It’s been a
few days since we’ve updated the blog due to some internet connectivity issues
at our Tuscan farmhouse. So, to recap – we left sunny Sorrento and travelled
north to Perugia where everyone soon learnt that being in a hill town means
that nothing is flat. This was discovered very quickly when the walk from the
hotel into the historic centre involved a hike up a steep road followed by about
fifty steps before we got to a relatively flat bit. On our walk we admired the
views across the green valleys to the mountains beyond, some still with a
sprinkling of snow on them. Winding our way up, we arrived at Perugia’s main
street, Corso Vannucci, stopping in at the Basilica di San Lorenzo. Behind such
a plain façade, the Baroque interior comes as quite a surprise, although the
union-sponsored rock concert to celebrate the Festa del Lavoro going on outside
didn’t quite fit with the hushed quiet of the church. From here we passed the
Fontana Maggiore, the symbol of the city, and continued down the Corso to Piazza
Italia, with its glorious views across the valley to Assisi, Monte Subasio
(Umbria’s highest peak), and the Appenines beyond.
The next day
we headed off to the Perugina factory for our very entertaining chocolate
lesson with Massimiliano. We had to pipe the coffee-infused ganache centre of
our truffles onto trays before coating them in melted chocolate and dusting them
in cocoa powder using our special chocolate forks, made by breaking off alternate
tines of a plastic fork. Finally, we bagged up our creations (some more regular
in shape than others it has to be said) before Massimiliano presented us with
certificates and we proceeded on to our tour of the museum. As if we hadn’t
already had enough, we then moved on to sampling a range of chocolates before
our tour of the production lines in the factory, including seeing thousands of
the famous Baci as they moved through the different processes. After a visit to
the shop to stock up on presents, we returned to the hotel to drop everything
off and then hiked back up the hill for the afternoon to be spent looking around
the historic centre and indulging in some shopping, including a ride on Perugia’s
MiniMetro. A delicious dinner at the Luna Bar Ferrari with its brick vaulted
ceilings finished off our busy day.
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