October 10, 2003- From Assisi to Arrezo
Well, we slept through the alarm - Aviva turned it off, rolled over, and both of us fell fast asleep until after 7:30A today. We needed the sleep but today is a busy day - we intend to drive through Perugia (the chocolate capital of Italy - yes!) to Arrezo. The hotel brought our car up in the morning so we didn't have to try to do that ourselves - very welcome (the streets are very narrow and people and cars use them as they like - some are also one way).
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The
Basilica viewed leaving Assisi |
We got directions to Perugia, the capital of Umbria, and they were spot-on. We got there in about a half an hour. We looked through town, had a snack, and then got serious by visiting the Galleria Nazionale (more details and scans coming). We went through the Collegio del Cambio. This was the meeting place of the money exchange guild, one of the most powerful guilds in Perugia. The walls and ceilings are painted colorfully. We then walked over to the Duomo. To the left of the main entrance is a chapel that has a red velvet drape - this holds the box (supposedly locked by 15 locks) holding the ring of the Virgin wedding, stolen by Perugia from Chiusi in 1473. The ring is removed on July 29 and July 30.
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A
door knocker on a door in Perugia |
A
decoration on the Palazzo dei Priori |
A
grotesque decorating the Collegio del Cambio |
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Bell
tower in Perugia
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The
Duomo in Perugia |
The
Palazzo dei Priori |
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The
ticket for the Collegio del Cambio |
Unfortunately, we didn't have directions for leaving Perugia and for getting into Arrezo. We had to stop twice to get directions, in Italian, but we finally reached Arrezo. Then we had to find the hotel. This time a local teacher actually climbed in our car and directed us to the hotel. This hotel, the Cavaliere Park Hotel, is quite nice - a modern room with all the amenities we expect. The only problem are slightly recessed outlets - I wish I'd had more extenders...
So we got here, unpacked a bit (we leave tomorrow so not too much), ate a very good dinner at Il Cantuccio (with my first ribolita soup since my last time in Tuscany) and hit the rack.