Apparently, I took too long loading the car this morning in the underground, paid parking lot in Urbino, and by the time I was ready to leave the facility my ticket wouldn't open the gate. There were no people around to help as you give your money to a machine. I pushed a lot of buttons on the gate box but no little voice was to be summoned. I laid in wait for a woman to go out the gate with her car and I tailgated her all the way up the out ramp. Fortunately, the gate didn't slam down in to the roof of my car.
Gubbio is lovely!! I am pleasantly surprised and looking forward to visiting this town. My room isn't ready until 2:00, (It is 12:30 as I write this) so I drove the car to the highest building outside of town, on the top of a mountain, which happens to be the Basilica of St Ubaldo. It has some lovely stained glass windows, a nice glossy brochure that you can buy for 1 Euro and a dead guy on display in a glass case! No wax figure this time, nope, it's the real thing!!! Right there at the front of the church and it's not like it's current funeral visitation heck, he died in 1160! I hate to tell you folks, but this is Old news... They also have on display a replica of the Shroud of Turin so I guess that saves me a trip over to that part of the country! Ha! Modern bronze works by Rabbini Luigi were on display in the courtyard, and were quite nice.
A few steps down from the basilica is a restaurant with a shaded patio area that overlooks the valley below. The overview pics were taken from there. As I wrapped up lunch I decided that since I still had a little time before I needed to head back into town, I would hunt for the next mountain range. I felt a little bit like Julie Andrews and that Dawn Ellis should be sitting beside me singing some corny thing from the Sound of Music. Instead of turning left to go back to Gubbio I hung a right and ended up going through Scheggia, Ponte Calara, and Valdorbia. Well, was I surprised. It was magnificent. I ended up in a national park and I got right to the base of the rock in the photos. The road was getting more narrow as I proceeded, so I turned the car around when I had a safe opportunity. The funny thing about the traffic signs in Italy is that I can’t read them! ~Makes me feel like a foreigner~ perhaps there was a sign saying that the road turns into single car only and be sure to watch out for the oncoming traffic, but I cant be too sure.
I am now in Gubbio; it is 4:00. I have had a shower to cool down as it is over 30 today but seems to be hotter than that. I am posting this now, while the heat is heavy outdoors and I will be heading out shortly to get a feel for the town. The bike has worked well again today as the free parking is over by the Roman theatre and I am in the part of town where it is restricted traffic. I have my overnight bag down to a single knapsack. I leave everything else in the car except what I will need for one night. The funny part about that is, the knapsack is mostly full of electronics!
All for now.. I might post again later depending what I see over the next few hours.
Gubbio is lovely!! I am pleasantly surprised and looking forward to visiting this town. My room isn't ready until 2:00, (It is 12:30 as I write this) so I drove the car to the highest building outside of town, on the top of a mountain, which happens to be the Basilica of St Ubaldo. It has some lovely stained glass windows, a nice glossy brochure that you can buy for 1 Euro and a dead guy on display in a glass case! No wax figure this time, nope, it's the real thing!!! Right there at the front of the church and it's not like it's current funeral visitation heck, he died in 1160! I hate to tell you folks, but this is Old news... They also have on display a replica of the Shroud of Turin so I guess that saves me a trip over to that part of the country! Ha! Modern bronze works by Rabbini Luigi were on display in the courtyard, and were quite nice.
A few steps down from the basilica is a restaurant with a shaded patio area that overlooks the valley below. The overview pics were taken from there. As I wrapped up lunch I decided that since I still had a little time before I needed to head back into town, I would hunt for the next mountain range. I felt a little bit like Julie Andrews and that Dawn Ellis should be sitting beside me singing some corny thing from the Sound of Music. Instead of turning left to go back to Gubbio I hung a right and ended up going through Scheggia, Ponte Calara, and Valdorbia. Well, was I surprised. It was magnificent. I ended up in a national park and I got right to the base of the rock in the photos. The road was getting more narrow as I proceeded, so I turned the car around when I had a safe opportunity. The funny thing about the traffic signs in Italy is that I can’t read them! ~Makes me feel like a foreigner~ perhaps there was a sign saying that the road turns into single car only and be sure to watch out for the oncoming traffic, but I cant be too sure.
I am now in Gubbio; it is 4:00. I have had a shower to cool down as it is over 30 today but seems to be hotter than that. I am posting this now, while the heat is heavy outdoors and I will be heading out shortly to get a feel for the town. The bike has worked well again today as the free parking is over by the Roman theatre and I am in the part of town where it is restricted traffic. I have my overnight bag down to a single knapsack. I leave everything else in the car except what I will need for one night. The funny part about that is, the knapsack is mostly full of electronics!
All for now.. I might post again later depending what I see over the next few hours.
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