Umbria

We've been in San Francisco for a couple of weeks now, and I've been seriously slacking on blog posts. There are so many things to do and people to see in this city that I somehow haven't had time to sit down and capture the rest of our trip in Italy. I'm back to it now though, so here's a quick (ok, not that quick) run down of our first full day in Umbria...

On our first full day at the villa, we all drove to a small town that supposedly had an outdoor antiques market and farmer's market. Turns out the farmer's market was just a few tables selling olive oil and cured meats, but the town itself was fun to explore.

This sign describes most of the streets we saw

There was an old villa open to the public, with this amazing view out the back

A van at the antiques market, filled to the
 brim with old metal and brass

After walking around the town for a bit, we got back in the car and drove to Assisi. The dominating building in the town is the Basilica of Saint Francis. The basilica is, according to Wikipedia, "one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy." While the religious implications don't carry a ton of weight with me, the basilica itself was impressive. Unfortunately, pictures weren't allowed inside.

Assisi is built on the slopes of a mountain, so there
are many nice views out over the countryside

The lower square in front of the basilica

Famous churches always seem to have interesting doorways

The front of the basilica from the upper entrance

After walking through the basilica, we got some lunch, and then wandered through some more of Assisi before heading home.

We mostly drank wine on this trip, but took a chance on some beer with lunch.
It quickly became clear why almost no one drinks beer in Italy.

We have Pizzeria Uno, they have Pizzeria One

Just a boar head, hanging out in a storefront

Yes, you read that label correctly

I don't know why most bakeries in the US don't make displays like this,
I'd probably buy a lot more from them if they did.

A glass of wine after lunch, with the whole group

That night, we tried to make pizza in the pizza oven behind the villa. Unfortunately, we didn't have a pizza peel, and had to cook the pizza in pans. The top of the pizza was great, but the bottom was a soggy mess. If we come across a pizza oven with a peel in the New Zealand wilderness, I will have to try to redeem myself.