Carol's Travels

In the town of Trevi there is no place for residents to have gardens, so people decorate their balconies with potted flowers.  This balcony is 400 years old.

We went truffle hunting, and we watched the dogs dig up truffles for the reward of dog treats.

An ancient olive tree

We went truffle hunting, and we watched the dogs dig up truffles for the reward of dog treats.

After the hunt, they cooked scrambled eggs and grated freshly cleaned black truffles on top.  We sat in the field and enjoyed this treat while sipping prosecco.

Sheep coming down the hill to be with us.

Our hostess demonstrating how she makes pasta

Those of us who brought gifts from home, gave them to the host family.  Also, Cha-Cha-Cha and I performed “Love Surrounds Us Everywhere” in English.  Then Lodovico, our guide, joined us singing the Italian version that he translated for me.

This morning we walked with a city guide through Spoleto, a walled town framed by the Apennine Mountains. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Il Ponte Della Terri is a 774 foot long medieval bridge.  After this, we went inside the Duomo di Spoleto, an 11th century cathedral.

Then Lodovico guided us through an old Roman house.

The food in Italy is fresh with no preservatives.  These veggies were delicious!

After lunch we drove to the medieval hill town of Scheggino.  We donned wetsuits and rafted down the Nera River for about an hour.  It was beautiful and fun rafting there!

Dinner at a restaurant near the hotel is next.

This morning we left Tuscany and went on to Assisi.  On the way we stopped in Perugia to tour a very old building where women are carrying on the family business making stained glass windows.  The grandmother gave us a fascinating tour and explanation of the process.  My favorite stained glass there was of Queen Margherita of Italy.

The owner showed us the process of making stained glass and their tools.  We saw how they had modernized the process with a new kiln.

We walked through the old city and looked at the stained glass windows in the church.  Some had been restored by the family of stained glass makers we had just met.  Then we ate a delicious lunch at a small restaurant not too far from the church. When we left the restaurant, our bus took us to Assis.  Our city guide was surprised that there so few people inside.  We saw St. Francis’ Tomb inside the St. Frances of Aquino church.

This evening we enjoyed eating dinner in our hotel while some singers sang and played old Italian songs.