Perugia!

Another long travel day for me. I caught the 6:40 am bus and went to Florence to catch the 8:00 am train to Perugia. Perugia is about 2+ hours away by train in the Umbria region, east of Tuscany. I had heard from a friend that it was a nice city to visit so I looked it up on the internet and off I went.

None of my guidebooks had this city listed since I only brought with me details on the Tuscan region so I was really winging it when I got there. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean this university town was. It had a ton of trees and wide streets. Sort of reminded of downtown Portland to be honest. I took the lovely bus to the center of town, located on the very tip top of the hill, where I visited the tourists sites.

The church there is very plain from the outside, except for a fountain. The town seems to be full of fountains, particularly in the center of the roundabouts. If you go to Perugia, go inside the church. It is really breathtaking. I have seen a lot of churches and this one by far is one of my favorites. I suppose it is a favorite because the colors are so bright and domed ceilings are really something. Unfortunately, photos were not permitted so you will have to take my word for it.

And if you have a few Euro to spend, the shops there are very nice. Actually, the “mall” leading up to the church is full of designer names and in August, everything is on sale! Well, not my kind of sale when a sweater is still 300 Euros!

Perugia city center if full of piazzas and viewpoints. The views around here continue to amaze me and I hope they amaze you as well. Photos below. Oh, this is cool, there are even outdoor escalators to other points along the hillside. All in all Perugia is modern, clean and a nice place to visit.

Okay, now I have two funny things to share:

First, my bedroom window in the flat overlooks the neighbor’s a small porch. Until about three days ago, I never saw anyone out there. Now, every evening, about the time I make my blog entries, either the man or the wife comes out to water their plants in their underwear! Now, I was not spying or anything like that so just put those nasty thoughts away people! But you see, my computer is set up right in front of the dang window and well, you just can’t miss these old Italians doing their gardening in their white skivvies! Ewwww, is all I can say. But hey, if watering in your underwear makes your plants happy, go for it!

Second, another creepy Italian tried to pick me up on the bus tonight “because of my pretty eyes.“ No kidding. Heard that one before. Ha ha. This time, it was worse because I was stuck on the bus with no where to run! He did not touch me, which was lucky for him, but he insisted that I could learn Italian if I spent just one hour with him. And he would take me to the beach tomorrow if I wanted. Then, he asked if I was married and I waived my left hand and said VERY. That was not enough obviously because he insisted that I might prefer freedom over marriage! Oh, gross, gross, gross. That is when I got my Rick Steve’s translator out and said “Mi sta importunando (you are bothering me), basta (enough) and se ne vada (go away). That did it. He got off at the next stop.

From what I gather, there is a religious festival at the church in Barberino this weekend. I think I may hang out and act Catholic. Ciao for now!