"Verremente?" "Really?"

As in "Really? I haven't posted a blog in that long?"

Wow, it's been a while. Of course, a bit has happened since the last post. We have moved into the new apartment (Yay), We've done some sightseeing in Deruta, Torgiano and Firenze and we gave up our car.

First- the apartment.
It's bright and sunny, and after lots of cleaning, it is beginning to feel like home. Of course, a new place means we are back on the waiting list for internet, and no english-speaking landlord to make the calls for us! Luckily, we met someone who is able and willing to help with this. She's the manager of the Irish bar in Centro, and she speaks perfect Italian. She's thinking about starting a business to help people settle in Perugia, so this is right up her alley. She's definitely on the Christmas card list. (in case you haven't noticed, I don't do Christmas cards, so she's the only one. Sorry.) I posted some pictures of the apartment and its views on facebook, if you want to have a look! It has an extra room with a single bed, and a double sofabed in a living room that can be curtained off.


Second-sightseeing.
Deruta is a small town between Perugia and Marsciano. It is famous for its ceramics - in fact, we have seen Deruta ceramics in every other town we've visited! We visited the museum and many of the ceramic shops in the old centro. We even went to the art gallery, and it was all free! Apparently it was some National Day of Culture or something. We may have had lunch here, too- you'll have to check Terry's blog for those details! Then we visited the bigger shops on the side of the highway where they had an even bigger selection, and some big items like tables and planters as big as a bus. We were pretty tempted by the tables - they were expensive but a fraction of the cost for the same thing in Canada. As usual, I've posted the pictures on facebook. We also visited a town called Torgiano that same day, but mostly to see the wine and olive oil museums, where I wasn't allowed to take pictures. The museums in Torgiano were entirely in Italian with no translation, so I don't think we'll be taking guests there!

Firenze (Florence) needs no introduction, right? It's about 2 hours away by train, and I know we'll be back - maybe with you? We saw works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Donatello. There is so much art and culture and science in this city that it is overwhelming. We met up with Terry's cousin Deb and her partner Jan, and parents Melvin and Marisa. Melvin and Marisa were reuniting with another relative, Jose Luis who lives in London and Firenze. Jose Luis is an art and textiles historian, and he was a fantastic tour guide for all of us. Next time we visit (which may actually be this weekend!), we will know to make reservations for the Accademia dell'Arte where we can see the real David. I feel like a broken record here, but you can see the pictures from this weekend on facebook!

Finally - giving up the car. Parking here is very hard to find, and usually restricted. So not having a car makes things much easier. Walking to Centro is a workout, as it's all uphill. But it's very close and a pretty walk through old historic buildings and alleys. Taking the train to new towns is so easy and stress-free. All I have to do now is figure out the city buses, and where to find a library and where to rent dvds and...

You get the picture!

Ciao!

ps- If anyone is not able to view the pictures, let me know. I think the link should be public, so you shouldn't have to login to facebook.