Next Stop!

Perugia did not disappoint. I arrived at lunch time on Saturday, giving me still a whole lot of the day to explore and get familiar with the old town.

After booking my hotel some months ago, I've had time to wonder if I'd actually placed myself too far out of the centre. In fact I have not. The hotel is 15 minutes walk from the centre, and what's a 15 minute walk to a seasoned veteran like me?

And the hotel? I've done it again - 4 star stuff. This is definitely not pilgrim budgeting, and I'm SO enjoying it! The pilgrim cum tourist has also morphed into a holidaymaker. My room is on the fourth floor. Next up is the roof, and the rooftop lounge area and swimming pool. I've used it liberally. I should also add there's the most splendid view of the whole area.

(I'm a bit enbarrassed because I thought I'd cleverly taken a video from the rooftop, but I don't know how to include it here. Oops!)

Yesterday (Sunday) my walking and familiarising extended beyond the old city to areas lower down on the other side of the city. To facilitate access between these two parts of the city a system of escalators takes one below ground and through the Rocca Paolina - a fascinating underground fortress.

My afternoon (on this lower side) was a little disappointing as a couple of the places I set out specifically to see were not open. However, the effort was vindicated when I spied the cutest ice cream/ gelato shop.

Here I partook of a sheer taste of heaven brought to me via two ice cream flavours (strawberry/and cream), and all for the paltry sum of euro 1.80.

Today I ventured to Gubbio, recorded in one guide as the most intact and well-preserved medieval town in Umbria.

I marvelled at the Palazzo Dei Consoli (Palace of the Consuls), a most impressive looking building that symbolised the power of medieval Gubbio. A tour of the building firmly attested to this.

After lunch I took up a serious personal challenge and achieved, I do believe, some progress. I took the cable-car from the city to the Basilica Sant 'Ubaldo at the top of Mt Ingino. As I've got older I've developed a fear of heights. This doesn't sit well with me, so action is called for. The cable-car ride was absolutely terrific. The view was superb.

A special bonus awaited me at the top where, as part of the Basilica complex, I found the delightful Cappella SS Sacramento. Truly, this was my idea of God's Abode. It was simple, clean and elegant - no musty smell, no ancient relics. I sat with The Lord in the peace and tranquility. It was wonderful.

 

I had a good day at Gubbio.

In this time the cultural side of life has been thriving, with quite a smorgasbord of delights.

The San Francisco Ballet at Spoleto on Friday was simply stunning. The Roman Theatre was a perfect setting - the dancers were so immediate. The Romans' engineering ability coupled with their skill in aesthetics is truly something to be admired. We are blessed that we can still do this in some parts of the world.

The Perugia events calendar showed a concert on Saturday night at the Church and Monastery of Santa Giuliana. It was given by a group from La Akademski Pevski Zbor Tone Tomsic University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (try saying that quickly!). The concert turned out to be acappella singing, and it was sublime. I readily confess to being a softie and throughout the initial items I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I couldn't fault these extraordinary young people and their amazing (young) director.

I reflected on the talent and dedication of these young people from Slovenia. I remembered likewise the young dancers frm San Francisco - and I felt hopeful. As long as young people give themselves as I saw these do, we can have hope for the future.

On Sunday, the Tourist Information told me there were no concerts or performances. Well, I found one! I saw a simple small poster stuck to a wall announcing "De Sidera" and, as far as I was able to translate, it was a presentation of various scenarios of human behaviour. I thought it could be fun. It was! The company comprised about 50 to 60 individuals. The presentation, beginning at 10 pm, was in the garden of their drama college, and their depictions of human frailties, behaviour and it's effects were deeply insightful.

Yes, my cultural appetite is being well fed, and with such a variety of "foods".

Caio!