Homeward bound

15/10/2008
Massimo gave us a farewell gift of a bottle of local olive oil and a diary in which his restaurant features which was very kind of him. Not sure how we are going to get these home as it will put the backpacks over the limit for carry on luggage. We will worry about it when we get to the airport. We left early this morning as we thought we would stop off at Todi on the way through.
Madam GPS was very good and lead us directly to the carpark without any antics of going the wrong way or down one way streets, so things are looking up!
We caught the funicular up the mountain to the enclosed Etruscan walled town. We found our way to the Piazza del Popolo and the tourist office. It was recommended we check out a roman cistern considered to be an architectural feat which served as the water supply for Todi and still stands as the support structure for the square.
There are a few churches and a cathedral to visit here. We made it to the cathedral at the end of the square which has a magnificent rose window and were surprised to be accosted by begging gypsies in the doorway. On our way back we stopped at the Tempio di San Fortunato, whch has an unusual criss cross of steps to the entrance and has frescoes by Masolino da Panicale and more gypsies begging here also.
We arrived fairly early at Rome airport which was just as well as we could not find the car rental to return the car to. Rome airport is bedlam to drive around and very stressful! Madam GPS kept telling us we had reached our destination then turn around when possible....in a one way system... We could not see any sign for car rentals anywhere and ended up in with the limosines, taxis and then the buses. We drove around and around quite a few times looking desperately for a sign. I was beginning to think those gypsies must have put a curse on us.
Eventually we pulled over and Bob put into the GPS the name of the car hire firm and we got some different directions, which didn't seem correct as it directed us into a multi-storey carpark but we followed her advice - as we didn't have any other choice and backing out didn't seem a good option with impatient italian drivers behind us - so continued on and found the car hire on the 4th level of the carpark. What a relief!! The guy that directed us into a parking space had know idea how relieved we were to pick up our backpacks and walk away!!
We had a couple of hours before we could check in and we were so glad to sit down and collect or nerves and work out what we were going to do with a diary and a bottle of olive oil. Decided what the heck and put them in the backpacks and got them checked in as luggage - at least we don't have to worry about our bags until we get back to Brisbane.

Tour of the Trasimeno area

14/10/2008
Today we explored some of the local villages a little further inland from Lake Trasimeno. Paciano we liked very much. It had a genuine community ambience and the residents take a pride in the appearance of their town. Very neat and tidy with a profusion of flowering hanging baskets displayed on balconies and outside the intertwining homes. It is not surprising it was the winner of the European Community's "Perfect Village" Competition. Each house in a street had a decorative floral tile with the house number and every street had its own specific design. Very pleasant strolling the streets. We jumped out of the way of the occasional apee (3 wheeled vehicles) that came rattling down the narrow alleyways. Even the local council vehicles are apees and the drivers would give a friendly wave as we breathed in as they passed.
We drove on to Panicale and walked up through the medieval old town and on to the Church of Sebastian, which has a painting by Petro Vannucci of the Martrydom of St. Sebastian and a few other artefacts.
Later that day we walked to the the Church of St Christopher in Passignano but it was closed for renovation and we got shooed out by a workman. An italian couple who arrived with us offered him money to go inside - but he treated them with contempt, and they were not very happy and grumbled all the way back down the hill.
There are a cluster of shops selling local ceramics and souvenirs near the main square not far from the tourist office, so we enjoyed having a browse and choosing a few items that will fit in the backpack.
Our last night tonight. We head to Rome airport tomorrow to catch our flight home. It has been a wonderful holiday, but our sights have turned to home now.

Sienna - Tuscany

13/10/2008
We spent the day in Sienna. We travelled up 6 escalators from the carpark to the walled town and walked into Piazza del Campo the central square. This is where everyone seems to congregate and has many majestic Gothic buildings, expensive cafes and shops surrounding the square. Noticeably lots of Americans here today.
There are plenty of sights to visit. We waited in line to visit the cathedral one of Italy's great Gothic churches with a dark green and white exterior. It holds many art works by Donatelo, Pisano and Arnolfo di Cambio. In a small hall there are some brightly coloured frescoes by Pinturiccio and the inlaid marble floor is a superb work of art created by different artists.
There are plenty of other sites to visit as well, however we enjoyed our day just meandering along the streets and window shopping, browsing through the odd shop and relaxing at a cafe with a decent cup of coffee. Of course.... enjoyed a gelato too.

Cortona - Eastern Tuscany

12/10/2008
Anna and Jeff left this morning by train for Rome. We had got the GPS working again by holding it together with a hair elastic and led us on a "find the train station drive", up a dead end street where we could see the station facing us but couldn't get to it. So after ignoring her telling us to go right when we wanted to go left finally made it to the station.
After saying goodbye we drove to Cortona . This enchanting town has had a rejuvenation after being made famous by Frances Mayes book Under a Tuscan Sun. You hear American accents at every turn and the women are here for the shopping. Lots of classy shops specialising in jewelery and leather as well as the top designers. Us poorer mortals enjoyed a gelato while people watching and the spending frenzy.
Cortona is a lovely town with winding narrow alleyways and very steep to walk around. Certainly gave the butt muscles a workout when we did the challenging climb up to Chiesa di Santo Margherita only to find the church was closed - should have checked the times. At least there was a cafe there so we could buy a cold drink. There are some fantastic views across the plain to Lake Trasimeno so it wasn't all in vain.

Gubbio

11/10/2008
The GPS died on the way to Gubbio today so we had to rely on our intuition and maps to get here.
Gubbio like most Umbrian towns is perched on a steep hill. We found an elevator that took us up to the Palazzo Ducale and the cathedral.
Anna, Jeff and I took the Funivia Colle Elletto up to the Baslica Di SantÚbaldo. This is like a chair lift except in this case we stood in something that looked like a birdcage and trundled away on a dodgy old cable and dangled precariously over the rocky escarpment up to the top. We held on tightly as we approached the bumpy pulleys at the pylons along the way. The view is magnificent and great for photos if you are game enough to let go.
Bob decided terra firma was more the go and cheerily waved us off and gave a rendition of what he was going to tell parents, relatives and friends about the last time he saw Anna, Jeff and Helen departing on a rickety old birdcage.
Getting off at the top was a bit scary as the birdcage didn't actually come to a stop so we had to make a jump for it.
At the basilica is the body of St Ubaldo a 12th century bishop. I said to Anna it probably would be a wax dummy but it was real alright. Every year he is taken out and given a tour of the town on his special saints day.
Coming back down the mountain once again in the birdcage was exciting and like a rollercoaster ride. Going over the precipice all you see is sky and the descent seems at a faster rate of knots down to the bottom. We were very jubilant when we got back to safe ground. Jeff made a point of taking photos of the courageous ones and the one who wasn't.

Isola Maggiore

10/10/2008
Today we took a trip to Maggiore Island which is supposed to be a favorite with St Francis. On arrival the seaside village with it's tumbling array of houses and a few shops is quaint and charming. We followed a marked route around the island which isn't very big, and came to the church of the Arc Angel Saint Michael which houses frescoes and a painting by Bartolomeo Caporali from 1460. We walked through olive groves to the castle we could see from San Feliciano but it was under restoration and not open to the public. We walked back to the village and sat at a cafe by the lakeside and enjoyed a brochetta for lunch before catching the ferry back to Passignano.
We had dinner at Di Marissimo's the restaurant at our villa. The carpark has been full each night and obviously a popular spot. A little tricky reading the menu and when we asked what the dishes were in english it was assumed that was what we were ordering. It would have been easier to order pizza. Anyway, it was quite enjoyable and cheap.

Assisi and Spello

9/10/2008
We did a trip to Assisi today, the spiritual capital of Umbria and the birthplace of St Francis. We joined the many tourists and pilgrims crowding in to view the Basilica di San Francesco. We strolled around the winding steep streets and browsed through some of the trinkety souvenir shops selling everything to do with St Francis from statues, teatowels and snow domes.
We then drove on to the very pretty town of Spello. We did lots of walking up narrow steep arched walkways which have a profusion of hanging baskets and flowerpots - which a couple of cats had taken over for an afternoon siesta - to some magnificent views of the Umbrian countryside.
On the way back we stopped at Passignano for a drink and to use the internet at the TI. We had really good pizzas at a restaurant near the lake for dinner.