The Top Ten - The Upside

Spoleto is very different from Celina. We had a conversation (actually, more than one) about the things we liked best about Spoleto. So here they are, in no particular order - the Spoleto Top Ten.

1. The pace of life -- The pace of life is much slower than Rome, and possibly much slower than home. It seems that the shopkeepers open and close when they feel like it. In fact, there was a ceramista shop that had a plate I wanted, but I didn't get it because I never found the shop open. But that's okay. It's a bit like that in Celina - which means if you really want it, you may have to drive to Frisco to get it. Just in this case, I didn't find a similar plate anywhere else.
2. The proximity to Rome -- Spoleto is a short drive or train ride into Rome. We were able to spend a few days in Rome and Assisi without having to pack up and set up a new base somewhere else.
3. 
   Public transportation -- Trains, buses and taxis are available to take you where you want to go. We don't have that luxury in Celina. In fact we have to drive for nearly 30 minutes to catch the light rail that goes into Dallas. By the time we do that, we might as well drive into Dallas. I really like public transportation.
4. Friendly, helpful people -- For the most part, once people realized that our Italian vocabulary consisted of Grazia, Buongiorno and Buona Sera, they all brought out their English skills - which were so much better than our Italian skills.
5. 
   Picturesque - The views from the hills were stunning. The narrow cobblestone streets, the unusual doors and door knobs, the flower boxes, the fountains, the cats sunning themselves in windows - so many photo opportunities!
6. The escalator - There is an escalator near the marketplace not far from Piazza Garibaldi that takes you up near the Castle and enables you to walk downhill instead of uphill. (Having four stents, I appreciate this!)
7. 
   The views at Casa Feeney - We're typically pretty lucky with views. But the views from Mike & Ros's apartment were fabulous. From the hall window we could see the Ponte Del Torre; it's lovely when it's lit up at night. Our bedroom overlooked a convent, gardens, and tile roofs. Beautiful! We could look out at night and see the cross on the top of the hill. Better views are hard to come by.
8. 
   Selection of restaurants - There were any number of high quality restaurants to choose from - all within a short walking distance.
9. 
   Food - The food was all wonderful. Excellent quality and cooked from fresh ingredients. And relatively inexpensive. We enjoyed a multiple course meal that would have set us back over $100 at home for just over $70.
10. Wine - The Montefalco Rossos were the perfect complement to the food. We particularly enjoyed the Sagrantinos. And they didn't have to be expensive to be good!