Lovely description. The Rocca Paolina is one of the things I missed - incredibly. Because we took a taxi to and from the train station and never left to take a day trip. Over the three nights we spent in Perugia we walked near the entrance several times - but didn't realize it. Oh this pains me - will have to go back to Perugia to see the underground area.

Thanks, davispeets. We would have liked to spend more time, like you did, just exploring Perugia.
Our hotel, Sangallo Palace, is located at the spot where the buses stop, about half way up the escalators, if you take them from the very bottom. It was perfect for exploring the city, only 5 minutes to the top, and we got to pass the Rocca Paoline each time.
I can't say the same for Sangallo's air conditioning, though! Sometimes I think they give you the older, not so nice rooms when you book through Expedia.

Some photos of Perugia, with some shots of the view and of Rocca Paolina:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gu7djkqilnry6qp/B_OLJrGFPA

Nice photos, sundp! When we were in Perugia, I believe they had a cooking classs in La Taverna. Hub and I loved the city.

That description of the bruschetta with truffles and pâté, just made me re think my trip to Puglia. Or maybe I can fit Perugia in somehow...

Macdogmom The food in Puglia is good... But so is the food in Umbria...mmmm truffles
I guess it depends somewhat on when you are going, as to what's in season.

TDudette, Perugia is pretty unique, isn't it?

ttt

Luckily for us, remembering our vow from the night before, the breakfast at Sangallo Palace is 'a la tour group', so we have a (horrible) cup of coffee and keep going.

My planned tour for the day was to start at the celebrated Galleria Nazionale di Umbria in Perugia, then continue with Spello, and circle across the valley to Bevagna, Bettona, and Torgiano.
The museum, housed in the beautiful Palazzo Dei Priori, is indeed a fine record of Umbrian art, with works by Perugino, Piero de la Francesca, Fra Angelico, and others. It's a shame about the audio guides that will not work, no matter what you try.

Along with the museum in Sansepolcro, we are about in "Madonna con Bambino" overload mode.
My husband's eyes are glazing over, so I promise, no more Madonnas and bambinos.

We retrieve our car, and are off for the countryside, but are a bit dismayed by the valley seeming to be very industrial and busy. Maybe that was because we were on the main highway. Then Assisi appeared, then Spello, and, happily, we are distracted.

I remember Spello for its picturesque views of Assisi and pretty flower pots, the steep lanes, and the lovely lunch we had in a small square partway up the hill. We passed a lot of places that looked like holiday rentals, probably a very nice place to stay.

Our GPS was determined we were not going to go on the back roads, but we finally get across the valley and up into the hills to Bettona.
Here in Umbria, as in all Italy, but particularly so in the smaller towns, the afternoons are reserved for siesta time.
There is a total of 3 people that we see in Bettona, men standing outside a bar engaged in lively conversation. They watch us as we walk to the main piazza, which is completely empty, and back to our car. Hmmm....not too much action here, although there's a very nice view.

Determined to find a memory of the day to bring back, we continue on to Torgiano, where the Museum of Olives is open. We learn a lot about that queen of trees, then continue on to the Museum of Wine, but we get hung up in the Cantina next door, tasting wines, cheeses, and aged balsamic vinegar. Never did get to that museum.

Originally, I thought we might hit Torgiano in time to have supper at Le Tre Vaselle restaurant, but the town is just now coming back to life, and we are getting antsy to get back to Perugia for sunset.
Again, our gps guides us flawlessly towards our hotel, and the parcheggio. Feeling flushed with success, at the last moment, we make the right hand turn, but the wrong one, unfortunately.
After going into and out of the ZTL several times, and having to back up a narrow steep lane, we get out of town...... Waaay out of town.
There's not too much sunset to be seen from the east side of the mountain which is Perugia. But hey, it was a nice drive, aside from the harrowing experiences!

We have supper in a little outdoor place in a corner of Piazza IV Novembre. In this quiet corner, it's a beautiful piazza with grand white marble buildings that make a wonderful backdrop for the Fontana Maggiore.
On one side is the Palazzo dei Priori, and on the other side, the steps of the Duomo provide a lurking place for beer drinking students, all of whom seem to be dressed in dark colors, and who leave their litter along the streets and in the corners.

It almost feels like being in the middle of a black and white photo, only with peach coloured tablecloths.

We share a simple supper. I only remember the lamb chops, which were surprisingly good from a restaurant on the main piazza that we had thought might be a tourist trap, but wasn't. Da Cesarino di Milletti Palmiero, piazza IV Novembre 4/5 Perugia

After a stroll around the town, attempting a few long staircases, but finding it too dark, I think I'm ready to face our sauna of a hotel room for the night.
(Is it just me, or is it hot in here?)

One of our favourite things in Europe is to buy goodies at the farmer's market, then at lunch, find a nice spot for a tailgate party. We found only a limited market in Perugia, but there was a Coop store, where we got cheese, wine, and oil, but no bread. Oh well, we're bound to see a bakery somewhere along our way.

We are excited to see the frescoes in Assisi today. It's an unexceptional drive along the main highway, then a short drive up to the parking lot, then a long walk past hordes of trinket hawking shops to arrive at the Basilica.

On our way, we peak into the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, with its blatant baroque decoration, and sky blue frescoes on the ceiling. This church was built over a First Century BC Roman temple, which was believed to be dedicated to Minerva, and still has 6 original columns in the front.
If you look carefully, you will see it featured as a temple in the fresco depicting the Legend of St Francis in the Basilica.

The Basilica di San Francesco is a very impressive church, dedicated to such a humble man.
It is not allowed to take pictures, not even in the courtyard. Husband sneaks a few anyway. We make our way downstairs to see the star of the ball.

Although it is beautiful, I don't remember feeling blown away, like I did in Ravenna and Padova. Maybe it's because there are so many more people here.

Perhaps it's the hunger pains. Tim is getting the "Feed me now or I fear I'll turn into the Hulk" look. Soon the shops will be closing and we still have not found bread. Desperate, Tim goes into a farmacia to ask the non-English speaking woman for a place to buy bread.
Pa--ne he says, and she thinks he's trying to describe some disease or rash he has; after all, this is a drug store.
Finally, the linguistics get sorted, and she points him up the street to a small grocery.

Tim covers the mile or two back to the car in record time. After scrounging enough cash to pay for the parking, he then has to wait for his gps challenged wife to figure out where we are going to find "the spot" for a picnic and how we are going to arrive there.

Suddenly he remembers we only have 10 minutes to get out of the parking lot. We race to the gate, but are a minute too late. Oo...ooh boy. Back up, drive back to the booth, explain to the non-English speakers what happened, scrounge up another €1,50, and take off to who knows where.
There is evidently 'nowhere to stop', so we keep driving, and finally find ourselves by coincidence in the parking lot where we were the day before, in Spello.
I say, "Stop, just stop, and eat something!" Tim has low blood sugar. He parks next to the garbage bins, opens the tailgate, pulls out the pane and olive oil and cheese and rips into it, his shaky hands spilling the olive oil liberally on his bread, and the ground.
Gradually, the Hulk turns back into my husband.
After we finally get on the road again, I turn to Tim and say, "You wanna know the truth? I hate tailgate parties!"
And we thus decide the quest for the perfect tailgate lunch is over! Rejoice!

Photos of Assisi

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g7kmfcsmnau45er/bp837TcHUM

Pics of Spello and countryside:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9gcmwsoteo4a0yl/KMvDd-rRG9

lovely pics, sundried.

BTW I've got a daughter like your DH. if we don't feed her regularly, life for the rest of us gets very unpleasant!

annhig, you'd think I would know by now, feed the machine!

I just noticed your Sri Lanka report, as I don't usually read the Asia board. Can't wait to finish it!

On to SPOLETO

Southward we go, to spend a few days in Spoleto. After our morning in Assisi and our lunchtime adventure, we are eager to get to Spoleto and get settled in to our hotel. The pictures on the website look very nice.
I have read about the teeny parking lot, which I haven't mentioned to Tim, yet.

Just follow the GPS and feign ignorance, that's my theory. She's pretty helpful today, and gets us right to the narrow, narrow lane where we have to turn into a teeny weeny parking lot. I run in to ask the hotelier if there is somewhere else to park, but by the time I come out, Tim has done an Austin Powers turn, and we are all set.

Our hotel is beautiful, with a garden overlooking the valley below. Our room is absolutely spotless and well appointed, and the breakfast next morning is lovely as well.

Palazzo Leti also has a charming terrace in the garden which we are able to enjoy, and that mitigates the slight disappointment of our room being 2 levels down with no view.
Over a glass of wine, we visit with another couple, who happen to be from BC as well, but the central part.
We dine together at a small restaurant just down the hill. After dinner, Tim and I opt for a walk around town, as we have just arrived, and as yet, have seen nothing.
The Rocca, above the town, looks very interesting all lit up, as does the Duomo, and we look forward to the next day.
On our second lap around the town, we are walking down an incline when suddenly a car comes around the corner. I look up and miss the step, and take a tumble.
Tim helps me up, but I have scraped and banged my knee pretty hard.

The young woman driving the car jumps out, runs over to us, takes me by one arm and Tim takes the other, and I hobble down the street to the restaurant where we had had supper. The whole family, I think, rushes over to help me, and within seconds has me sitting down, a glass of water, some antiseptic spray, and a bag of ice at the ready.

Signora makes me sit and keep the ice on, while she chats away in Italian, which we understand (somewhat) with the help of gestures and sign language.
After a few minutes, she brings out a plate of freshly baked cookies for me.
It's almost worth the fall, just to experience that kindness!
Il Mio Vinaio, Via Arco di Druso 31 Spoleto

Well, the cookies make me feel MUCH better....
Hopefully the knee will be okay tomorrow....

Oh no! Not a fall and an knee injury. And I know the need to "feed the beast" -- I can completely relate.

I so wish we had made it to Spoleto.

Davispeets, you'll just have to save it for next time. So much to see....

I just noticed your Sri Lanka report, as I don't usually read the Asia board. Can't wait to finish it!>>

i can't wait to finish too!

thanks for the encouragement.

Oh no, hope it wasn't serious. I had to laugh about the Madonnas in Perugia. In the gallery was a Madonna of the orchestra--did you see it? I saw a sign for Madonna in the bath from the car but can't remember where that was.

Next day, I do not have a huge bruise, thanks to the ice pack, and we are able to continue our plans to visit the Duomo, the Roman aqueduct, as well as the Rocca.

The duomo has an unbeatable setting. At the bottom of a epic staircase, and with the Piazza del Duomo introducing it to the world, it has no less than eight rose windows decorating the Romanesque facade.
The golden mosaic on the front is signed and dated 1207.
Inside is the colourful and detailed fresco cycle by Filippo Lippi, Life of the Virgin, and Pinturicchio's Madonna and Child.
This church has a very interesting floor, mosaics in the Cosmatesque style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmatesque

Beautiful, indeed, but I really prefer to ponder the gorgeous exterior from the cafe on the Piazza, and imagine what it's like to be here when it is used for a stage during the Spoleto Festival of arts.

From the Rocca one can see views on all sides. Spoleto has a beautiful location. We make our way around the interior of the Rocca Albornoziana on a self guided tour of this former papal fortress, where Lucrezia Borgia once lived.
One can imagine life in medieval Spoleto from the interesting frescoes in the Rocca. One portrays what looks to be the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia full of bathing maidens. I'm not too sure who is the watcher.

We enjoy our day immensely, and would recommend anyone to use Spoleto as a base for Umbria. If we return to Umbria, it will be to spend more time in Perugia and the area of the upper Tiber, Arrezzo and Gubbio, also more of Spoleto, Trevi, and Marmore Falls, places we missed seeing.

Again, another week here would have been nice.

The mid day break is a good time to do laundry. Our hotel gives us a map and instructions on how to get to the laundromat downtown. A couple of tall young men are there, with their duffle bags unpacked, laundry in, smoking cigarettes on the bench outside.
We can't quite figure out where to find the soap and how to put it in, and hand gestures are not doing the trick.
With the help of the phrase book which I downloaded before we left, our new friends give us directions, and the task begins.
Laundry in, we wonder across the street to the Coop store, and buy bottled water for 18 cents each, deposit in the back of the car, and wonder back to the lavanderia.

Soon, three of the young men's friends arrive, and the little laundromat is getting very crowded. I decipher from their duffle bags that they are army lads.
Funny how our laundry becomes a community affair, with reminders when the load is done, how much money to put in the dryer, a few other hints on this and that.

Backpacks loaded, we're done for another week or so.


During the day we had spotted a restaurant just down and around the corner where the menu looks very impressive. So we head down in that direction to make a reservation, only to find they are not open because of a private party.
We are disappointed, but even more so when our friends from the night before come round just in time to inform us it's the best restaurant in Spoleto. And tomorrow we are leaving. Well, next time...

Our hotel recommends Ristorante del Mercato, on the piazza of the same name, and we order pasta. Mine was made with beets, and is very good. Tim enjoys the whole fish in cartoccio. My pork, however, is medium rare and not at all tender, although it looked promising. We have a really good bottle of the local sagrantino wine.


Its time to repack our bags with our clean laundry, and head off on another adventure, through the Sibillini mountains....

TDudette, I don't think I noticed the madonna of the orchestra. I'm pretty sure we saw more madonnas in Umbria than anywhere else in Italy!

sundried, I feel your pain...try travelling with a low blood sugar victim that can't deal with jetlag!!!

just sayin'..,there's LOTS left out of my trip report in the making!

Hannabilly, ha ha... Yep, I really have no reason to complain, the 99.9% good makes up for the less than perfect bit ( I better say that in case he reads this!)

I can't believe that I, the queen of spelling, wrote "We WONDER across the street..."
Well, there is a fair bit of wonder involved in Umbria, I really love frescoes...but the only wonder in the Coop store is 18 cent water...

Pics of Spoleto, the Duomo, Rocca, and Roman bridge, as well as the garden at Palazzo Leti, our hotel,

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vwwgug53sx892tq/2NLo4B-_cs

and a unique art exhibit at the Rocca featuring the work of Jeffrey Isaac:

http://www.jeffreyisaac.com/teatrino/teatrino.html

THROUGH THE PARCO NAZIONALE DEI MONTI SIBILLINI AND EAST TO ASCOLI PICENO

Okay, this day proves to be one of the most enjoyable of our trip. I planned our route to Ascoli to take the best advantage of the scenic drive.
From Spoleto, we drive to Cerreto di Spoleto. As soon as we go round the hills to the east of Spoleto, the scenery is wonderful, expanses of mountainsides uncluttered by housing developments, and industrial sites. The drive up the mountain to Cerreto is a bit of an adventure, narrow, steep and winding, but the view is so worth it.

We walk around the main piazza, with its fountain and its civic building with coats of arms embedded in its exterior, and a memorial to those who died in the War of Independence. Nothing is open on a Friday morning but a cafe, Joseph's Old Inn, where we have a good cup of tea, and a locally made pastry, and watch the tv above the counter, which has a cooking show that's also exploring local customs and dress in a small town in Sicilia.

The old men in the piazza are regarding us with much interest. Cerreto is not a hotbed of tourism, it seems, but it is a well kept little town. Perhaps in the summer it's crowded with visitors?
An old lady was making her way up the steep hill with the aid of her cane, and she comes over to where we are looking at the view, and is quite pleased that we like it. I say Buongiorno, and that is enough to make friends and to start her on a story in Italian.
I do understand that the hills are really beautiful when it snows there. People in Italy take such pride in the beauty and history of their home.

Our next stop is Visso, where we park and go looking for someplace to have lunch. Visso is a quaint little town in a pretty, treed setting, with a lot of shops selling local specialties, but does not have many restaurants.
I do not want to leave hungry, especially since it is the time when the shops are closing, and we aren't going for the tailgate party idea today!

As we are heading back to the car, I spot a door at the side of a small square, and sure enough, they are serving lunch. It kind of resembles a diner, with local pictures on the walls, and it seems like any moment, the place will fill up with hunters and loggers.

Soon, though, the local lunch crowd appears, some men in suits, some casual, but no hunters. Our little restaurant is the place to be.
We leave there satisfied on salad and grilled fish, and 2 glasses of wine, for an unbelievably low price. I love that about Umbria!

The owner gives us a map of the Parco Nazionale Dei Monti Sibillini along with our bill.

We continue our journey toward Castelluccio, and the views keep getting better around every corner. The lack of traffic makes it easy to stop for photo ops, and we take advantage, pulling over multiple times for pictures.

The road takes us up and up, and the tree covered mountains give way to green and gold mountain peaks, a big valley, sheep grazing, hikers hiking, and a rugged town on top of a hill.

As we pull into Castelluccio and park the car, we see an assortment of people, vehicles, shops and dogs. The air is cool like mountain air in the fall. And it carries wafts of the tantalizing smell of grilling sausage.
There are a couple of outdoor tables and plastic chairs surrounding a food cart van, and a handful of hikers hunkered down, intent on devouring their grilled meat sandwiches.

There are shops selling the local, famous lentils, garbanzo beans and other specialties. I say "shops" in a very loose sense of the word, since there is no cuteness or charm or prettiness like shops in the hill towns of Tuscany, say Pienza.
This is a rough and ready mountain town with agricultural roots, the buildings and roofs looking like they have weathered many storms and winds, rain and snow. There has been a settlement here since the 13th Century.

Vans with logos painted on the sides representing hot air balloon and paragliding companies, sports which are popular here, are crowded along the edge of the road as it arcs over the top of the hill.

There is no alternative but to indulge in a grilled pork sausage sandwich, shared with my husband. In that setting, in the mountain air, it is unbelievably good.

After a visit with the grill master and the young woman who helps him, a look at the giant mushroom he has on display, and a purchase of some famous lentils,we take in the view from the edge of the parking lot.

Across from us is Monte Vettore, windswept and imposing in its grandeur, and down to the southeast is the Piano Grande, flat and wide and surrounded by fields of lentils. In the spring I am told, it is a sight to behold, with red poppies and yellow rapeseed in bloom.

How can one compare the beauty of something crafted by the hands of man, like the mosaics in Ravenna, with the beauty of a landscape like the one that lies before us?

One is an appreciation of the effort and inspiration and eye hand coordination that can bring a work of art to fruition. And, often, the beauty of it provokes an emotional response in us, strikes a chord of recognition of the humanness we perceive in it.

But standing before a grand mountain, a glacial lake, or the roaring waves of the ocean can produce in us a feeling of being swept away, overpowered, humbled, and at the same time, gives a rush of serotonin that makes my heart feel light in my chest, and gives a lift to my spirit.

Both are experiences to be cherished, but cannot be compared.

It feels a bit anticlimactic now to drive down the hill and across the plain and into the mountains on the other side. Gradually the twists and turns give way to a straighter road that follows a river valley through to Ascoli Piceno. We have made it through the kingdom of the mythical Sibyl, which has risen out of those dark ages to become a protected environment, a "park for everybody".

Sighing for Italy! Glad you liked Spoleto.

Ooh, good, found your latest instalment - more fantastic writing! Impressed with your food intake, I feel we are kindred spirits Shame about your hurt knee but you will remember the lovely experience that came out of it.

I'm just sorry you didn't enjoy the basilica in Assisi - we thought it was fantastic. We stayed in Assisi 2 nights so were able to get there just after opening time at 8.30, and I see I noted we more or less had it to ourselves until 10. But we haven't been to *any* of the other places you describe, & obviously now we have to - I am very envious of your trip!

I haven't been counting, how long was it altogether? You managed to fit in a lot of very contrasting places, without it seeming rushed - congratulations on good planning!

Sorry, sundried, I'm very cross with you - just when I've decided where I want to go next, someone like you comes along and tells me why I want to go somewhere else!

Rats - back to the planning again.

Thanks Caroline. After about 2 weeks, I realized that there was no way we could ever taste everything we wanted to, so decided to go with the flow, and just enjoy every mouthful of what we could.

Regarding Assisi, I really believe that one's perception of a place has a lot to do with the circumstances of the day, and I'm always willing to go back and try again.
In the case of Venice, though, our first trip was so perfect, we were afraid to go back and spoil the memory. Sure glad we changed our minds!

Our trip was 5 weeks in all. For us it's a long way, so we always feel like we have to jam in as much as possible. I discovered I'm getting too old for that, though, well, not really old, but I do want to slow down a bit.
After this bit, we drove to Bari, met our daughter and son-in-law, and continued to Lecce, Matera, Amalfi, and finally, Rome. Yes, many differing experiences! And interesting food!

Annhig, if I remember, you're planning a trip to Sicily. You'll love it and won't regret it. It's all good, isn't it?
The more I see, the more I want to see!

I will save your epic journey as a resource guide for our next trip to Italy, which has now moved up on my calendar thanks to your writing. Great job!!

Maitai you are exceedingly kind....

Here are my photos of our drive through the Sibillini Mountains, starting with Cerreto di Spoleto and on to Castelluccio.
Photos cannot do justice to the grandiose size of the mountain and the Piano Grande, but my mostly untouched pics give some idea, though it was a very gray day.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/il59k7iiispjnu3/2k0RgPqZyX

Sadly, my telephoto lens on my Panasonic Lumix got jammed part way through our drive, so for the last 2 weeks of our trip I had only my iphone to use for pics.

shame about your lens and the weather, sundried but the pics still show what a lovely area it is.

you're right about us planning a trip to Sicily; would you recommend it over Umbria?

I couldn't open the photo site (Google service error). Too bad about your telephoto, but the phones are getting better and better though, aren't they?

What you said about Assisi, depending on the circumstances of the day--that's so true! And maybe true for everywhere. It behooves us not to make generalizations about a place doesn't it after one day only!

More TR to come? Please, please, please!

Annhig Sicily is a place unto itself, more like southern Italy, and really something to experience, and even if you only stay in one side of the island, there are many and varied landscapes and sights to see.

It has a special place in my heart. You might say its a bit more of an adventure, though.
It depends what is of particular interest to you. Sicily does not have a plethora of art per se, but the baroque architecture is very interesting, as are the historical sites.

Tdudette try that link again.
More to come soon...

Enjoying this report immensely. Thank you, sundriedpachino!

Thanks StCirq!

This is getting to be an epic journey, but finally here is the last segment of Umbria, although Ascoli is actually in Le Marche:

ASCOLI PICENO

Ascoli is nestled in a bowl between the foothills of the Sibillini mountains, the river that runs through, and the Adriatic, a half hour east. It looks green and lush, and a mist hangs over the hilltops, perhaps a meeting of the air of the mountains and the sea.

Our hotel, the Palazzo Dei Mercanti, has very thoughtfully emailed us a map showing how to arrive to the hotel, and where to park. We still had a moment of confusion, though, so I jump out and ask a shopkeeper if we are close.

Thus continues a number of pleasant interchanges with local people. There's no better way to meet an Italian than to begin with "Bongiorno. (Smile) Dov'e Il Palazzo Dei Mercanti?" Or wherever it is that you want to go.
And that seems to break the ice, and usually results in a brief, but friendly and warm conversation.

In another town, Polignano, we approached some teenaged boys late, around 11 pm, and asked where the train station was, as we wanted to depart early in the morning.

I wasn't sure what response to expect. I know what response I would get where I live! After a brief discussion amongst themselves, apparently to discover which one could speak English the best, one stepped forward and said, "Do you want to go, I will take you there right now...."

My next project is to learn more Italian.

Back to Ascoli Piceno....our newly renovated Palazzo is very pretty, as is our room, done in pale, pale lilac, for lack of a better color descriptor, and grey. I love the combination of modern decor in a historic building.

Settled into our room, off we go to find Piazza del Popolo, literally, "piazza of the people".
The street opens up to a square paved entirely in travertine. The gothic Church of San Francesco stands at one end, while the Palazzo Dei Capitani defines one side and the Loggia dei Mercanti the other.
It is "una piazza molto elegante", elegant, yet well lived in, comfortable, spacious, proud, yet with a warm family feeling. And exceedingly beautiful.

Caffe Meletti looks welcoming to a couple of tired and thirsty travellers. We have learned that happy hour is essential for those of us unused to dining at 8 pm. We choose an outside table where we can keep an eye on the comings and goings of the square.

La passeggiata is a happy, relaxed time here, and it seems that everyone knows each other. The kids play ball together, the old men swap all the news since yesterday, a few older gentlemen are walking arm in arm with their wives, dressed as elegant Italian couples should be. The conversations are easy, no posturing, no hurrying about.

It's such an interesting play of socializing that still is alive and well in Italy, and keeps the generations from cliquing into disparate groups, and keeps mutual respect a part of daily life.

With our local wine comes a long rectangular white dish with aperitivo snacks. We love this. It seems anywhere in Italy that we have been where there are few tourists, one has a mini-meal provided with the wine during what we call happy hour time. It's always a wee bit of excitement to discover what goodies there are today.

Would you like to know what we enjoyed at Caffe Meletti?
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h3nvncvq2u1l48m/q0-N8onby6

The hotel reception recommends a restaurant for dinner, and we have a nice conversation about the town. Since it is not really a tourist town ( we only recall seeing one other tourist, a young man from California) I ask about the local economy. Some years back, some big industries moved into the town , with the help of government incentives, but since the recession, those incentives have dried up, and so have the jobs.

As in so much of Italy, tourism is now being promoted. But we found Ascoli to be so untouched, and so pleasant to be in, that we hope it doesn't change too much.

With a few hours to walk off our snacks before dinner time, we take a tour of the nearby streets and piazzas. Back out to the main street and further east, truly only 200 meters, is Piazza Arringo.
The Duomo here is dedicated to the saint who will protect the town from earthquakes. We spend some pleasant time observing a photographer and model with an interesting theme: shoes of all kind and description.

The walls in the alleys are covered in graffiti as we walk to Ristorante Rua Dei Notari. We find it inside the Palazzo Guiderocchi, an elegant setting for a very fine restaurant.

Here we have our first taste of Olive all’Ascolana, a dish which is found only in this area. The large olives are locally grown, stuffed with a meat filling, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried, with delicious results. We then share a primi, a house specialty, chitarrine with pachino tomatoes, guanciale, and parmesan.
Again, very well done. With a secondi, which has vaporized from my brain, and a bottle of wine, and excellent service, the bill was Euro 50.

Ristorante Rua dei Notari, Via C.Battisti 3, 63100 Ascoli Piceno

In the morning, anxious to get on the road, we do a quick runthrough of the local market, and follow our noses to a bakery where people are buying bread by the weight. We watch to see what everyone else is buying, and take with us a half round of the best foccaccia ever to snack on while we drive.

What a great town. Before I get too rickety, I vow to go back and do some hiking in the beautiful Sibillini Mountains, but now we are anxious to be on our way to Bari, to meet our daughter and her husband at the airport.

I’m hoping the weather will be a little cooler there, as it was the last time we visited Puglia....

This time I was able to open both photo links--don't know what happened. Nice shots!

Ascoli Piceno sounds wonderful. Nice to find such towns.

Another lovely place we haven't been! After all the time we've spent in Italy over the years, and thinking we'd seen a lot, I'm finding that maybe we haven't seen much. Before our plans for our new lives started being developed we'd worked up to 4 week trips, thinking that work back in Scotland might seem less horrible if we could tell ourselves we only had to do it for 11 months of the year then we'd get a month in Italy (which obviously didn't work!) - but we might have only visited 4 places in those 4 weeks. I do envy you all the different places you've experienced.

I loved the picture of your 'bar snacks'! When we started our intensive Italian course here we met a Scottish fellow student with a holiday home in Le Marche, and she said that (as opposed to usually just crisps here), in Le Marche you get 'a spread' with your aperitif!

Btw Olive Ascolane are available elsewhere in Italy - frozen or sometimes from the deli counter in supermarkets - but they've never lived up to expectations - I'd love to try the real thing.

Ann, do stick to your plan of going to Sicily! Until we fell so heavily for Venice it was probably our favourite place. I'd been once pre-DH, then we went for our honeymoon, and again 2 years later - at that time we thought we've carry on going every other year but it slipped off the radar, sadly. But I'd love to go back & see the places I've been before plus the places I haven't been. Our last trip was something like 5 nights in Taormina (just to relax, to start with), 2 nights in Siracusa, 1 night outside Ragusa, 2 nights outside Agrigento & 5 nights in Palermo (with a visit to Piazza Armerina en route), and we loved all of it. I'd been to all those places before except Palermo. I'd also been to Cefalu & not liked it, although many evidently love it.

Ann, I have to agree with Caroline on the subject of Sicily. We loved Taormina, Siracusa, the temples at Agrigento, and Palermo. We did like Cefalu, and I would like to go back and explore the mountains around Cefalu, although I've read the roads aren't that great. More research coming up!

I'd also like to do a day hike in the Zingaro Park, Castellamare del Golfo, the islands, still so much to see....
by the way, I have a Sicily guide which is quite inspiring, its called footprint italia Sicily:

http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/europe/?Action=product&Product_Reference=SICD01

I supplemented it with practical stuff from Michelin Green Guide (and Fodor's of course!)

Caroline, thanks for the correction on the olives. They are much better, I'm sure, when fresh and from a lovely restaurant like Rua dei Notari. Still, I think I'd describe them as interesting rather than over the top good.

We keep saying, just one more trip to Italy then we'll go somewhere else. But each trip gives us more that we want to explore. Maybe I'll never make it to northern Spain!

I'm now assuming we'll never make to to any of the other countries we fancied, but that was our choice - staying in jobs we hated in a place with no summer but being able to afford regular nice holidays, or spending the rest of our lives (fingers crossed) in Italy but probably no holidays elsewhere ever again. To us, that trade-off was worth it. And prior to that, I suppose that for about the last 12 years we've traded off first other countries for nearly all holidays in Italy, then (in the last 2 years) the rest of Italy for just Venice. It's a terrible choice, but we each have to go with what we love most - you really can't have it all (especially now I've given up playing the lottery )!

Would you like to know what we enjoyed at Caffe Meletti?
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h3nvncvq2u1l48m/q0-N8onby6>>

molto elegante!

why Sicily? I have fallen in love with the scenery i see on Commissario Montelbano, and i want to be able to practice my italian. Fortunately i am able to go on a week's italian course in Rome in February so by the time we get to Sicily, the italian should be a little improved. but of course I could really practice the italian anywhere, and every time i read a wonderful trip report like this one, I wonder if....

I'm glad that your choice is working out for you Caroline. how's the italian going?

annhig, maybe you can squeeze a few days in Spoleto after Rome! and before Sicily, wouldn't that be wonderful.

Caroline, if you are so inclined, and have the time, I think a (non)trip report about living in Venice would be great!

Tdudette, glad you enjoyed the photos, sometimes I get an error message too, don't know why, but it's only momentary.

So, here's the last bit for now:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e31jd3in5s5ml0k/eT5L36CJwF

Photos of Ascoli Piceno, with my iphone

annhig, maybe you can squeeze a few days in Spoleto after Rome! and before Sicily, wouldn't that be wonderful.>>

nice idea sundried, but for another time. The trip to Rome is being organised by the college where I study italian so we are locked into flying into Rome at the beginning of the course and flying home a week later. I suppose that I could "take off" afterwards, but possibly my DH, who is staying at home, might object. [or perhaps not!]

still i'm getting pretty excited about it. We will be staying near the Vatican [not an area I know well] and the school is the other side of the Borghese gardens, so we will be getting about a bit. also, the plan is for the director of the school to take us on conducted tours of various sights of Rome in the afternoons, the morning being filled with italian classes. we will also have our italian teacher with us, which should be fun, as we know her pretty well having done several years of study with her. She is from Ischia, so i don't know how well she knows Rome!

sorry to hijack your thread with this diversion!

annhig, not at all. Language studies sound really interesting-and of course, practicing italian in Italy is obligatory!

Ahh--Ascoli! We were there 3weeks ago. My father was born there and this was my first visit to meet my cousins. My heart is still there. I grew up with Olives Ascolani but they tasted so much better in their native setting! We brought back the famous Meletti Anisette and the Meletti chocolates. I think there is a business opportunity selling tourist items--almost none to be found!

Did you feel as we did, that Ascoli is a very real town, not at all staged, but full of vitality. It's difficult to gauge a place in an overnight stay, but we really want to go back.

Ann, my Italian has gone backwards! Since we finished our course I hardly get any chance to practise speaking - we don't really use that much just shopping, do we? I think my lisyening is improving, though, due to attending free lectures whenever possible.

sdt, DH has been writing a blog if you want to look at that - http://jonesesavenezia.blogspot.it/ I think it's brilliant, but I have to admit he's not really into covering the boring day-to-day practicalities

Jeeze, I think instead of a new camera, I'll just get an iphone. Lovely photos of Ascoli Piceno, sundriedpachino.

caroline, hub and I got hooked on Italy but could only do 2 weeks each year. We did see alot though and could never decide where we'd buy a place. We also thought it was much easier to travel about once one was in Italy. I haven't read your hub's blog lately--glad to see he's still doing it and I'll revisit.

annhig--sounds like a nice trip.

Sundriedpachino--we loved Ascoli and felt like we were seeing more of the real Italy! We were there for 4 days. Having family obviously gave us a unique look at life in Ascoli. The food we had in Ascoli was the best of our entire trip which included Florence and Rome. I am plotting a return. I hope to put up a trip report this weekend.

caroline - just spent a few happy minuted catching up on your DH's blog - most amusing as ever. his description of the performance of the Mozart Requiem made me smile - the choir I'm in just performed it a few weeks ago and i can't imagine trying to do it without a good compliment of male voices.

shame about the italian though!

Italy2012 Great, I will bookmark your report for our next trip, thanks.

Thanks tdudette.

Annhig I'm jealous of your upcoming trip. I'm always the tour guide and navigator, and it would be nice to relax a bit and follow some-one else around for a change! About learning a new language, my memory is not what it used to be, but its good to keep exercising that brain, isn't it, especially with something one enjoys!

Caroline, I often wonder what it's like to live in a place, rather than being a tourist there. Of course, some of it comes down to carrying on with everyday tasks, but even so, I wonder how you cope with the Aqua Alta, do you tire of all the tourists, are there great markets where you buy your fruits and veggies, other than the obvious Rialto, do you have time for "tourist" things, what do you love about living there, what do you not love?
Not trying to pressure you to write something, just saying.....

I bought a book with short stories about living in Rome, and was sorry I wasted the money, because it totally shattered my concept of what life would be like there. Of course, some people can make a story out of negative experiences. And Rome isn't Venice!

Thanks for the link to your husband's blog, I also think its brilliant.

I see my answer about Acqua Alta!