This post is primarily to share some catch-up pictures and brief notes from Assisi and San Gimignano. First, in Assisi, I must record that one of the best restaurants we found was just up the street from our hotel (Hotel Pallotta) on Via San Rufino, called La Lanterna. The service was a bit indifferent but the food was consistently delicious and served promptly. The lasagne was some of the best we've had in Italy, the pasta dishes were perfectly cooked, and the pizzas were chewy with quality toppings. And it came with the best bread we had in Umbria. Highly recommended! We also had a delicious lunch at the Trattoria Pallotta in the Piazza della Minerva, run by the owners of our hotel.
View down to Via San Rufino from the Hotel Pallotta in Assisi.
Assisi Cathedral (Duomo di San Rufino), just up the hill from our hotel. When I saw this dramatic light from the hotel room, I sprinted up the hill with a camera! Is that dedication or what? You can see how steep the street is in the previous photo! And I was just in time - I only got this one shot before the light faded.
Sunset view from the rooftop common room at our hotel.
Basilica of St. Francis (Upper Church).
Basilica of St. Francis (Lower Church).
Crypt with the tomb of St. Francis.
Eremo delle Carceri, built around the cave where St. Francis lived as a hermit. One of the trees on the right is said to be the site of his famous preaching to the birds.
Please see my Assisi set on Flickr for more photos of this wonderful town!
We never had a meal out in San Gimignano because we had our own kitchen, but my guidebook indicates the food is nothing special. The major exception to that is, of course, the previously-mentioned, world-championship-winning gelato in the Gelateria della Piazza!
The Villa Ducci in San Gimignano, in early morning light.
Bedroom in the Villa Ducci apartment.
Kitchen counter, post-shopping!
Vineyard and Tuscan landscape across the road from the villa.
View of San Gimignano from the Villa Ducci.
Towers of San Gimignano. (See previous post for info.)
Main square in San Gimignano. The Gelateria della Piazza is housed under the round arch in the lower left of the photo.
Award-winning gelato in San Gimignano.
La Collegiata, the main church but not a cathedral in San Gimignano.
Interior of La Collegiata
An unusual 14th-century biblical frescoes in La Collegiata: Eve emerging from the rib of Adam.
A kitty yawning (and thereby looking more threatening than she was) near the ancient walls of San Gimignano.