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Window of a fabric shop in Cortona.
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From Piazza Della Republica
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Cortona alleyway
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View from Cortona
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Church and cemetery below the city walls
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Pastry shop with the best meringue cookies!
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Looking back at Cortona
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In Assisi, Hotel Berti where we stayed just inside the San Pietro Gate
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A sundial in Assisi
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This hill had steps – many in Assisi did not
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Piazza del Comune with doves strung above
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Sunset from Piazza Santa Chiara in Assisi
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Basilica San Francesco at night
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We went to Gubbio to see their annual Palio della Balestra – a crossbow tournament between Gubbio and Sansepolcro that has been an annual event for hundreds of years. This is our first view of the old city of Gubbio
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Saint Ubaldo – a cathedral dedicated to him is at the very top of the hill above Gubbio
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We rode the Funivia to the top of the hill
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View from the hilltop
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Ruins of a Roman theater in Gubbio
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Remains of Saint Ubaldo – yes that’s really him in that glass coffin!!
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Bad boys playing in the courtyard outside Ubaldo’s church
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Going back down the hill on the Funivia
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Girls on their way to perform in the Palio preliminaries
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This hill in Gubbio had paved switchbacks
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When we happened upon a Palio participant preparing, his wife showed us the quarrel he would shoot
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His crossbow
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Procession before the Palio – It was a very long involved procession
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The crossbow shooters assembled in the square
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Before the crossbow event the flag throwers performed
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We saw only 2 flags dropped during this event which was a miracle because a storm was approaching rapidly from the valley and it was very windy
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Curtain call!
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Crossbow shooters finally get their chance – we think a lot of the ceremony of this portion of the event was rushed or dropped altogether due to the approaching storm.
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Quarrels in the target –the later shooters have a challenge even getting their quarrels to stay in the target – in a few minutes it would be pouring and we did not stay to see who won I am pretty sure that Sansepolcro won based on articles in Italian that I read online
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When we returned to Assisi the storm hadn’t hit yet but it was on its way
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Franco Berti – our innkeeper in Assisi and one of our favorite new acquaintances.
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Drama in the sky over Assisi
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Typical Assisi surprise – turn a corner, see a fresco!
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The view from Assisi
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The storm is coming fast now!
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Looking back at Assisi
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