Blogs from Spoleto, Umbria, Italy, Europe - page 2

The weekend is here! Almost, sort of kinda. Last night we were going to eat at a sweet little restaurant called Otteria del Matto. Apparently, the food they serve is made by the mother of the owner who makes up whatever she wants and it's served along with a variety of salame, prosciutto, and cheeses. With a glass of wine and water, it's about 16 euro. These are called the platti di festival, or festival platters. However, the instrumentalists beat us to it and took up the whole restaurant! I sometimes forget that they need to eat, too. So, we instead did a little exploring and found another place that has "Quarto" in the name. There's a huge patio you can sit at, enough room for big groups. Between eleven of us, we had three bottles ... read more

I think I'm slowly getting used to this weather. I mean like a snail kinda slow. It's hot and it's humid, and I expected that, considering I've been to Rome. However, I still am not used to not having a fan and it's hot and humid. I honestly don't know how people do it. Our Italian language teacher said that they do it to survive and be strong. That's great and all, but I'm a weak, lazy American. I like things within arm's reach and I like to be cool and ruin the planet. That's how we roll! OK, not all of us so don't be offended, but compared to other countries, we kind of are the wimpies. And we talk too much and too loud. Seriously too loud - you can hear us coming three ... read more

Ah, it starts.... jet lag, I mean. This is the worst part of any trip! I tried to sleep on the plane, swear. But when's the last time you were on a plane for longer than 2 hours? Have you tried to make your own first class fully reclining bed in a seat that doesn't recline and is extremely uncomfortable? I think it would be worth the amount of money we consumers pay if international flights were all first class fully reclining seats. A girl can dream! Along with the manic jet lag and semi-unfamiliarity of a foreign language, I've already gotten lost and sweat off at least two pounds. I must have been really guilty about all the food I ate today and the gelato I just drooled over. Spoleto is a beautiful town and ... read more

Hike - Day one - May 25, Monday; Spoleto, Hotel Clitunno Today's daily itinerary states: We recommend you arrive in Spoleto by train. After your arrival, you have time to explore the town, one of Umbria's finest hilltop towns. The focal point is the fan-shaped Piazza del Duomo, site of the magnificent 12th century cathedral, with a superlative fresco cycle by Fra Fillipo Lipi. Other important monuments that you should not miss include the Roman theatre, the 14th century aqueduct and the Romanesque church of Saint Eufemia. We arrived at our next hotel, Hotel Clitunno, in Spoleto and checked into our rooms. After freshening up we all met outside on the terrace. We went to discover Spoleto. We found an old castle - the majestic Rocca Albornoziana, built in 1359-1370 and after much conversation with the ... read more

May 23, 24, 25, 2008 Spoleto, Italy After 2 good long days on the road we arrived at Spoleto with an overnight in Cosenza. Spoleto is a town we drove through on our last visit to Italy and at that time we decided we would have to come back for a longer visit to check it out. This town has a lot of old Roman history with a very famous and very high ( 80 meters and 230 meters long ) Roman aqueduct that crosses a large valley. Known as Ponte delle Torre. As usual there are the way too many churches and a lot of neat stuff to see if you're into ancient Roman history including amphitheatres and fortifications. The engineering involved in building the aqueduct is amazing considering the time it was built and ... read more