Lunch in Assisi

We wanted to go to Assisi so we checked the weather for the week and today was to be hot and sunny with no thunderstorms expected. Perfetto. So off we went at 10 am hoping to avoid the freeway around Perugia, however that didn't  happen. Despite that we arrived in Assisi an hour after leaving home and headed to the big underground car park ... yep, full. Luckily we knew where to look next and were successful, but fifteen minutes later and this one would have been full too. 

There were lots of people in Assisi today. We have always marvelled that despite the crowds Assisi remains quiet and peaceful but today it seemed noisy. I hope this was just a rare day.

We had a lunch booking at a special restaurant called Buca di San Francesco at 1 pm so decided to visit the church of Saint Clare first and the Basilica of Saint Francis after lunch.

When we last visited, this church was still under heavy scaffolding and being repaired from earthquake damage. The cross, from which Saint Francis received his calling, has hung in this church since 1257.

As you can imagine, there are many churches and religious houses in Assisi; huge, large and small. Assisi is the spiritual home of the Franciscan monks and nuns. Saint Francis is universally admired for his love of peace, animals and nature.

For many, the souvenirs in Assisi are more than just a happy memory.

Souvenirs of an artistic nature can also be found in the piazzas and down the narrow lanes.

I always enjoy the iron work in Assisi.

This was just about the last bright thing we saw today!

We are collectors of Buon Ricordo plates which you get at certain good restaurants if you order the special dish of the house. We had been here before and collected a plate but to our disappointment they were out of stock of the St. Francis and the wolf plate. This restaurant also has a Michelin star so it is no hard task to eat here again.

We had a lovely table in the garden but with a shady roof over us. This is a family run restaurant with classical and friendly service.

Kelly had a minced pork and mushroom spaghetti for primo, and I had the dish of the house Imbrecciata Umbra. It is a soup with a variety of beans, lentils and other grains local to Umbria. With croutons and a dash of olive oil, it was delicious.

For secondo Kel had roast lamb and I had chicken, both accompanied by wilted chicory and roast potatoes.

A short while into the meal there was a crack of lightning and an immediate explosion of thunder. The sky was black and down came very heavy rain, followed by hail. This went on and on, for at least two hours. What began as amusing entertainment became a wet and long lunch. We were under cover but the ferocity of the rain meant we were soon  sprayed with mist and even the occasional hail stone.

All the lunch guests were trapped as it was too wet and unsafe to go out.

With our bill paid and plate collected we finally made a dash for the undercover car park, along with dozens of others who had come out of hiding at the first break in the weather.

One bit of luck was that we just happened to pass a pasticceria that we had admired earlier. Of course there was time to dash in and make a purchase or three. They are always beautifully wrapped and presented.

Delicious fruit and nut filled pastries.

As we emerged from the car park the rain was bucketting down again, the roads awash with water, rocks and plant matter. We managed to get away from Assisi safely and as we headed cross country, avoiding the freeway, the weather cleared for us. A glance in the rear vision mirror told us that Assisi was still being deluged.

So we didn't  get to see the Basilica di San Francesco, but we have seen it several times before so we are grateful for that.