Wilkie Tour 63 - Perugia Italy - WOW what a scorcher !
Well, here we go. Perugia 2015. What a blast. An epic week-end in a stunningly beautiful city with the added bonus of a city-wide escalator system and a mini-metro which in conjunction with increased doses of meds made it possible for yours truly to get round with minimum pain and aggro. Unbelievably our other football destination, Spoleto ALSO had a city-wide moving walkway/escalator system. Can you believe that???????
This is the first lot of pics, there will be more, as I have a lot of editing to do as I took 700 plus pics just on one SD card ! Enjoy.
This is the first lot of pics, there will be more, as I have a lot of editing to do as I took 700 plus pics just on one SD card ! Enjoy.
Day One-Flight in, hire car, hotel, look around, beer, wine and food.
Day 2 Culture AND Football and Gastronomy AND Viniculture !
Ok, as you probably realise by now Wilkie runs a tight ship on Tour and so we were up watered and fed and out by 9 am and straight into the nearby art gallery. No pics allowed tho. Huge and labyrinthine it was especially devoted to Devotional art of the highest quality and span of centuries. I will try and track a catalogue on the internet for you. There was some Modern Art but not especially interesting.
Then it was a trip round the City some lunch and a trip on the BRILLIANT mini metro down to the Perugia football ground where we pitched up in the Curva Nord with the home fans and Ultras as per the norm. A pretty good game that Perugia tried to lose after going 2 goals up against old regulars Spezia ( seen them a few times now). Also as per usual I nipped out for a few beers and brought some back for Tony and Phil ( Wilkie and Clive had opted to go higher but Phil and I had to save our hips so we stayed low with Tony) as it's usually quite a wine fest as beer is usually relatively expensive. After the match, before we caught the mini metro, we popped for a coffee and saw the last few minutes of the 6 Nations Rugby between Italy and Scotland that Italy won with a last minute try. PANDEMONIUM ! ! ! We also heard that our team Southampton had lost away at West Brom. The only blemish on what was a bonzer day.
PS Check out galleria nazional dell' umbria web site for all the paintings we saw and more.
Then it was a trip round the City some lunch and a trip on the BRILLIANT mini metro down to the Perugia football ground where we pitched up in the Curva Nord with the home fans and Ultras as per the norm. A pretty good game that Perugia tried to lose after going 2 goals up against old regulars Spezia ( seen them a few times now). Also as per usual I nipped out for a few beers and brought some back for Tony and Phil ( Wilkie and Clive had opted to go higher but Phil and I had to save our hips so we stayed low with Tony) as it's usually quite a wine fest as beer is usually relatively expensive. After the match, before we caught the mini metro, we popped for a coffee and saw the last few minutes of the 6 Nations Rugby between Italy and Scotland that Italy won with a last minute try. PANDEMONIUM ! ! ! We also heard that our team Southampton had lost away at West Brom. The only blemish on what was a bonzer day.
PS Check out galleria nazional dell' umbria web site for all the paintings we saw and more.
Day three. Assisi and Spoleto and crazy last dinner !
First off to Assisi to see the Cathedral built on top of another Cathedral and St Francis's tomb. Pretty amazing but no time to check out the town. Then off to Spoleto for the second match of the week-end. Voluntas Spoleto versus Olimpia Colligiana in Serie D group A. Moving walkways and escalators eased our passage and another great city with an superb church, square, mountain top fortress/museum and stunning bridge/aquaduct with a breath-taking sunset to boot. I was fading fast but a brilliant final feast and mega laugh fest at Phil's expense ( sorry Phil) made it a special day. Oh yes, A Wilkie Tour's first. A pre match picnic after we managed to score some sandwiches after virtually all shops and restaurants had closed ! ! !
I realise now that as we were leaving the game after Spoleto had won ( Olimpia missed a penalty in the first few minutes !) I went down to the fence to take a pic of the Voluntas centre forward who'd worked his socks off and thought I'd said "super game you were great", I actually said " YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL ! ! ! " No wonder he looked at me AGOG.................
I realise now that as we were leaving the game after Spoleto had won ( Olimpia missed a penalty in the first few minutes !) I went down to the fence to take a pic of the Voluntas centre forward who'd worked his socks off and thought I'd said "super game you were great", I actually said " YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL ! ! ! " No wonder he looked at me AGOG.................
The life-saving moving walkway( for me and Phil anyway)some Roman remains of course, sharp architecture with stunning views and a cheese statue. YES, you heard......A Swiss cheese statue. There, I said it !
Each church had amazing artwork, design features and a place in time.
Still Wilkie drove us on. Up to the Rocca, luckily several more levels of escalator but worth it for the views and the aquaduct/bridge. We would not have time to get across the bridge but Wilkie said we'd return after the game ! Ahhhhhh, the game.........................
Calcio, Calcio, Calcio.............................I was pretty much worn out by now so didn't take many shots of the footy. Hopefully the other lads did and will pass them to me later.
Ultra's to the left of me, opposition manager to the right (he was sent to the stands early doors and had a running argument with a disgruntled home fan), here I am, Stuck in the middle with Hugh....Oops, Hugh didn't make it i'm afraid ! ! !
Bottom right (above), the Spoleto centre forward who I apparently expressed my undying love to when all I was trying to say was "good game,good game". My Italian is still a tad rusty when i'm excited.
Then after a reasonable game of effort if not class Wilkie herded us back up to the Rocca and one last bit of sight-seeing. I was dead on my feet ! ! ! Nurse, the escalators ! ! ! !
Bottom right (above), the Spoleto centre forward who I apparently expressed my undying love to when all I was trying to say was "good game,good game". My Italian is still a tad rusty when i'm excited.
Then after a reasonable game of effort if not class Wilkie herded us back up to the Rocca and one last bit of sight-seeing. I was dead on my feet ! ! ! Nurse, the escalators ! ! ! !
In the photo with the arch, the pathway was narrow and the drop the other side of the arch was precipitous. Wilkie didn't know whether to block Tony's passage or toss himself off haha. Sorry, very ancient Roman joke courtesy Bernardus Mannium the Seer.
Back to the car and a slow trip back to Perugia, where we would have one last blow out 5 course blow out ( A Wilkie Tours tradition and a way to empty the bulging Kitty..................Erm , have YOU ever emptied a bulging Kitty ?????? Try it, you might like it !). A road on fire heralded a shunt and then Clive booted back to the restaurant.....Huzzah !
You can probably see in my selfie's that etched in my face I was suffering and indeed I was but we had done sooo much in 3 days up to here it's no surprise I was flagging, but I made it with a lot of help from Team Wilkie ! !
Back to the car and a slow trip back to Perugia, where we would have one last blow out 5 course blow out ( A Wilkie Tours tradition and a way to empty the bulging Kitty..................Erm , have YOU ever emptied a bulging Kitty ?????? Try it, you might like it !). A road on fire heralded a shunt and then Clive booted back to the restaurant.....Huzzah !
You can probably see in my selfie's that etched in my face I was suffering and indeed I was but we had done sooo much in 3 days up to here it's no surprise I was flagging, but I made it with a lot of help from Team Wilkie ! !
