Thursday afternoon I finally found my way to visit Museo delle porte e delle mura urbiche and the tempio. I headed up corso Garibaldi - halfway up I needed oxygen or a lie down. I stopped to visit the Poor Clare Convent as Daniela said they have a marvellous fresco there but unfortunately it was some feast day and they didn't take visitors, so I have to go again. So, up to the top of Garibaldi, seriously hot and a little winded, I saw the museum and entered...well...there are 4 levels and on each level except the very top there are some artifacts, friezes etc and the top level is the stunning view. The first long, steep staircase was wooden with a handrail, next a shorter wooden staircase with handrail and finally a long, long, stone staircase without handrail, by the time I got to the view I was wondering about a defibrillator or better yet, IV vodka tonic. I was hot but the view was certainly worth it all.
I staggered down the stairs and headed to the tempio, which is a church and not a temple. The stonework is beautiful as is the ceiling not for any frescoes but for its simplicity - only wood, I think. Lovely and quiet inside with some nice wall frescoes and paintings and benches to sit on and meditate - well, cool down anyway.
I then headed out and back down the corso, downhill is somewhat trying too. At the bottom of the hill I stopped at a bar opposite the Università Italiana per Straniere - where foreigners go to learn Italian. I briefly thought about a water but had a lovely cold beer instead before the trek home. I had seen people walking through the Etruscan arch and thought it would be a shortcut, mmm, possibly, it was uphill all the way.
From there, I aimed for corso Vannucci, the main street, and decided to have a manicure. The one I had before I left home wasn't very good. This one was fantastic, my nails look really good. Again, no-one spoke English, more practice for me. I also booked an appointment to get a shampoo and blow-dry (shampooing and brushing, go figure!) for next Thursday, my birthday and the day I go to Umbertide for the medieval festa, staying with Scottish friends of a friend of Lorna. After all this I did some more shopping and then had an aperitivo about 5.30 before coming home to freshen up and, finally eat real food, not snacks.
I went to Da Cesarino and had umbricelli tartufo nero (similar to a spaghetti) and a lovely mixed salad, water and a glass of red completed my meal. It was all very nice until the family from hell got the table next to me - 2 men and their wives, a mother/mother-in-law and four children. One woman was really self-centred, rude and hygiene-obsessed although size 6 would be loose on her, I think 3 of the children belonged to her 'cos they too were rude and hygiene-obsessed. Clearly she was not on speaking terms with her husband as she sat as far from him as possible and spent most of the time looking through her phone. Luckily, I was halfway through my meal by the time they arrived. So, to bed at 10 but slept really badly...but very excited about my wonderful wine tour today.
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