We left Venice and Hotel Poppi behind us early on Wednesday morning, as the journey turned southward. The road took us through the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, at first very flat and marshy and fraught with agriculture. Soon the familiar Apennines loomed ahead once again, as we motored towards our first stop of the day at Ravenna.
It turns out that November 4 is Armed Forces Day in Italy, quite similar to our own Remembrance Day. We witnessed a parade and ceremonies in the main square at Ravenna, and also walked to the tomb of Dante Alighieri, the "father" of modern Italian. Besides his famous works, Dante is revered for being the first known authour to pulblish a work in "low" speech (i.e. Italian) or langauge of the common folk, rather than Latin. We also visited some nearby piazzas to observe two basilicae, San Vitale and San Francesco.
Departing Ravenna, we stopped for lunch at the town of Classe, for homemade fettucine and house red at resto St. Apollinare. Our bellies full, we boarded the bus, and enjoyed a meandering journey through winding mountain passes resplendent with vineyards and fall colours. We passed from Emilia-Romagna, briefly back into Tuscany, and then into Umbria, all within the mountains. A construction detour even saw us re-routed off the "high road" and onto some narrow and sketchy mountain roads. Luckily by now, we all had faith in Angelo's abilities behind the wheel.
We arrived at Assisi just before dusk, which sadly limited the amount of time we had to explore the steep and cobblestone streets of the walled medieval town. The guided tour of the Basilica of St. Frances was breath-taking however, and made up for our tardy arrival. The church consisted of three levels, a new church built on an old church, built in turn upon the buried tomb of St. Frances (San Francesco) and his comrades in an effort to hide their bodies from rival Perugia. Stunning but not as "fabulous" as some of the other grand churches, this one still had the most authentic and hallowed feel about it.
The walls included more frescoes on walls, ceilings and arches, depicting biblical scenes. The "Bible of the Poor" they were called, revealing the secrets of the Bible to the illiterate masses back in the day. We were treated to a grand panorama of the sweeping countryside at night from high atop the walls of Assisi, before heading on to Perugia and a group dinner at the splendid Holiday Inn.
Statue of Garibaldi in Ravenna
Armed Forces Day ceremonies
The Hills of Umbria
Gateway to Assisi
The Basilica of St. Frances
Medieval Madness!
Umbrian countryside at night from Assisi
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