Who needs jet-setting when you can car-set in your Fiat Panda?

Once we were out of Rome, the relief started setting in. Although Rome was beautiful, we were ready for a change of pace. It didn't take long for us to start gawking at the countryside and squealing because it was so pretty. We zipped along in our Panda, whom we decided to call Francesca, through what our guidebooks call "Hill Towns."

Our first stop was Civita di Bagnioregio, and it was one of the most interesting and incredibly beautiful sights we've ever seen. The city is on top of a mountain, an island surrounded by steep cliffs and the deep valley below. The only way to get to it is by a footbridge, and there are no cars allowed. Once you finally get to it, the entire town is so old, it looks like it was carved right out of the mountain. There are beautiful flowers hanging from every window, and a couple of stores and a snack bar. Jamie was sure we should stay in the B & B, but I was not looking forward to lugging our backpacks up that hill. They may be small, but I was not in the mood to walk back up with mine on my back. However, the more we walked, the wierder the town felt and we both started getting a very creepy vibe from it. First of all, the 15 people who apparently live there were nowhere to be found. All the doors and windows were locked up tight, and the only people around were shopkeepers and tourists. Then a friendly Italian woman said hello to us and beckoned us to see her garden. Although she only spoke Italian, we both felt like we were getting to know a "local." The situation turned sour when we became convinced that this woman was not telling us about her garden, but rather how she was going to lock us up and eat us for dinner. She jingled her pockets, asking me for money. I gave it to her and quickly made my way out of there. Civita was weird like that, but I can honestly say it's one of the coolest places I've ever been.

We spent the night in Bagnioregio and had dinner on a terrace looking up at Civita. The home-made food they serve in the countryside beats anything we had in Rome. The woman who owns the hotel where we stayed gave us a list of towns to stop in on our way out and a delicious breakfast, complete with pizza bread and kiwi jelly (if only we had breakfast this good in the states...I'd never go to Dunkin Donuts again!)

We wanted to end up in Bevagna, the town that holds a Medieval Festival that Jamie had heard about. On our way, we stopped in several little hill towns, and my two favorites were Todi and Trevi. Todi has a beautiful duomo where some people were setting up for a wedding, and the center of town is really lively and friendly. Trevi, the "capital of oil" is on a hill covered in olive trees. The drive up to it was beautiful, and we bought some delicious olive tapenade once we got there. Then we had what may have been the best panini we've ever tasted. Then it was off to Bevagna!

Yesterday, we finally got to Bevagna. Once we got there, it was clear that it would be hard to find a room because of the festival, but we managed to see a brochure (in ENGLISH!?) through the window of the tourist office for an inn about 3 kilometers away. We found it and snagged the last room. The man who owns it is half-Italian, half-American, and the inn is brand new. There is a pool that overlooks an incredible view of farmland, olive groves, and grapevines. Let's just say we were not looking forward to leaving today. Last night we went into town to the Medieval festival, and it was just amazing. We both felt like we had stepped back in time. We were literally the only people there who spoke English, so ordering food from the street fair was quite an adventure. Then after it got dark, we walked down all the streets that were only lit by candle light. It was definitely a highlight of the trip.

So today we drove a bit further, through Assisi (home of St. Francis) and the Chianti Region. We're now in Siena for the next two nights, then it's on to Florence to say goodbye to Francesca. That is, if she doesn't get towed tonight. We aren't so good at translating the parking signs. We're hoping for the best.

It's hard to believe a week has gone by already, but I think we've definitely fit in lots of adventures. We'll fill you in on Siena and Florence in the next few days!

****We think we may have actually fixed it so you can post comments on the blog. The internet is always in Italian in these Internet Cafes, so we did our best. We hope it works! :)

Another day, another Panda....

Rome was amazing, but we were glad to get out of the crazy, touristiness of the city. On Friday, we rented our car - a tiny, silver Fiat Panda which we will post pictures of later. There seems to be a Panda theme following us wherever we go. Hotel Panda, Fiat Panda...

Getting out of Rome was difficult. Humorous, yes, but difficult nonetheless. Jennifer, our official navigator, did the best she could with the ridiculous map with which we were provided. However, this did not keep us from circling the city of Rome no fewer than seven times in our little midget car. Being unfamiliar with the nuances of the Fiat Panda and, of course, unable to read the road signs, I was sweating bullets and eventually lost all feeling in both my upper and lower extremeties. Knowing what a stress-case I can be, Jennifer was prepared at any moment to squirt me with the water bottle should I lose consciousness and swerve into a sea of oncoming Smart Cars.

See, the city of Rome is encircled by a road called the GRA. But, the hard part about getting onto the GRA is that there are signs and then there are no signs. They lead you into the graffiti filled ghettos and then leave you to your own wiles. It's like survival of the fittest. Those who are competent enough to find the GRA make it out, and those who aren't are destined to live as gypsies outside the Coloseum.

Luckily, gypsy-hood was not in our immediate future. We were able to get out of Rome unscathed and after a quick lunch of McPaninis at McDonald's, we were on our way to Cevita di Bagnioregio. Can you believe we actually ate at McDonald's in Italy?? We can't either. But we did and that's just something we're all going to have to deal with. We were vulnerable, hungry and stressed, and it was the closest place we could find without getting off the GRA.