title Castiglio Del Lago and Santuario della Verna, Umbria and Tuscany, Italy - 1st September 2022 intro It's time for a couple of day trips - first to Castigliero del Lago on Lake Trasimeno down in Umbria, then we're back at the Santuario della Verna, a sort-of monastery and collection of churches up in the Tuscan Appenines where St. Francis of Assisi was said to have received the stigmata. In between the two, Nosher and Isobel sneak out for a few hours for a walking trip to the nearby Medici fortress in Arezzo, where there's an exhibition featuring works including some sort of Russian gang graffiti, and where Isobel spots an actual snake in the wall. imgp7463 Fred spots a big green grasshopper imgp7464 It's breakfast time again imgp7467 Harry solves a Rubik's cube imgp7471 The boys gravitate to a tourist shop imgp7476 Harry pakc shis bag after a café drink imgp7480 The main street through the old quarter imgp7482 Ceiling frescos in the Palazzo della Corgna imgp7483 Isobel checks out the guide imgp7485 Isobel looks at paintings imgp7488 More impressive ceiling art imgp7489 Isobel in another painted room imgp7497 Inside the castle imgp7499 The boys trudge around the battlements imgp7501 A view over Castigliero del Lago imgp7503 A view over lake Trasimeno imgp7505 Harry worriedly looks up the tower imgp7506 Lae Trasimeno and the castle crenelations imgp7507 The boys are bored in the basement imgp7508 Fred and Isobel wander off back up the main drag imgp7509 We have lunch in a nice and very cheap café imgp7510 Isobel heads out of the restaurant imgp7513 Isobel peers into another shop imgp7514 The holy trinity: pizza, pane and dolci imgp7516 Some sort of town square imgp7517 We discover the amazing Santa Maria Maddalena imgp7520 Impressive stuccoed ceilings in the church imgp7521 The impressive Santa Maria Maddalena church imgp7522 An old church bell imgp7526 On the streets of Castigliero del Lago imgp7527 Harry, Isobel and Fred roam around imgp7529 A very long straight road imgp7533 The church of Santa Maria Maddalena imgp7535 The gang on the steps imgp7536 An invisible Italian cat gives us the eyeball imgp7538 An old shop of some sort imgp7539 La Striscia, or Alexandra Loft, at night imgp7540 Harry has a bit of a sleep imgp7543 Harry's worried about an insect in the candle imgp7544 A vintage 1980s Fiat Panda imgp7545 Isobel on Via Guido Guinicelli imgp7546 A bit of the fortezza has collapsed imgp7548 We visit the Medici fortress imgp7549 There's an exhibition with Russian gang graffiti imgp7551 More Russian gang graffiti imgp7552 Isobel looks at a sculpture imgp7555 Another sculpture on the top of the fortress imgp7556 Isobel looks out over Arezzo imgp7558 Isobel spots an actual snake imgp7560 There's a huge cemetary next to the fortress imgp7561 A very Tuscan view imgp7562 Ls Striscia wine resort is right in the middle imgp7564 A Hieronymous Bosch sort of artwork imgp7565 Stakes of wood actually made out of marble imgp7571 We have a drink at La Casina del Prato imgp7572 A view of Arezzo imgp7575 Inside Arezzo cathedral imgp7578 A view of the huge altar piece imgp7579 Nice painted ceilings imgp7588 We stop for Gelato at Marta on Via Francesco Redi imgp7590 Isobel and Fred have some gelato cones imgp7592 A cool rabbit child seat imgp7593 Isobel and Harry outside Marta Gelato imgp7596 Princess Diana is still selling magazines imgp7597 There's a Lost Cat poster on a lamppost imgp7598 Fred gets changed as a gecko sticks to the curtain imgp7601 Fred does hand stands in the swimming pool imgp7604 We're off to Pam supermarket again imgp7605 Harry roams around the aisles of Pam imgp7606 Fred eats pizza in the kitchen imgp7608 We haul the boys down to the restaurant for a bit imgp7609 We have a bottle of the estate's own Chianti imgp7614 Isobel and Fred play Spit imgp7615 The boys head into the monastery at La Verna imgp7616 The wooden cross on the top of the mountain imgp7618 Fred takes a photo of the impressive view imgp7619 The view from the monastery imgp7622 The Basilica of the Sanctuary of La Verna imgp7624 Harry, Isobel and Fred look at a phone photo imgp7627 Inside one of the churches of La Verna imgp7629 Harry gets into his pasta imgp7630 We have lunch in the refectory imgp7633 The refectory at La Verna imgp7635 A marble fresco imgp7636 We walk along the illustrated corridor imgp7640 Graffiti all over one of the illustrations imgp7641 Mediaeval paintings imgp7643 Rain moves over the valley imgp7646 We hang around by a cross imgp7649 Fred peers over a precipice imgp7652 A cross in a basement cave imgp7653 Harry in a grotto imgp7657 Harry picks a stone out of his shoe imgp7662 Some dude starts playing violin under a rock imgp7667 Back in the main square of La Verna imgp7669 Fred picks up a couple of beetles