The Italian Job Part 2: Rome to Perugia

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Having bid farewell to five members of our group at Roma termini, two of us continued on our journey towards Genoa.

After a nightmare of a journey from Rome, including 2 missed connections/ misunderstandings of the Italian rail system, we finally arrived in Perugia to discover that it isn't the most suitcase friendly city due to its numerous hills. Nonetheless, arriving at our wine themed hotel with a roof top pool, we overcame the traumatic travelling experience and finished off the remainder of our Amalfi limoncello supply (which miraculously survived the train journey). Perugia is situated amongst the Umbrian hills and once inside its walls, you're greeted with stunning views over the hills below. We were lucky enough to discover a small alfresco bar right on the edge of the town, with views stretching out over Assisi and the distant landscape which was the perfect location for an evening Aperitvo whilst watching the sunset, before demolishing a plate of truffle risotto along the main stretch of the city centre.

With only 2 nights in Perugia, we had 24 hours to cover the city itself as well as neighbouring Assisi which was well worth the short trip out of Perugia. Our morning began with a trek up the hill into the centre before walking across the aqueduct across the city walls to discover a pagan temple which now serves a a church on the edge of the hilltop. Despite being a fairly compact city, its incredibly easy to get lost as we soon discovered attempting to navigate our way back to the main piazza towards the cathedral and the fontana maggiore, both dominating the main stretch of the city centre. With a tight schedule to contend with, we jumped on the train up to Assisi followed by a short journey up to the town itself. With the Basilica of San Francesco dominating the sky line on arrival into the town, it makes for a perfect photo opportunity before entering the Basilica itself to see the tomb of St Francis. We then took the opportunity to take a walk around the town, among the hundreds of shops selling plastic monk replicas and groups of nuns making pilgrimages to the Saints home town.

With our stay in Perugia over, we headed towards Siena for a brief stay on the way to Bologna. However, having being told by the hotel staff that the bus station we needed was a 20 minute walk away, we quickly discovered (several hills and dripping in sweat later) that we had been given false information and had missed the only bus of the day to Siena. That meant another 3 hour journey with several changes on the wonderful intercity trains! Still, for 12 euros to cover a distance that would cost over £50 at home, we couldn't really complain. We were even lucky enough to see the first Palio trial before the main race itself on the 16th of August which was an incredible site and definitely made the journey worthwhile!

Day 11 arrived and we were making rapid progress northwards to Bologna. After checking in to a wonderful hotel situated on the main road into the centre, we popped out to the National picture gallery housing local masterpieces and a Giotto. With the majority of the town closed down for the Summer break, it was definitely a huge contrast to Rome and a lot cheaper, with some incredible restaurants. (definitely had the best tortellini of my life there in a restaurant called the Saracen)

With another city to be taken on in only 24 hours, we had an early start, fuelled with Pistachio and Hazelnut croissants before a visit to the cathedral, towers and impressive fountain of Neptune in next to the main piazza. It was then on to the Church of Sant stefano known locally as the seven churches which date from the 5th to the 13th century. It was undoubtedly the highlight of our visit with so many interconnected churches merging into one whilst retaining their own unique character. We then spent the afternoon walking through the 666 arches of the city towards the pilgrimage Basilica of San Luca (more for the fitness benefits than spiritual) which led to impressive views of the Tuscan hills and Bologna itself from the top.

Another day and another city, this time Milan! After an unusually painless journey escaping the rain in Bologna, we arrived in sunny Milano ready to take on the city of fashion. With the metro system being so convenient and cheap, we headed straight in to the centre to admire to duomo and shopping district before heading over to Da Vinci's last supper which we had managed to pre-book with a guided tour. Despite having seen it before, the scale and symbolism never fail to amaze with the guided tour being an added bonus. An afternoon of relaxation followed in the Parco Sempione located behind Castle sforza. Having been told to sample the Milanese cuisine, we went over to the fashionable Brera district for what turned out to be a rather extortionate and overrated plate of risotto (tip: avoid Milanese risotto at all costs) which failed to please. Still, with a day of shopping awaiting us we turned in for an early night.

Sunday morning and our first stop was the duomo again for a quick tour round the inside and the roof! It's definitely one not to be missed with the most spectacular views of the Alps from the rooftop (despite the queues below). A quick espresso and power salad later and we were fuelled for an afternoon of shopping Milanese style! Nothing is more classy than the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II even if it mostly consisted of window shopping for us. After picking up a few bargains, we retired for a siesta and catch up with the premier league scores before heading out to the canals of Milan. The canal system completely transforms the appearance of the city and houses a varied selection of bars and restaurants which overlook the canal for very reasonable prices (we opted for seafood pizza).

With one more day in Italy, we reached our final destination on the Monday morning; Genoa. Unfortunately for us, the main art galleries which house Caravaggio, Veronese and many of the northern European artists were closed with it being a Monday. This put a bit of a downer on our visit and left us wondering the streets in pursuit of anywhere which was open for business. We managed to kill a few hours shopping (although after Milan again, we weren't massively impressed) before finding the cathedral which was a perfect location to end our cultural excursions. Like Bologna, the city was fairly dead throughout August so finding a place for dinner was more challenging than expected but we did eventually find a buzzing piazza off the side streets.

16 days later and our trip at an end, we battled through the tornado conditions (no exaggeration) to the airport to make the journey back to Blighty undoubtedly a few stone heavier, but nonetheless suitably content with our Italia adventure.

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