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Misty Bevagna
Bevagna is special. It’s a rare medieval town located on the valley floor alongside the Topino river, rather than perched on a hilltop. Beyond the unique location my visit is special for several reasons. For starters, I feel like the only non-Italian tourist in Bevagna. I wander within its protective walls and peak around alleyways in relative tranquility. If there is chatter, it is only Italian. My walk to Bevagna is lovely. After descending from the clouds high atop Montefalco, most of my 11 km walk is on flat terrain in glorious sunshine. My first view of Bevagna is under a brilliant blue sky. Soon after entering the walls I…
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Into the Umbrian countryside in Montefalco
Patrizia is waiting to greet me on the platform of the train station in Foligno, about 40 km from Perugia. She’s holding hands with a little boy, her grandson, and smiles at me warmly, “Andrea?” Her daughter Guilia is waiting in the car. Her youngest son is sleeping soundly in his car seat. It certainly is a family run business! The two women operate Italian Delights. They have organized the self-guided walking tour I will be doing over the next 6 nights in Umbria. With the five of us tucked in the car, Guilia drives us out of Foligno and into the Umbrian countryside. We are soon winding up a…
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My introduction to Umbria in Perugia
It’s an adventure to arrive in Perugia. Three hours north of Rome, Perugia is the capital of Umbria. I arrive by train, and though the train station is only 1.6 km from the historic centre, it’s not a distance to attempt by foot. The hostess at the hotel tells me when guests arrive by foot they are not happy. It’s a steep, steep, climb. Thankfully I had read about Perugia’s impressive hilltop location. I did not attempt the walk. I took the MiniMetró. This public transport system is as cute as it sounds. My best description is a gondola car on a rollercoaster track. The car does not zip along…
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Aimless wandering in Venice
“It was another great day in Venice. We basically just spent the day walking aimlessly around and letting ourselves be seduced.” Excerpt from my journal entry for Venice Venice was alluring. I finally started to appreciate the delights of aimless wandering in a city oozing history and beauty around every corner (unlike my experience in Rome). After a birds eye view atop San Marco tower, we strolled around with no particular plan. We splurged on a gondola ride. Totally worth every lira. Gliding along the waterways and under the bridges was so relaxing; the peaceful ride accompanied by the gentle serenades of our gondolier. Our accommodation was also tranquil. Actually,…
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Two different views on Rome
“… places tend to look the way you feel when you look at them.” Ian Frazier Reading my entry on Rome, I was struck by how your state of mind can affect your travel experience. According to my journal, I was feeling “blah”. Much of my entry was written from this grumpy point of view. On the second day, I was exhausted and quite frankly overwhelmed by all the ancient sites. We were too cheep to join a tour for the Colosseum and Roman Forum, so it was a jumble of confusion. I still kept snapping photos through it all (despite Sarah’s look of “will you put down that camera…
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Dressing up for Florence
Some places deserve a special occasion treatment. For grungy backpackers, this means a skirt. Florence deserved a fresh look. Moreover, we had been advised a long skirt was more respectful for church visits. Our new frocks did not slow us down. I was a little surprised when I read my journal that we spent only one day in Florence and packed in so many sites. A visit to the Uffizi gallery in the morning inspired me to take an art history course at university the following year. In the afternoon, we toured Brunelleschi’s famed Duomo, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower. To get the most value out of our new…
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An interesting meal in Parma
Sarah and I carefully counted our lira and choose a restaurant in our guidebook. A dinner out in Parma was a priority, the city famed for prosciutto and Parmigiano. We arrived that day from the Ligurian region where we had been obsessed with the sweet basil Genovese pesto (see Genoa). What food discoveries would we make in the Emilia-Romagna region? Snug at our rustic wooden table, we were surrounded by boisterous Italian voices and the aroma of sweet garlic. Is that bacon I smell? The scrawls on the chalkboard menu were unfamiliar. As a vegetarian, Sarah was careful to stick with dishes she recognized. Scanning the written menu, she spotted…
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A quick stop in Monterosso
The gelato is intensely flavourful. Sweet, tart and fresh. It is a deep red colour, like perfectly ripe raspberries. Wow. I gently scrape another slushie mound on my tiny plastic spoon. The second bite is even better. Raspberry is my new favourite flavour. I look out at the turquoise bay. Behind me are pastel buildings clustered up the side of a cliff. My huge backpack is beside me. Our stop at Monterrosso was so brief we did not even stash our packs at the train station. We took a short hike along the coast, overlooking rugged cliffs and turquoise coves. Sometimes the path hugged the coastline with the rocky shoreline…
