Picked up our car yesterday in Rome and headed out on the road. Tom was driving, and now that we have got the hang of all the roundabouts and got out of Rome, he is really enjoying the roads( and turned into Mario Andretti). I cannot imagine how tourists managed without GPS, we would still be in Rome if it weren't for ours.
After checking into our fabulous B&B, we drove up to Civita di Bagnoregio. We walked the half kilometer bridge over to the little village of Civita, what an amazing little place. When you arrive, you pass thru an arch and on to what was once the main road to Rome. The Etruscans built it 2,500 years ago. I find it just mind-boggling when I am in a place this old, and think about how many lives have passed through these walls. It was an enchanting, beautiful spot. (so far I can only post pictures from my iPad, so there are not going to be too many good ones on here for now).
We ended our day with a great meal, cooked by our hosts at the B&B.
Today we headed out to Assisi, stopping in Todi first. Assisi was beautiful, The Basilica of St. Francis was a highlight. We toured the church, viewing the tomb of St. Francis, who died in 1226. His remains were very valuable, and The people of Assisi kept them hidden, for fear someone might try to steal them. When the cathedral was finally completed some 600 years later, no one really knew where the remains were, and it took over a month to locate them. It does make you wonder....but regardless, his spirit and story are there. We also heard the monks chanting, which gave us both goosebumps. The town is just full of amazing little streets shooting off everywhere, some so narrow you can almost touch each wall as you walk down the middle. We ended our visit by sitting in the sun, in the square, enjoying a nice Italian beer.
We also made it to Orvieto this afternoon, taking the funicular up the hill, it is like a trolley or street car on tracks that goes up the hill on a 45 degree angle.. The cathedral in Orvieto is stunningly beautiful, the Gothic facade is divided by four pillars and the stained glass was just glowing. We saw it around 6:30 in the evening, in the most beautiful light. We ended our day with the best wood fire brick oven pizza and vino....i sampled the Orvieto Classico, and of course gelato for dessert.
Tomorrow we will make our way to our next stop, Panzana in Chianti.......stay tuned.
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