Today we thought to ourselves, let's try to take the bus downtown and see what's there. We drove through there by accident the other day when we rented our car and got lost. Today I just wanted to explore the piazza and shops. So we walked from the hotel to outside the pedestrian gate and picked up the #1 bus that heads downtown. The only problem was that everything was in Italian and reading it, well I know a few words but not enough. At any rate, I thought I would at least recognize the area, I am after a girl we give directions by the sites near or around where we want to go. The first stop we got off was of course the wrong stop. We walked around a bit, saw a couple newstands, got accosted by a Nigerian wanting money, found the salami and cheese shop and the produce shop. But nothing really looked familiar. I did see a castle wall which I knew was near the city walls. (Yes we have citty walls here). Then I saw the Teatro Olimpico. Little did I know what we wanted was around the corner. So we walked back to the bus stop and hopped back on the bus. We went a few more stops and found a good location to get off. And wow, the center of the town was gorgeous, the cobblestones screamed old time civilization and the old architecture and sculptures brought you back to a time long ago. It really makes you appreciate the history of this country. We found a shaded parked and walked around taking in the scenery and waterways. Then we walked through an archway towards the center of town. We took in many of the sites and got some great pics of the architecture and sculptures.
We hit a gelaterria for a brief snack and then found and wonderful bar for lunch. You see here, the ristorantes are not open until 7:30 during the summer so the bars and pizzeria are the only things open. This was a quaint bar, which could almost past for a cute little coffee shop in the states. The only options for lunch were paninis, crostini, bruschetta, and pizzas. Both the girls got different types of pizza, one was a square size Margherita and the other looked like a calzone of sorts. My husband and I opted for bruschetta and let me say this, I have only had one type of bruschetta which is the one with cheese and tomatos. The many we saw today looked so appetizing. My husband had a bruschetta with prosciutto, cheese and funghi (mushrooms). I had one with cheese, tomatoes and zucchini. They put them in the brick oven to toast them and when we got them they looked even better. I will say this, it was by far the best bruschetta I have ever had and it was very filling too. Despite the language barrier, the shop keeper knew a few words to help us and we in turn tried not to butcher the language too much. Too bad I cannot remember the name of the place but I will return there one day.
We then decided to walk around and noticed many of the shops were closed. Apparently, the shops are open until about 1:30 then remain close, or chiuso, until they open again at 5:30. To me it seems very weird but I suppose that is just Italian culture here. I am sure it's because they try to conserve energy during the hotter part of the day since most shops don't have a/c. Alorra, I have learned if I plan to shop I had better do it in the morning. We continued our walk down this beautiful pedestrian walk way through the shops and town center. At the very end, we again found the Teatro Olimpico. The courtyard of this place was amazing. We did not have time to head inside but from what we could tell, it was the open theater where they held past performances. It will have to be a trip for another day. We rounded the corner and walked back to the first bus stop, noticing all the now closed shops. We finally flagged down the bus we needed and made it back to the post. It was an adventure indeed but I am so proud that we took the opportunity to get out and explore.
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