Invitation To Italy, Vignettes-3

Chapter 7, Ravenna, San Marino, San Leo

Verucchio … One man, with a huge mustache and dressed in a bright green shirt, led his townspeople in cheers as we videoed the group of people standing at the town hall.

Ravenna … ancient decorative posts, carved from stone, that bear nicks and scratches perhaps caused when a Roman Chariot scraped by a few centuries ago. … smudge of brown paint on a post near one church … from the fender of our RV.

San Marino … mountain-tip castles were floodlit, the homes and small villages in the surrounding hills of both San Marino and Italy sparkled with millions of lights. … lights of the city of Rimini defined the Adriatic coast 10 miles far below.

San Leo … wedding party awaited the arrival of a car bringing the bride to the Cathedral. … looked out of place in our tourist grungies, while all around us people were dressed in finery, and San Leo’s Cathedral was embellished with flowers

Chapter 8 Urbino, Gubbio, Spoleto, to Todi

Urbino … Whenever possible Jim parks the RV in a place where the view from our dining table is as grandiose as can be imagined. … most impressive overlooks of a town in Italy.

Spoleto … these steep walk areas, laid with slick stones, were covered with runners of ribbed rubber so the pedestrians would not slip and slide as they conquered the hillside.

Chapter 9 Assisi, Perugia

Assisi … killing four people … cameras recorded images of the beautiful colorful ceiling as it was transformed into rubble

In spite of what we missed, it turns out that parking in that upper lot, riding the escalator up the hill, then walking those miles down the hill through Assisi, was one of the best travel ideas we ever had even if it was just an accident.

Perugia … Well, we made it OK, but Emmy set a record for shrieking in G above high C, and thank goodness Jim’s pants were washable.