Had to buy a scarf & gloves since its cold in Umbria. Took a train to Spoleto, passed through Assisi, the whole town is out with peace flags and signs, awaiting the Pope. I am not doing well with transportation. I missed the bus up to Spoleto so now I have to wait 40 minutes for the next. I suppose I could walk but why waste my ticket. This just feels so inefficient. I even got shit on by a bird the other day, which I thought would bring me good luck. Guess not.
Ok, so I couldn't have walked. And i think being shit on by a bird is bad luck. Finally got a bus, which dropped me off at the center but I had no idea where I was (my guide book lied-it said to take bus A, B, or C but I had to take G. It also said to take the bus to Piazza della Liberta but it really takes you to Piazza della Vittoria). I attempted to follow my crappy map (also from my guide book) but was totally lost, luckily there are directional signs on a lot of the building corners indicating which direction to take depending on what landmark you are looking for. I found the Duomo, stunning from the outside, but of course, it was midday, so it was closed. So I decided to get something to eat. Spoleto forced me to slow down today. No matter what I did I couldn't fight it-nothing went as planned. I found a little restaurant & spent almost all my remaining cash on panzanella and grilled vegetables, followed by espresso (I had so much espresso today-making up for how little I've had the whole trip I guess). Leisurely lunch, oily but satisfying. Went to visit the Duomo, but there was some film crew taking over the whole piazza, who knows what they were filming, so I had to take some roundabout way. The inside was simple, but the apse behind the alter had some beautiful frescoes by Filippo Lippi. After the Duomo I walked to Piazza della Liberta, where there is an old Roman Amphitheater, then wandered through different streets, just exploring Spoleto. I made my way to Ponte delle Torri, a bridge over an old Roman aqueduct, and crossed to the other side. I wanted to visit the Chiesa di San Pietro, but I wasn't sure how far or how long it would take so I made my way back to Piazza della Liberta. I waited there for bus D, which I thought went to the train station. It took me to Piazza della Reppublica, where I originally got off, & stopped there. Good thing I asked if it was going to the station, because it wasn't, so I got off & waited for bus G, the bus I has taken from the station. I was not prepared for the 45 minute ride, which took me out of town and into the suburbs of Spoleto. It got on the freeway and I started to panick-did I get on the wrong bus again? Where the hell are we going? Why are we leaving Spoleto? How the hell am I going to get back to Perugia? I figured eventually it would at least return to the stop where I got on & I could figure out a different bus, but I was pretty nervous. I allready felt lost walking around Spoleto, now I was lost on a bus. Eventually we made it back to Spoleto, and to my relief-stopped at the train station. I jumped off and ran. Got my ticket, waited around for the train, and now it is 8 pm and I still have a long way back to the hostel. If anything, I got a decent bus tour of Spoleto (Chiesa di S. Pietro, cemetery, old walls surrounding city, outskirts), but this has been the most frustrating experience I have had on this trip. I hope I don't have to take too many more buses.
The train stopped in Assisi on the way back to Perugia & the crowd of people was insane! It went from an empty, quiet train to packed full & noisy! It was like getting on the BART in San Francisco after a Giants game (except these people were not obnoxious or drunk).
