UMBRIA: Saint Valentines Day- Ah,This is why I found Perugina,Truffles and the Virgin Mary's Wedding Ring all in one day.

A view of the palaces along the Corso Vannucci walkway

Rocca Paolina -old  underground city

A musician's store in Rocca Paolina

View overlooking Perugia on a cloudy day

Duomo- Cathedral of San Lorenzo where Perugia claims to have the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary

Umbria -a region of Italy which has two famous towns. Perugia and Assisi. Central Italy is mountainous and its food is hearty with a stick to your ribs quality. On the train ride through the mountains you pass a countryside which is dotted with castles, pristine lakes, farmers picking vegetables by hand, herds of sheep and medieval towns set above. Umbria historically has been a battlefield where armies north and south clashed. Hannibal destroyed a Roman army on the shores of Lake Trasimeno. It seems because of this bloodshed that Umbria has produced more than its share of Christian saints with peace being the main theme. The most famous is Saint Fransis of Assisi as well as the patron saint of lovers, Saint Valentine.
Perugia is a handsome, wealthy city with trendy boutiques, refined cafes and grandiose architecture. As evening falls, the Corso Vannucci fills with Perguians out for their evening passeggiata, a pleasant pre-dinner stroll.  This walkway is filled with little shops, cafes and pasticcerie. Of course the town is also famous for Perugina cioccolato. You can find the Baci candies all over Italy as well as America. Baci means kisses and inside each wrapped chocolate candy is a note about love. I had a delicious meal at La Taverna restaurant. The primo were small raviolis filled with beets and ricotta cheese. On top was a light creamy gorgonzola sauce with sprinklings of sesame seeds. One of my favorite foods in the world are truffles. No, not the chocolate truffles but tartufo itself. More tartufo nero are found in Umbria than anywhere else in Italy. So for secondo I just  HAD to order grilled veal in a mushroom sauce with shavings of black truffles on top. Absolutely divine.
Also along the Corso Vannucci you can view the history of questa citta with its connected palazzi and Il Duomo. The palaces serve as Perugia's city hall and also contains several museums. Il Duome which is called the Cathedral of San Lorenzo is most famous for being the home of the wedding ring of the Virgin Mary. The ring is kept up in a red curtained vault and is under lock. 15 to be exact. It is shown to the public on July 30th the day it was brought to Perugia and the second to last Sunday in January which is Mary's wedding anniversary. Another interesting area in Perugia is called Rocca Paolina. It is an underground city of little streets, alleys and arches built in the early 16th century. Today there are 4 sets of escalators that take you down into this area. Some of the rooms are used by various types of artists and musicians.
Soon to come - heavenly Assisi.
Happy Valentine's Day to all !!!!