Assisi, the City of Peace.

What a weekend! we went to three different cities in Umbria this weekend. First we went to Spoleto which had a beautiful castle and aqueduct that we were able to sketch and observe. There were also many interesting churches to visit and analyze.  We had lunch at the tiniest little restaurant and the waiter was extremely friendly, asking many questions about our lives and what were doing in Italy.  He kept saying his English was bad but I thought it was very good.   My favorite part was crossing over the bridge to the other side of the canyon to sit among the trees in peace, away from the noise of town.
Next, we went to Perugia, a slightly larger town in Umbria with a lively little piazza in the center that was very busy in the evening.  We stayed the night there and then the next day went out exploring.  I personally enjoyed laying in the grass in front of one of the churches and taking a short nap in the shade (its the little things in life).  Of course, the churches were very beautiful too.
After spending the day in Perugia, we next traveled to Assisi, which by far has been my favorite place we have visited.  It is famous for the two saints Saint Clair and Saint Francis, who condoned peace and were sympathetic towards impoverished people.  Their life was all about helping others and spreading peace.  Often Saint Francis's life is paralleled with that of Christ, which I found to be very interesting since not many Saints are compared to Christ Himself.  I loved this little town mostly because of all the signs of peace around, and all the people we met were very nice and hospitable.  We got to watch the sunset from Rocca Maggorie one night and it was spectacular.  We also went to the cemetery that was down the road a bit from the main part of town, and that was probably my favorite part of the whole visit.  I enjoyed myself immensely walking among the tombstones and pondering what the lives of the people were like.  Another interesting thing that happened was that one of the Bishops happened to have passed away and we were lucky enough to see his funeral procession through the main part of town.  I had many experiences in that little town that I will never forget, and I really hope to return there someday to stay longer and get to know the town even better.