Leaving Arezzo among many kisses from the front desk, we head to Cortona. John and I were here many years ago after reading “Under the Tuscan Sun.” The parking lots seem very busy and we have to park fairly far away from the town. And then we have to walk up, and up, and up. We actually have to stop a couple of times because it is so steep. Finally we are at the top and in the piazza.
From one of the overlooks we see the Lake Trasimeno. It is quite large and John informs Sarah and me that Hannibal (of the elephants) won a battle here against the Romans in the Punic Wars. Hmm, I’ve heard of Hannibal and I know he battled Romans and I know there were Punic Wars. The End. Sarah suggests that the elephants helped by sucking out the water from the lake with their trunks. I opine that maybe Moses could have used them at the Red Sea. Sometimes John just knows too much stuff that no one else knows. He could be totally bullsh%#ting us and we wouldn’t know.
There are many people taking in the view, locals, tourists, and even an artist!
First we stop at the Church of San Domenico which was begun in the 1300’s and completed in 1438. It has a lovely Coronation Altarpiece done by Lorenzo di Niccolo in 1402 for a church in Florence and was commissioned by the Medici. The saints pictured are Laurence, Sylvester, Mark, Scholastica, and Dominic.
After this we walk over to the Museo Diocesano and Sarah poses at the overlook with the fancy cemetery of Cortona in the background.
In the museum we are not allowed to take pictures. We are following the rules but other people are not! So I take surreptitious photo of Fra Bartolomeo’s beautiful Annunciation. I need to figure out how to cancel the clicky noise on my iPhone when it takes a picture.
Lunchtime! Today we eat at Nessun Dorma which John tells me is a Puccini aria but truly he could tell me anything and I wouldn’t know. We all order salads and then some brown foods for our main courses.
On the way out of Cortona we stop at the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio (or the church of Saint Mary given in thanks by the lime makers.) John and I tried to find this church in a previous trip and are very excited to be able to get a look inside. However, even though the front door is open, the inside doors are locked. Oh, blimey!
Now it is on to Assisi. Assisi is such an ethereal looking city that we have to pull off the road on the approach just to take a couple of pictures.
The people at the hotel try to upsell us on a suite that overlooks the fabulous Basilica of San Francesco and we say okay. The view is wonderful even though the hotel is less so.
Later on we go out for drinks. Apparently most of the pilgrims here are teetotalers so we are by ourselves on the beautiful terrace of the Hotel Giotto. We enjoy a glass of wine and the interesting points of view from our server, Mido, a Lebanese emigre who is studying in Perugia to become a pharmacist.
Lastly we head to a restaurant that we’ve been to before, Il Frantoio. Unfortunately soon after we arrive a large tour group of Americans arrive. They are really loud and we ask to change our table so that we can at least hear each other. Their meal consists of spaghetti with tomato sauce, a piece of pork, and strawberries with lemon sugar. It’s totally not Umbrian. Anyway we have some tasty primi and secondi.
Back in the room, I take a photo of the Basilica at night.
And then we fight with the Internet. Finally the front desk gives us their proprietary password and if I sit within 50 feet of the front desk, it works (slowly.)