John's Perugia, then evening in Rome

John's Perugia then evening in Rome.

PERUGIA.

I really liked Perugia. Whereas Tuscany was all scrubby and poor soils, because Perugia is up in the mountains, when we were there, it was green, lush and fertile.

When we arrived there was ANOTHER church to see. I'm afraid by now I had stopped listening as I was snowed with facts dates and churches. What I did learn was that the griffin and the Lion were the town's symbols, 

and that Perugians also hate Forentines!  This was because as Florentine power rose in time of Rennaisance they subjugated the surrounding towns and cities.

Mind you, I can't say I blame Florentines for raiding other town's treasuries if it meant that they could continue to afford a lunch that we were about to have. Tres elegant. We had lunch in the wine cellar of a former Bishop of Perugia. Both the wine cellar and the church/cathedral were, as my theatre friend Eva would say "thrown up!" by someone in the fourteenth century. As you can see by the photo below it was a bloody big wine cellar! Probably another reason why the Florentines pinched it.

 After that it was time to board the bus and go to Rome.

We arrived in the evening, but there was still time enough to visit The Castel St. Angelo which is on the banks of the River Tiber and leads on to the bridge lined with sculptures. The Castel is very close to the Vatican, and is linked to it by secret tunnels. It was said that in the times of the murderous Borgia Popes that if your nearest and dearest didn't arrive home that night, the best thing to do was to go down to the river just below the bridge at low tide the following morning to see if their body had been washed up.

Despite its murky history, the Castel gives amazing views of Rome. It is a wonderful way to meet the city.