As some of you know, I left for Italy almost three weeks ago. I was invited by a few friends to spend some time at a villa in the hills of Umbria, not far from the border with Tuscany, and I agreed (of course). Here are the next few photos from that week at “the villa” which included exploring several towns in Umbria, starting with Assisi.
I once heard that “if you go to Umbria, you must visit Assisi.” I am not quite sure who told me that, but she must have told a ton of people since it was very touristy.
Don’t get me wrong, I like to say “Places are touristy for a reason” but I am not a big fan of crowds.
I am a big fan of flying buttresses, though, and…
…narrow streets with majestic views.
And while I am not religious, I am a fan of religious buildings (partly because of the aforementioned buttresses)…
…and oddly juxtaposed architecture.
I also love photos that incorporate a beautiful sky.
I should have spent more time in Assisi, but there were two elements working against me: 1). As I said, I do not like crowds and 2). I was supposed to meet the crew in Gubbio for lunch. That second item also proved to be problematic since I really don’t do “the big lunch” and that lunch turned out to be four hours long. So, in a blatant act of self-sabotage, instead of making a b-line to Gubbio after Assisi, I went to the tiny town of Spello.
And I loved Spello.
As I often neglect to do, I did not research Spello much (or at all) before getting there. It is one of many medieval hilltop towns in this part of Italy.
As I mentioned, I am not a fan of crowds and this was probably the most “crowded” “street” in Spello when I was there.
I think this “crowd” was on the verge of unruly.
Same.
More things I love: doors.
…vaulted ceilings…
…palm trees…
…and bikes. Off to Gubbio.
I made it to Gubbio, but not in time for lunch, which was fine.
Gubbio was an odd town, but in a good way. All the buildings were much larger than Spello and even Assisi.
…and there were no people (even less than in Spello).
Door.
Sky.
So, I was able to squeeze three pretty spectacular Umbrian towns into one day (not my typical style of travel) and still make it back to the villa in time to whip up a quick cacao e pepe and catch another spectacular sunset with the gang.
