Oh my goodness, it is chilly in Perugia! And of course I didn't pack anything warm. Tough to do a 7 week trip with only a backpack worth of stuff. I figured out how to get a bus to Gubbio today, so that is my destination. I really want to go to Assisi before the rain comes again, but the Pope is supposed to be there tomorrow for the celebration of San Francesco, so I think I might wait a few days in order to avoid the masses.
Arrived in Gubbio, nauseous after the bus ride, and walked around a little. Found the funivia, which is this tiny ski-lift,cage-like contraption that carries you up to the top of a hill that overlooks the city. It comes flying by and you just have to kind of jump into it. At the top of the mountain is the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, which has the body of the saint resting in a glass coffin above the alter, creepy. There are hiking trails, but I wasn't up for too much of a hike so I just walked around enjoying the views. Ready to return to town, I get to the Funivia to find it closed. Freaking Italy, just shuts down in the middle of the day so if you're not prepared for it you just kind of get stuck, like on a mountain above Gubbio with nowhere to go. The 2 restaurants of course were filled right away, but I didn't feel like eating at either, so now I just wait.
Made it back down after over an hour wait, found the main cathedral-lovely, and the piazza grande with its views and beautiful buildings. Then I made sure to visit the Chiesa di San Francesco before leaving. Overall I thought Gubbio was a very beautiful medieval town, its just too bad I got stuck on the mountain for over an hour because I would have had more time to explore.
