Buon Compleanno Sonja and buon giorno Assisi !!!!

Can't believe a whole week has past since our last blog. How time flies!!!

Wood anyone?

Gardening work continued this week through a mixture of weather conditions. From heavy rainfall requiring Maurizzio and me to re-dig gutters in the road (note to self; get a raincoat that actually works) to beautiful sunshine, resulting in a lovely burn stripe across my upper buttocks! The highlight of the gardening this week has to be our sprucing up of the allotment ready for some new veggies. Closely second, comes my first go on a chain-saw and Sonja's fine wood cutting with the jigsaw.

Our 'almost' complete allotment

Friday the 13th saw Sonja turn 33. Buon Compleanno!!!! We spent the afternoon driving around Lake Trasimeno and despite the poor weather, managed to get out and wondering around a few of the sights. It was worth returning to when the better weather makes an appearance. Margaret made Sonja an amazing pavlova for a birthday treat which lasted about 10 seconds on the plate!!!

The Birthday girl!!!

We headed off to the market in Cortona on Saturday morning despite futher rain. After 40 minutes of searching for a parking space, we meandered through cobbled streets searching for a bargain. Nothing suitable found although we did spot a table cloth that closely resembled one owned by Sonja's parents! In the evening, we joined Margaret and family for a trip into Cammucia to a lovely Pizzeria, where I couldn't resist a Calzone to compare against the versions back home. It didn't dissapoint!!!!!

After a lazy Sunday morning and a few prods from Margaret, we headed off to the city of Assisi expecting to see another 'city on a hill'. What a hidden gem! We couldn't believe how beautiful it is. We loved it so much that it is currently ranking as our favorite Italian city thus far.  It had all the quaint old buildings, churches and narrow lanes similar to Sienna and Cortona, but Assisi had something else about it. Ultra clean, flowers on every corner, a tranquility you'd expect from a city called the City of Peace, cute houses you'd buy any day of the week, and simply spectacular views of the Italian countryside. A solid climb to the top of the castle provided 360 degree views as far as the eye could see, designed to protect the city from every angle. If you're ever in Tuscany, Assisi a must!!!