Touring Italy for the Weekend

This past weekend I stayed in Italy, taking two mini-trips to two very different places. On Saturday I went with two friends to the charming town of Assisi for the day. It was a great day trip from Rome since the train ride was only two hours each way and 20 Euros roundtrip. Assisi is the most beautiful town I have seen yet. I know I've probably said that a lot, but Assisi definitely wins the prize. Like most little towns in Tuscany and Umbria, Assisi is perched on top of a steep mountain, and the views from anywhere along the stone-walled perimeter of the town are absolutely breathtaking. We had such a relaxing day in Assisi. The sun was beaming, it was a warm 65 degrees, and it was so peaceful to walk through the maze of quaint cobblestone streets that lead to piazzas with beautiful, unique churches and ultimately, the Basilica of St. Francis. Out of the many Tuscan and Umbrian towns I've been to, Assisi by far has the most charm and character. All along the quaint, narrow streets are beautiful shrines and gardens that residents have built outside their homes. Each church in the town is remarkably different, which made visiting at each one fascinating. We walked through the labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys for most of the day, stopping to along the way to visit churches and enjoy the gorgeous panoramas, but the Basilica of St. Francis was definitely the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We were strolling through the town, following the signs for the basilica, and suddenly we saw sunlight up ahead, pouring into the end of the shady alley. When we got to the end, the giant white basilica rested on the soft, kelly-green hills at the bottom of the hill, glistening in the strong sunlight. It was so beautiful and perfect that it looked like a painting, not a real scene. The view of the landscape and the entire town of Assisi was incredible from the basilica. Returning to Rome around eight that evening, it had been a great day exploring a beautiful new town.

View from our balcony

From Sunday to Monday, my friends accompanied me on my visit to the beautiful little beach town of Francavilla al Mare to meet my distant cousin Alberto De Merolis, who owns a gorgeous beachfront hotel there. It was on my study abroad bucket list to meet Alberto and his family, so considering we had a free weekend and a good beach weather forecast, we decided to take the train to Francavilla. Meeting Alberto was a great experience! It was such a special and unique experience to reconnect with relatives and to be able to explore my Italian roots further. What made the experience even more special was that it was a great way to honor Uncle John, my late great uncle who passed away three weeks ago today. We had a great two days in Francavilla. Alberto gave us the best room in the hotel, a suite with two balconies that overlooked the Adriatic Sea. The beach had white sand and beautiful bright blue water. It was so relaxing to lie on the quiet beach for the day. When the sun started to go down, we left the beach, went for a long walk around the beachfront, and found an interesting restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious and fun dinner. I had a delicious seafood pizza, with salmon, crabmeat, shrimp, marinara, and cheese. The next day we enjoyed a large breakfast at the hotel, said our goodbyes and boarded the train back to Rome. Between my trip to Assisi and meeting my cousin in the beautiful Francavilla, it was a great weekend!

Me and Alberto