St. Peters & Umbria

The beginning of the week started out with the Vatican Museums. I had no idea how huge they were and just how many different things were on display. My favorite rooms were the map rooms, the Egyptian rooms because of not having seen any of that yet, and the garage that houses old transportation used by the Pope. The next day we went to St. Peters to tour. Saying it is the largest church is an understatement. The interior is huge. I went down into the crypt and then climbed the building and dome to get to the very top. The views were great and they showed all of Rome. For the weekend we departed for Umbria. Our first stop was Spoleto which is a small hilltown with a great view of the valley. There is a really cool bridge/aquaduct that connect to the otherside of a small valley. A few of us climbed up some rocks to get to a tower and sat there for a little while taking pictures. We hopped back on the train later and went to Perugia. We staid one night there. It is somewhat of a college town with younger crowds filling the main piazzas. Next we went to Assisi, which is my favorite. It is a medieval town on a hill complete with narrow winding lanes, gothic doors, and a castle. It is also the home of the religious orders of St. Francis and St. Clare. The Basilica of St. Francis is unique I think in that the main church is below with another hall on top. It also has a large friary. For dinner the second night we took food and wine up to the castle and watched the sunset and then proceeded to take pictures of shadows on the walls. I think this is the best weekend trip because I really got the Italian feel more and was finally able to see the countryside that Umbria is famous for.