Lago Trasimeno and Beyond

It is morning in Cortona and I am sitting at the table with the light coming through the stained glass doors listening to the church bells ringing. One thing I love about Cortona is the many churches in and around town and the sound of the bells ringing.  The different churches do not ring their bells at the same time, nor does it seem at any set time.  We hear bells from inside the town, then behind us from the two churches up the mountain from our apartment, then below us from the valley.  Of an evening we sit on the front steps looking at the beautiful view in the valley, watching the swallows swooping to catch insects, and listening to the church bells.  It is so Italian and so peaceful.

Castiglione del Lago

Small street in the town

So on to yesterday's adventure. We decided to take our first expedition to the nearby town of Castiglione del Lago which translates literally "castle on the lake".  This is a medieval town on Lago Trasimeno with a large castle over looking the lake.  These two pictures show the outside of the town and a street inside the town.

This is a grove of extremely old olive trees inside the town.

Olive Trees

Several views inside the castle with the lake in the background of a few.

Town with Lago Trasimeno in background

Cortona is in the far background of this picture.

Mike on walkway

Castle tower

Structure inside the castle

Lago Trasimeno in the background

Another view of the tower and lake

After touring the castle we bought a map of the area and decided to take the scenic route back to Cortona by driving around the lake.  The map was good and we saw some pretty scenery.  We will be able to use this map to drive to other towns further out of Cortona.  Mike has become a pretty good  Italian driver even passing a couple of slower people. (Okay, so just a person on a bicycle and one other person.)  

For supper we went to an authentic Italian restaurant in Cortona.  Mike had veal cutlets with wild mushrooms and I had pork cutlets with wild mushrooms.  YUM!  

Trattoria Dardano

Entrance

 Trattoria Dardano where we had supper.  The house wine was great and the goat milk cheese with wine after supper was the perfect finishing touch.

Road up to apartment

This is the road Mike drives up to get to our apartment, or at least the final section.  We walk up this from the center of town because it is not as steep as the shorter road.

Don't know exactly what we are doing during the day today, but tonight our hostesses are taking us to the wheat harvest festival in town where we will eat duck soup and something else I didn't quite understand.  We don't leave for the festival until 8:00 tonight so it will be a late night but a new experience.  Until Later Ciao.

Saturday, June 18, 2011; 9:22 am