Assisi, Montefalco & Todi

After a couple of days chillaxing - it's time to head for the hills again. Where we are staying in Acquapendente is very central to the hilltop towns of the Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio regions. Our first stop today is Assisi.

The "not to be missed" - Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi

Two days after his death in 1228, Francis was proclaimed a Saint by Pope Gregory IX - and two days later the pontiff himself laid the foundation stone for what was to become the Basilica bearing the new Saints name. 

The Basilica is built on two levels....

The upper level - with its high ceilings and beautiful wall frescoes

The underground level (the Crypt) with its stunning ceilings and artwork

The Crypt has the remains of the Saint buried in a sarcophagus sited directly below the main altar upstairs

The streets are steep and lined by beautiful stone buildings in an immaculate state of repair

Well enough of Assisi - it's time to move on to Montefalco. This town is almost completely walled off and has stunning views all around. The streets are very narrow and tourists have to park outside and walk up into the the town. It is a favourite hilltop town for me - and partly because it's a little "off" the tourist trail. So a great place for a quiet stroll and plenty of space for lunch in its central square.

The only way into town is through that arch - Brenda enjoying the lack of tourists!

On previous visits to Montefalco - I have enjoyed great food and hospitality at the "Enoteca L'Alchimista". Unfortunately they are hosting a wedding party and the place is closed to us.

So we try the Enoteca Federico II - looking from our table at the L'Alchimista across the square.

Federico II does not disappoint! Lasagne for B and Tagliatelle with black truffles for me - both YUM!

After lunch we head out of Montefalco and drive just 30 minutes down the road to our next stop. Todi is another Etruscan gem in the Umbrian countryside - with walls that repelled the mighty Hannibal himself almost two centuries before the birth of Christ!

The town square is the only flat bit of land in Todi - everywhere else is horrifically steep......

......but the views were worth the climb

So once we had hauled our backsides up to the top of town, we decided it was time for some afternoon refreshment. We sat down at a local gelateria where we got some of that delicious Italian ice-cream (melon flavoured for Brenda, and pistachio for me). Appropriately cooled, we headed back down to where we had parked the car and drove the 35k back to our Airbnb.

The next two days are planned for more relaxing by the pool and giving our legs a chance to recover from the self-inflicted brutality imposed by visiting multiple hilltop towns in one day! Brenda's Fitbit tells us that we average well over 10,000 steps a day when town touring! But how else are we gonna work off all that pasta and ice-cream???