There’s just something about seeing Glenn in Assisi. He’s so in his element! It’s a beautiful city, high on a hill, beautifully everywhere you look. Then add in my handsome husband, who is delighted by everything he sees, and it’s almost more than I can bear.
Even the steep climb up cobblestone streets didn’t dampen his enthusiasm (or mine) and as we admired the views of the farmland and olive grove below. We were double rewarded by three kitties lounging in the sun. Cats have been scarce here in Italy. Once there were an abundance of them, but even in Rome cats have been hard to spot.
This was an auspicious sign! And then I spotted some wonderful ironwork (so renowned in Assisi specifically and in Italy in general) in the shapes of dragons!
And good omens they were!
Do not miss Assisi when you get the chance to visit Italy. A small but mighty city.
And be sure to find the Bar Guardino San Lorenzo! It’s a little café up near the top of the town along a huge flight of stone steps. You are gifted with the most beautiful garden and incredible view you ever enjoyed a cup of coffee or glass of vino with!
We didn’t need a refreshment, but had one anyway so we could enjoy this beautiful little spot.
Assisi is a very important city for Catholics and you’ll see many pilgrims here. The day we visited, we met a few groups of African women, wearing matching dresses and head wraps made from colorful fabric of prayers and symbols.
You can visit St. Francis in his rest in the basilica in the center of the city. His tomb is simple, and there is a sense of peace here. In fact Assisi has a very serene vibe.
Maybe that’s why Glenn was so happy there!
We visited as many of those medieval hill towns as we could in between working on our own projects. Glenn was finishing his book, ‘The Draejon’, and I have my community, Magical Living. We both have a passion for what we are doing and have to remind ourselves “wait, we are in Italy! Let’s go!”
And we head out the door.
Now you can read all kinds of wonderful travel books and blogs out there, and I have no desire to add to that list. My goal is to help you, dear reader, feel a spark in your life, find peace, joy, and adventure, whatever that might look like to you.
But I have my ideas, fresh from my warped mind.
In Florence, it’s always wonderful to wander the halls of an actual Medici Palace. The Medici, one of the most influential families in history, and being able to visit one of those magnificent buildings is not to be missed. We can now visit one of these palaces in Florence as The Uffizi Gallery.
Shortly after 1550, Cosimo I de’ Medici, Duke of Florence commissioned Giorgio Vasari to build the palace, intending to unite the city magistrates, or rather the “uffizi”, offices, as they were called then, of the administrative departments under one roof.
The Uffizi is FULL of the most gorgeous and important medieval art on the planet.
It’s worth having some guidance going through the building and viewing the art, to get as much as you can out of it.
I offer this ONE tip: Always look at the background and around the main figures of the piece.
There are some of the most outrageous things in the background of these amazing pieces. It is my joy to point out all the weirdness and make stories of it for the benefit of my husband.
So I will not spoil it for you but please enjoy the beauty, the color, the sheer talent and the weirdness. Too fabulous.
