Adventures of Tin Can Lulu

Assisi & Orvieto

Assisi is a hill town in central Italy’s Umbria region. It was the birthplace of St. Francis (1181–1226), one of Italy’s patron saints. The Basilica of St. Francis is a massive, 2-level church, consecrated in 1253. Its 13th-century frescoes portraying the life of St. Francis. The crypt houses the saint’s stone sarcophagus.

Saint Francis of Assisi is known for his deep love of nature and animals, founding the Franciscan Order, and a life of poverty and simplicity.  He is the patron saint of animals, ecology, and Italy, and is celebrated for his devotion to serving the poor and his literal interpretation of Christ’s teachings.

Umbria, often called the country’s green heart, is known for its medieval hill towns, dense forests and local cuisine, particularly foraged truffles and wines. We visited a local family run and owned winery .. Cantina Baldassarri. Wine production began in the 1970’s and has grown with over 90 acres of vineyards that produce a variety of wines. We sampled Sagrantino, Sangiovese and Grechetto all wines from the Umbria region that they produce.

We stayed in a monastery converted to a hotel called the Abbazia Collemedio. It was beautiful and indeed a countryside resort located on a hillside in Umbria.

Orvieto is a city, in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash lithifies into solid rock. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone.

Orvieto Cathedral, dominates the town of Orvieto which sits perched on a volcanic plug. The cathedral’s façade is a classic piece of religious construction, containing elements of design from the 14th to the 20th century, with a large rose window, golden mosaics and three huge bronze doors. Inside resides two frescoed chapels decorated by some of the best Italian painters of the period with images of Judgment Day. The cathedral has five bells, dating back to the Renaissance, tuned in E flat.

Last stop Roma!!