Rick Steves Village Italy in 14 days
Menu
Ravenna
Day 3
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Walk to bus and meet our driver Mario
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Ravenna
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Mosaics of Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and St. Vitalle Basilica
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Depart for Umbria
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Welcome cocktails at Villa Pambuffetti
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Dinner on our own in Montefalo
Breakfast was usually available from 7:15-8:15 each morning, with times varying slightly. Today was our first day on the bus and we were introduced to Mario, our wonderful, charming, very talented driver. Tricia explained she used mornings on the bus for history and cultural lessons, while the afternoons were best used for napping and relaxing. We had our first buddy check at the hotel and we were off.
Ravenna was the first stop of the day and Tricia introduced us to our local tour guide, Theodoric. She escorted us through the Mausoleum of Galla Placida, the daughter of Emperor Theodocius I the Great. The Mausoleum was constructed in the early 5th century and the interior is covered by bright Byzantine mosaics. These mosaics were beautiful, but the best was yet to come.
Click first photo in each group to enlarge entire gallery
The Basilica di San Vitale was just across the courtyard from the mausoleum. I was once again amazed at how the exterior and interior of a church can contrast each other. I feel that my pictures do not do the mosaics justice. The intricate patterns and array of colors used to make these Byzantine masterpieces are outstanding.
Click any photo to take a closer look
The Basilica of San Vitale was completed in 527 CE. The mosaics covering the arches, ceilings, and walls depict scenes from the Bible along with astonishing designs of flowers, fruits, and animals. Tricia told us that art in the churches during this period did not portray Jesus on the crucifix. The mosaic seen here shows Jesus as a young man sitting on a blue globe that represents the universe. Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora are also shown in all their royal finery.
After visiting the basilica, Tricia gave us a quick overview of the layout of Ravenna. We had about two hours for lunch and free time before leaving for Montefalco.
We had a piadina for lunch, along with a salad made of fresh greens dressed with olive oil and vinegar. A piadina is a local specialty. It is a sandwich made with a flatbread folded over a variety of ingredients. We also grabbed a gelato to enjoy on the walk back to the bus.
Montefalco
Tricia gave us our first Italian lesson on the bus as we made our way to our next hotel. She covered the common pleasantries such as please (per favore) and thank you (grazie) and the Italian numbers up to 20. Tricia read out our room numbers prior to leaving the bus and challenged us to ask for our room key in Italian. Bryan and I were assigned the room undici (eleven.)
We arrived at our second hotel, the Villa Pambuffetti, collected our keys and headed up to our rooms to drop off our luggage. Bryan and I went up two flights of stairs and found our room with the number 11 on it. We were surprised when we opened the door and we were greeted with another flight of steps that led to the highest room in the villa. We had a spectacular 270-degree view over the hills of Umbria. I later thanked Tricia for the extra exercise and bella vista (beautiful view). Tricia jokingly said she gave the tower room to the youngest couple on the tour.
We all met in the dining room for some welcome cocktails. This room was lined with windows which allowed the evening sun to warm the room. We met Alesandra and her husband, Mauro, who were such lovely hosts. Their home is beautiful and we enjoyed the time we spent there.
The Villa Pambuffetti sits just outside the Montefalco village wall, so Tricia walked us all into town to point out its many restaurants. We were told the restaurants are very popular with the locals and often busy on the weekends, but as this was a Wednesday night, it is not an exaggeration to say we had the little town to ourselves. We saw a few shopkeepers closing up for the day and a villager who recognized Tricia called out a friendly greeting from a window up high above us. Bryan and I joined another couple from our group at Locanda del Teatro for dinner. We were the only people at this restaurant for most of the evening. It was a lovely dinner.
Bryan and I said buona notte (good night) to our new friends and we took a slow walk back to the Villa stopping for an after-dinner drink at a little wine bar on the way. Mauro was waiting up for us to give us our room key. I noticed ours was the last room key waiting to be claimed and even though it was only a bit after 10:00, I felt a little guilty because we had kept Mauro waiting. I said, "Oh no, we are the last ones back tonight." Mauro smiled warmly and said, "Don't worry, someday you will be the first." He offered us a glass of Montefalco Rosso for us to take to our room. We enjoyed the wine in our tower room overlooking the village lights. It was an unforgettable evening.
We woke up to the sound of the church bells ringing in the small village and this spectacular view. The tower room had huge windows along all three walls that we kept open all night to let in the fresh air. The picture above was taken without even getting out of bed! Alesandra and Mauro served a lovely breakfast buffet with many pastries, fruits, meats and cheeses, eggs, yogurts, and juices. They offered coffee made to order. I wish we could say we had acquired the taste for the traditional Italian caffè, which is an espresso, but it is just too strong for us. We both had cappuccinos to start our day.