Wednesday, October 4, 2017-- My last day in Assisi...
After breakfast, I decided to travel to the nearby town of Spello, a small medieval hill town a short (8 minute) train ride, from Assisi.
As the train approached Spello, I got ready to get off and was met by a group of four women, all of who were lugging a roller suitcase. One of the women asked me if I spoke English, when I said yes, she asked me if I’d open the train door when the train came to a stop. I said I’d try; on some old Regionale trains, one needs to pull and turn a metal handle, which gets stuck at times. Once the train came to a complete stop, I was successful in opening the door and the women thanked me. Once off the train, the women introduced me to a young woman, Monica, who came to pick them up. I was told that Monica lives in Spello and she rents a couple of beautiful apartments there.
I was intrigued, so I asked Monica if it was possible for me to see her apartments, and she said yes. So I ended up getting a ride up to the town along with the 4 women (it’s a good thing Monica drives a van!). I learned that a couple of the women in the group had stayed in one of Monica’s apartments in the past, however since there were 4 of them, they were staying at a hotel nearby and were meeting Monica for lunch later on. Monica showed me her apartments, which are beautifully decorated in a shabby chic style.
Monica was very friendly and helpful; she even walked with me to the nearby TI office where she introduced me to Elena, the young woman working there. Elena gave me a map of the town and pointed the route to the main sites.
On the way to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, I stopped at a tiny shop where the owner makes beautiful macramé bracelets, lampshades, and other unique items. There was a bracelet I liked but wanted it in blue, so she told me that she could make it for me. I asked how long it would take and she said, "tre minuti". She ended up making 2 nice bracelets for me. When I arrived at the church, it was closed (I arrived just after 12:30), so I decided to return at 3:30PM when it would reopen, according to the sign outside its door.
I enjoyed walking around the beautiful narrow quiet stone streets, lined with colorful flowers hanging from ceramic pots on window balconies or from hooks on the walls, toward the church of San Lorenzo, which unfortunately was also closed. I then walked around, on Via Giulia, past a small church and a monastery, toward the Roman Arch. There's an amazing view of the valley right in front of the small church of San Severino, just past the arch, where I could see Assisi in the distance.
I decided to have lunch at, 'Ristorante Il Pinturicchio', which had been recommended by 3 locals I'd asked along my walk.
I sat on their front patio and ordered the eggplant & ricotta cheese ravioli topped with a fresh tomato sauce, fresh thyme and small shavings of cheese. I also ordered some grilled vegetables consisting of zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.
I then ordered the panna cotta with caramel sauce and it was velvety smooth and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. My lunch was superb!
After lunch, I visited the beautiful Church of San Lorenzo, then I walked down to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was supposed to reopen at 3:30pm but it was still closed.
A woman walking by the church told me and the other tourists standing by the front door of the church, that the church was closed due to damage from last year's earthquake. One of the other tourists looked puzzled and said that she had just visited the church that morning and it had been open. Very odd and unfortunate since I didn’t get to see the interior of this beautiful church…
Continued below...