Perugia and Pienza

During our week in Tuscany, we made a slight detour to the capital city of Umbria for a day. Perugia is a major arts and university town named after painter Pietro Vannucci whose nickname was Perugino. Vannucci was teacher to the infamous Raphael who produced several painting in the noted city.


We drove into town and got VERY lost in the tiny streets of the historic old town. Stuck in a corner, literally, we paused to ask a local for directions. What happened next was basically a scene from a movie. This short old Italian man opened the driver's side door and escorted me out. I climbed into the back with Cooper and we let the Italian take complete control. Swerving wildly through the narrow streets, the man quickly maneuvered us back to the main roads. Stopping in the middle of the road (with traffic behind), I jumped back into the driver's seat the man waved us towards a public parking lot. Random story but a good example of the generousity and kind spirit found in many Italians.


Perugia is the home of the Perugina chocolate factory and their flagship store is on the main drag of the city center. Baci chocolates lined the shelves and for those unfamiliar with the candy, the hazelnut/chocolate combination is wrapped in a love note for the opener. We stopped for a yummy granita instead, feeling a pull towards a cool drink instead of thick chocolate in the hot weather.


On our way to the main piazza and Cathedral of San Lorenzo, a large ceramic dog caught Cooper's attention but after a quick sniff, he decided it wasn't worth it. The Fontana Maggiore sits between the Cathedral and the town hall and has 25 sides filled with sculptures of prophets, saints, the Zodiac, and scenes from Genesis and Roman history. The public center, il Palazzo dei Priori, contains the Collegio del Cambia (a one-time financial center), Collegio della Mercanzia, and the Galleria Nazionale - all famous and beautiful buildings in their own right.

On the way back to Montepulciano, we droved down some lovely Tuscan roads and stopped in the outskirts of Pienza when we noticed a gigantic outdoors ceramics shop. After over a year of searching, we finally found the umbrella stand that we've been looking for - and for a good amount less than we've seen similar stands advertised for elsewhere!

When we reached Pienza, the sun was already started to set and we were able to watch from the Via del Bacio (Street of Kiss). The light changed over the hillside and instead of heading to dinner, we grabbed some small plates and local wines at an enoteca. Pairing local honey with pecorino cheese of various aging was basically heaven and a perfect ending to the day.