of Prosecco which we had left chilling in the freezer before we left for dinner. Never open a frozen bottle of sparkling wine. It spewed out for days and what was left was too flat to enjoy. The red wine was delicious though.

We had a great time in Florence and it will be hard to leave our fancy digs but the adventure continues and we are off to Perugia in the morning.