Today saw us in Assisi at a fabulous restaurant (yes, my dad will indeed drive 2 hours for food...Love it?!) This was a beautiful day, all sunny and warm, and Assisi is located at the top of a mountain/hill. Come to think of it, all these mediaeval villages are located at the top of hills...dotting the Italian countryside...First you see the walls, then the "castle" and then the chapel rising above it all. Assisi actually has 2 (maybe more) chapels, but we only got to a certain piazza (where the restaurant was, and gellato! OH, and some wonderful shop where I bought some balsamic vinegar) then back to the chapel of St. Frances.
Assisi must be the SanFrancisco of Italy...we walked straigt up some of these streets to get around, and when we weren't walking straight up the streets, we were walking straight up some stairs...I know you walk a lot in Europe, but I was convinced that I was going to have to run up and down my stairs daily because I was going to miss walking up stairs! And we found the greatest little shop on the main street where I bought 2 really cute bags (no pictures, but I am loving them!) AND...The views were wonderful after walking straight up...
The chapel of St. Frances was really wonderful too...Although really crowded, it hung right on the edge of the mountain. I unfortunately, was not able to take pictures inside the chapel, but trust me, the frescoes were wonderful! And there was some really great chairs around the front of the chapel, all carved with various saints and angles (men and women, thank you)
After spending some time wandering around the chapel, we all piled into the car for a quick trip to Deruta...I was after some more masks, the ones with all the fruits, flowers...And nuts (the ones like I picked up in Orvieto)...But alas, no matter how we searched, we could not find any...I was lucky to have gotten the 3 that I did. Although, I am sad I do not have any with vegetables, I will be happy to have the ones I have hanging above my doorways! Deruta is a quaint village and all of the stores specialize in the type of pottery they make in Deruta...With different artists in each one. I love, love, love the pottery from Italy, I am amazed by the colors, designs and movement on each piece!! And I scored a wonderful coffee/tea cup with dragons on it!
This is a little altar made of tiles at the entrance of Deruta...right where you park your car!
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