Assisi

We took the evening bus from Siena to Assisi, hometown of St. Francis. Should have caught a bus during daylight hours as we missed pivotal Tuscan countryside sightseeing. However, ascending to the great hilltown of Assisi in the evening was majestic. The town is completely composed of white stone, emiting a glow in the November sky. After doing some serious uphill trekking with our luggage (poor Jeremy with a cold), we ascended to our hotel where we were greeted by the most magical breathtaking sight. A group of Franciscan monks were leading a candlelight procession out of the Cathedral of Santa Chiara (of the order of the "Poor Clares"). It was completely silent, with the exception of our suitcases chugging along!

The next day we daytripped to Orvieto (see following passage), but we spent the following morning exploring Assisi, and hiking up to Castle Rocca Maggiore, which provided sweeping vistas of the lush green Umbrian countryside. For reasons unknown to me, Assisi seems to have more hipsters per capita than other Italian towns. Okay, it had two, which was two more than I'd seen in all of our Italy travels combined. But I digress. The bucholic landscapes of olives, emerald green grapevines and evergreen oak trees were breathtaking as they rose out of the fog. Leaving Assisi we were confronted with throngs of pilgrims pouring in to celebrate mass for All Saints Day.