My parents visited Perugia a few years ago and they really enjoyed it, so we decided to take a couple of days to explore the area. We're doing a pretty good job staying off the Autostrada, but I think we might have to hit a couple of highways if we want to see the rest of Italy before the next Ferragosto arrives! :)  More scenic rolling countryside roads  We stop in Urbania for an ice cream and poke around the deserted city streets Italians observe a strict schedule when it comes to working, or I should say, NOT working. We always seem to do our traveling and wandering around during their early afternoon siesta, and we're always surprised when all the grocery stores and gas stations are closed until the early evening. Nobody is on the streets. It's like we're the last people on Earth.  Early morning view from a Perugia farmhouse We found a place to set up our tent for a couple of nights in a farmhouse just outside of Perugia. It's a beautiful place with great views of the sunrise over the mountains in the distance, and I am up uncharacteristically before dawn to try to get some pictures.  For once, I am up before Neda!  Like we're on a movie set that calls for a stereotypical Italian farmhouse!  No Neda, we can't take him with us...  I *LOVE* being on two wheels in Italy! There seems to be a vehicular food chain in Italy. Unlike many countries where scooters and motorcycles are at the bottom (just above bicycles), two-wheelers are actually on the top of the pyramid in Italy (with scooters actually at the pinnacle and motorcycles just below). We ride pretty much wherever we want with impunity, and I feel like Moses when traffic politely parts at the centreline like the Red Sea to let us through. There is designated two-wheeled parking everywhere (which is a bit of a force fit with our wide panniers) and unlike four-wheels, it's free everywhere in Italy. With gas prices so high here, it really is the best way to tour around this country!  Some of the Etruscan town walls surrounding Perugia still stand The walls around Perugia reflect it's pre-Roman Empire history. The Romans called the people that lived here the Tusci or Etrusci, and that's where the name Tuscany comes from.  Beautiful medieval buildings - Palazzo dei Priori There were a lot of young people walking around Perugia. On the steps of the Palazzo, a class of art students sat down to draw the Fontana (fountain) Maggiori. We found out later that there are a couple of major universities and a few art and music colleges in town.  Italians are all about the fashion. Check out the official police handbags!  Unfortunately, their engineering sense is not as developed as their fashion sense. The walls of these buildings are all crooked! All it needs is a leaning tower to complete the picture!  All over the region, we kept seeing artists sketching the architecture  We plan to stroll around the pretty city streets  But first we rob a convenience store...  Off the main touristic stretches, we discover hidden alleyways with more wonderful, personal architecture  Cat with cauliflower ear - one too many street brawls  Waiting outside the hospital  Perugia is situated on a hill with the plains of the Umbra and Tiber valley below  Hanging out atop the city walls   Finally! Someone I can ask what name of the rose actually was. Read the damn book three times and still couldn't find it..  Speaking of which...  "How did you like Perugia, Neda?"
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