Bologna - Perugia

We only had one day in Bologna and it rained on and off, but mostly on. Making our way from wide paved streets towards narrow cobblestone alleys, we eventually ducked out of the rain taking refuge in a cappuccino. Feeling revived and nearly dry we ventured out again towards the town hall - home of the largest collection of works by the painter Giorgio Morandi. Along the way we passed a medieval fortress, and the massive church it was protecting. A Medieval fortress on a rainy day is enough to give anyone the blues…. and Morandi certainly had them, especially (sadly) at the end of his life confessing he had only scratched the surface of his artistic potential. Like Morandi we longed for more time in Bologna, but we were off to the heavenly city of Perugia, famous for it chocolate hazelnut Baci, or Kiss.

Perugia the capital of Umbria (the only province in Italy without a coastline) sits perched at the top of a hill like the nest of a phantom eagle. One way or another it takes some effort to get up there. The city has worked very hard to limit the number of cars zipping around tiny medieval streets. From the train station at the bottom of the hill we took the Mini Metro; an unmanned mini train car (seats about 12) running automatically from the hustle and bustle of the university and train station, up the hill (and back in time) towards the old part of town. The ride is somewhat reminiscent of a rollercoaster with wide-open views through the big windows but thankfully sans nausea. From the Mini Metro stop we took the Escalla Mobile (that's the sexy Italian word for escalator) up towards the towering medieval city wall. We climbed a few more flights of stairs and eventually put our backpacks down in a room with a view but not much else. We stayed three nights in Perugia sampling the town's best:

A. Pizza - each of us eating our own pie and giggling with delight as the flavors tickled our taste buds. Looking around the cozy pizzeria we couldn’t have been the first Americans to wonder why everyone else was using a fork and knife. …

B. Chocolate - the best thing to ever come from colonialism.

C. And of course gelato.

When we weren’t eating or walking towards food we kinked our necks looking up at ornate churches and toured the national gallery of art, which traces Umbria's story from a stark 13th century wooden crucifix to the light filled oil paintings of the Renaissance. Back outside we searched for the griffin and lion, symbols of the Pope and Holy Roman Empire that appear throughout the city, small reminders of its tumultuous and bloody past. But today Perugia is for lovers. The city has capitalized on its rich artistic heritage and attracts students from across the globe. The thick walls and steep slops around the city have not only kept invaders out over the centuries, they've upheld the old world within - the architecture, cobblestones, frescos, pizza ovens etc. etc. Eventually we descended from the winding narrow streets of old Perugia for a day trip via the Escala Mobile, Mini Metro and Italian National Rail to the neighboring hill-town of Assisi to pay our respects to St. Francis….