Addictive Assisi

In an earlier post, I wrote about how beautiful Assisi is.  And now after having left Assisi a few weeks ago, I feel how hard it is to leave – just ask many ex-pats who now live there!

What is it about Assisi? It kind of seeps into your soul.  I have spoken with many native Assisani (not Assasini as I mistakenly said one day i.e. assassins) who have said that even though there are problems of becoming too tourist-oriented, Assisi still maintains its sense of community, of helping each other, and also its spirituality, which is palpable.

In Assisi, it is interesting to explore the city in layers of history – one day on its Roman roots, another on medieval times, and another just on St. Francis or St. Chiara.  For food, I still have some local specialties to try, such as Gnocchi in Sagrantino sauce.  Sagrantino is the best wine in Umbria, so I guess that meal would require a glass of it!

All Umbrian wines are relatively inexpensive, with Sagrantino being the most expensive.  When going for a less expensive red wine, there is the inexpensive but very good Montefalco Rosso, a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino, and other grapes, typically Merlot.  By inexpensive I mean that is possible to buy a very good bottle for 3.40 Euros!

My morning cafes were Bar Sensi, where the Rocciata di Assisi is made and with the view of the valley, and Bar Trovellesi on Piazza Comune, where I sat outside and watched the people in the main square. And my alimentari of choice was Gambacorta, where the olives marinated with fennel and orange were house-made and from their own olives.

Assisi also demonstrates the Italian way of being late.  This is how it happens:  you are walking down the street, and pass someone you know, so you stop and talk.  And then you drop in to pick up a food item and start talking about where the olive oil came from, which then somehow leads into a discussion about my camera. This happened to me, a visitor for a month so imagine if you actually lived there!

Many people visit Assisi as a day trip. But since there is too much to see and absorb in a day, I suggest that Assisi should be the base from which to explore the area and other towns.  It is exactly what one wants to return to after a day of sight-seeing – peace and beauty with many good restaurants.  By dropping into the same cafe for coffee in the morning and then an aperitivo before dinner, you get to be known.  They remember and appreciate you.

From Assisi, it is easy to get to places such as to Gubbio and Bevagna, where I went with friends Lisa and Nick who were in Assisi for a few days.  Both places are reachable by public transport but going in their rental car was definitely easier. Another day I took the train to Spoleto.  And there are still so many more small hill towns to explore in Umbria, with Assisi as the base.