Oh yes, Assisi is what heaven should be like, and our shower in this lovely hotel deserves to be thrown out with the bath water. It is supposed to be an adjustable shower, but when you attempt to put it into its little loopy holder, it falls on your head...every time. If it happens to stay in its little metal loop holder for a moment or two, most of the water runs down the cold marble wall, meaning you have to hug the wall to get water on your body! And then it falls on your head anyway! It's just a bad shower, period.
So, this is day two in Assisi, and after fussing with showers we were off to see the Basilica of Saint Francis, a ten minute walk...all downhill. So, we did that and it is a gorgeous church with the sad story of Saint Francis, who was tortured and died a horrible death, becoming a martyr. There are quiet, reserved monks and brothers all over and they give tours of the huge facility while maintaining the dignity we didn't see in many other churches, even in Rome. After touring we stopped for a snack...pizza...and then trekked up the hills stopping here and there for a bit of shopping. And photo taking, of course.
This town is a shoppers little paradise...every little boutique is unique and very cute. Of course there are many religious articles, but also normal, utilitarian items done with artistic flair and creativity. We found a gentleman who was selling paintings of mothers and infants painted and lithographed in lovely fashion. It took a bit of conversation but I learned he is the artist and when I bought a few of his items he graciously signed them for me, and threw in an extra little painting, too. Later in the evening we met him on the street and he remembered us and greeted us. That's the kind of place Assisi is.
And the bakeries! Did I mention the bakeries. I posted a picture of the ULTIMATE LADYLOCK! Think LADYLOCK tube..now fill it with the thickest best filling you've ever tasted...vanilla and creamy. Stuff it full until it weighs a little bit shy of a pound! Then put a thick coating of chocolate...the best kind that hardens yet sticks to the tube! Then chill it slightly! AHHHHH....
It's yum beyond! And meringues...as big as a dinner plate...three euros...bigger? OK, big as a platter and drizzled with chocolate...six euros, please. And every kind of filled cookie and tart! And breads and rolls!
Yes, we love Assisi. And we leave tomorrow, but we have one more story...a dinner tale. We decided to have a late dinner and tried one spot, but left when we saw the menu choices and realized there was a large and very loud party in the very small space. So we moved to a lovely little outdoor courtyard at The Lantern restaurant. The menu had many nice choices and we settled in choosing to not have wine with our dinners. There were two families with young children seated near us in our area...and a few other groups farther back in the garden area. My seat faced the kitchen which had an open door and filmy long curtain to divide it from us. The waiters were coming and going in and out and we carried on our usual dinner conversation when all of a sudden there was a crash of dishes or kitchen equipment, then the entry door behind Jeff was slammed from the inside, and then a very loud "RIDICULOUS!." Then a slew of loud Italian....yelling...then more, louder Italian, and more loud Italian. And more of a very loud man's voice obviously yelling at someone in the kitchen, then a loud SLAM of something, a couple more loud banging noises and a halt to all conversation outside in our area. We had our food by then and everything was delicious...we had no complaint at all. The other families looked as shocked as we did and we just hoped everyone in the kitchen was still employed and alive! At best it was very AWKWARD. Our waiter maintained some composure, tho' not all of it...he sort of shook his head and indicated all was not well in the kitchen. We skipped dessert and quickly paid our bill and left right behind the other families.
Other than that incident, we loved Assisi.
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