DI 09 Il Poggiolo to Assisi

This is being written at 9:30 am Tuesday morning.  Everyone was ready to leave about 20 minutes ago when it started raining – hard.  So we’re waiting out the rain. I’m told there was a major storm last night with lightening and thunder but I slept through it.  -- Later: The Carlson’s and Brenda and I leave about 10:20 and get rained on, mostly gentle but about 20 minutes of hard rain where I had difficulty seeing the road through my fogged glasses.

We do not stop at the ceramics factory in Duret (Yea!).  We hear that two of our couples spend considerable money at this facility. We have difficulty finding a restaurant open for lunch but do find a pizzeria about to close at 1:45 and he makes us a great “to go” bag which we eat as soon as we get to the villa.  Tonight’s villa seems to be a modern facility but they don’t have internet. Grrrr!

On the way into town, looking for lunch, we pass Santa Maria Maggiore (shown on left), the city cathedral until 1020. I think I read or was told this is where St Francis of Assisi died but cannot confirm this.

 

 

In Assisi we visit Basilica di San Francesco which was started just 18 months after St Francis died on October 4, 1226. The basilica has two churches, one on top of the other. St Francis tomb is below the lower church but I believe the crypt wasn’t dug until the last 1800’s. The basilica was severely damaged in the 1997 earthquakes but restoration has been completed.

MEET THE RIDERS

Jim and Melody Yuhn ride both tandems and road bikes. Jim has a new Trek Madone waiting for him when he returns to Dallas. In addition they ride motorcycles.  Jim has a Yamaha FJR (I think that’s it) 1300. Melody has moved up from a Vespa scooter to a small (250 cc) motorcycle to a respectable Honda 650. They take weekend tours on the motorcycles. The Yuhn’s (in addition to the Hoyt’s and the Bryant’s were with us in 2005 for the BAC Costa a Costa ride across Italy. A few of the places we’re staying, including last night and tonight, are repeats from 5 years ago.) Several of our riders have developed colds or some sort of upper respiratory infection. Today was Melody’s turn. Damn.

After last night’s storms and today’s off/on rain, we have a nice sunset at the villa