Day 10 - Thursday 21st September - Perugia

Still not feeling great and in considerable pain with my feet and knee but we leave for Perugia today so I have to soldier on. By now my knee and left foot have turned black and blue and are quite swollen but I somehow managed to squeeze my feet into my shoes and even have a little breakfast. Then came the challenge of me getting my suitcase down our many,  many stairs. John wanted to do two trips down with each case but I'm tough and I worked out a system on previous trips - hold the case with the side handle and slowly slide it down the steps.  Works like a charm with little effort every time.  We set off for the station early to give me enough time to slowly hobble along. We passed our local landmarks for the last time, got to Ca' d'Oro and had to wait a little while for the Line 1 vaporetto to the station. We always feel a little guilty when travelling on the vaporetti with suitcases and taking up extra space that the local resident Venetians would be able to use. I was very concerned that someone would step on my foot in the crowds - I think I would have had to hit them with my handbag after I screamed. Got to Santa Lucia Station in plenty of time so we bought some rolls to have for lunch on the train and I bought a cute t-shirt for Xavier and a handbag for me. Clearly I was feeling a bit better and well enough to do some shopping. Hadn't felt like trying shoes on or shopping at all on the day I'd put aside for that purpose, yesterday. We always book 1st class reserved seat tickets on the trains so we don't have to mix with the riffraff. We validated our tickets, found our carriage and seats and set off on the train whose final destination was Rome. We had to change trains in Firenze so after 2 x two hour legs we were in Perugia. We both felt a bit weary so we caught a taxi rather than struggle on the mini-metro with suitcases. Our address was Via Del Sole 8, right in the Centro Storico, the old historic town centre, which is a the top of the hill. The taxi driver knew exactly where we needed to go and talked to us throughout the short journey uphill but we couldn't understand his Perugian accent. Finally he started speaking slowly and clearly which was great.  He pointed out the town of Assisi on a hillside in the distance, the tourist info office, the supermarket and some places to eat. A lovely fellow. Elena couldn't meet us at the apartment so her sister Elisa was there to get us. The apartment is in the loft so we had to go up half a dozen steps to where the lift was. Tiny lift but John and I, our backpacks and two suitcases managed somehow to squeeze in. We got off at the top floor and then we had to go up a wide spiral stair set of steps to get us to the loft. Elisa was waiting for us as she'd gone up using the stairs. She gave us the keys, internet details and phone numbers and left us to explore our home. Well, this is the hugest apartment we've had in all our travels to date! I think it takes the entire roof space of the building. There's an entrance and to the left a very very large long kitchen with a laundry at the far end where you have to mind your because of the sloping roof rafters. There's a breakfast bar with stools and also a large dining area with a rustic table and chairs. From here you go back into the entrance and continue into the cavernous lounge and dining room with a comfy sofa, armchair and dining table.  Rather sparsely furnished but comfortable and nice to have so much space. Then you walk down a very long curving corridor with a nicely decorated bookshelf. Eventually you pass two locked bedrooms and get to the huge main bedroom and bathroom. There's a wall of wardrobes and a single bed which is perfect to put the cases on. Again you have to watch your head, this time when you're  at the head of the bed but I only banged my head once. There are so many windows and each one with a fabulous view over the countryside, the hills or the roof tops. Breathtaking! We set out to explore our new surroundings and visit the supermarket. The weather is spectacular, no jacket needed. What a beautiful old city centre this is! When we came down our street we were at the back of a huge old building which turned out to be the back of the Perugia Cathedral. Our closest square is the main square Piazza 14 Novembre and here we could see the front of the huge cathedral with steps right across the front leading up to its unassuming entrance. The steps are always covered with people of all ages sitting, resting, chatting and eating gelati. I imagine it's an easy place to meet friends - lots of teenagers there. Apparently the outside of the cathedral was never finished. There's a large fountain in the middle of the piazza and a beautiful large building on the other side of the piazza. This was the Notaries' House with elevated seats around the building for, I presume, the notaries and benches for the plebs. What a  absolutely gorgeous place. The main street is a pedestrian zone so you can wander all ove the place without fear of being run over by crazy drivers. We wandered slowly all the way to the end of the street to Piazza Italia and then to the the walled area and viewing terrace cross the road where you can look out across the country side. What a view! In our wanderings we passed a bar down a few steps below the viewing terrace where they were getting the place ready for some sorting of filming. It was called Punta di Vista (Point of View), a truely prefect name. We continued back up to the centre and stopped at the supermarket, then checked out the restaurants . The main pedestrian zone is full of restaurants with seating under huge umbrellas as well as indoors. We decided they all had great menus and would decide when we came back later for dinner. We went home so I could rest my poor feet before going out again. When we went out again there were just as many people around as during the day. We decided on a restaurant called Il Bacio and we were served by a very handsome young man. John had Spettzatino di Cingiale (Wild Boar Stew) and I had Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (with tomatoes and cheese and baked) and we had some delicious bread with it. John loved his but mine had a bit too much cheese and the gnocchi got a bit lost. No dessert because I  still wasn't feeing 100%. We chatted with the waiter and told him that we planned to catch the train to Assisi for a day trip and he suggested also visiting Gubbio if we had time. He told us that in one of the paintings by Giotto in the Basilica he had painted the devil in the corner of one of the clouds and we should look for it. After dinner we strolled around the town a little. Tried to have an early night, but failed.