Perugia, Italy
Last Sunday, after renting a cute little Fiat Panda from a completely unhelpful woman in Rome, Nick and I drove two hours North to Perugia, a medieval town on a hilltop in Umbria. It took us quite a while to find the apartment we’d rented—in a beautiful villa just down the hill from the city—because the city is all twists and turns and tiny alleys. However, when you’re not in a car, it’s wonderful—magical and awe-inspiring. There are tiny cobblestone alleys—many so steep they have stairs—and arches everywhere. Most of the restaurants we’ve been too—all delicious—have been in vaulted stone or brick basements. But there are several universities here, so there’s actually a decent amount of life going on within the ancient walls. We found a good, though cold, coworking space, and decided to stay for the week.
In between working, we’ve eaten at seemingly every restaurant in town. The pillowiest gnocchi was at a local/organic place (in a vaulted basement) called Al Mangiar Benne. We had the best pizza—covered in three or four different kinds of meat—at il Bacio, also in a vaulted basement. The cappuccino and espresso—drunk standing up at marble bars—is good everywhere.
And eventually, we figured out how to get around without getting lost—at least most of the time.
