Day 3 - Venice and on to the Umbrian town of Spoletto

Well, this morning I found out how easy it is to get lost in Venice! I ventured out early in the morning and headed towards San Marco Plaza. I took a wrong turn and wandered the mostly deserted, early morning streets for more than an hour and a half! I really had no idea where I was - one of the few times in my life that I have been truly lost. I was happy when this sleepy city began to awake and I had some more landmarks to find my way by. I stumbled upon the plaza totally by chance around 8:30am, still before the crowds began to accumulate. I hooked up with my friends and we mingled in the diverse crowds of people. We took an elevator ride up the Armor for wonderful panoramic views of the city and then found a street-side cafe for a cappuccino and a light breakfast.

One of my friends had a Venice gondola ride at the top of her "must do" list. So we charted a ride from the San Sofia. We all enjoyed the half hour ride piloted by a cheerful gondolier who was quite taken with the young blond American woman in our group. At his insistence, she wore his hat for most of the tour.

Checking out of our accommodations and toting our luggage back to the car, we sadly said good-bye to Venice. Our travel schedule is rather brutal, pushing ahead to the next region. With me in the driver's seat, we headed south for about 3 hours to Ravenna. This is the location of Dante's tomb, which we never found. We looked and looked (but foolishly did not stop to ask directions) for the cathedral and attached museum. Finally, we decided it was not to be and ended up on the wrong highway with no return to the superstrada. This was a frontage road of sorts and gave us the chance to zip over to the Adriatic coast where we dipped our toes and combed the beach.

Finally making it back to the superstrada, we ventured into the hill town country of the Umbria - Perugia, Spello, Trevi and Spelleto. We drove right up to the door of the Nuovo Cintunno, the accommodation decided upon from the recommendation of Fodor's Florence and Tuscany guide. After some maneuvering, we squeezed our seemingly gigantic station wagon into a very small parking space and arranged for the perfect room.

Dinner was wonderful at the De Dieche - 2 bottles of local wine, Ravioli Castana and veal. Upon exiting the restaurant we discovered the quiet, cozy beauty of small town Italy. We meandered casually through the streets back to our room and virtually collapsed into sleep.