We’re special. We learned that today. It’s not everyday someone tells you that so you pay attention when it happens. We are not sure how it came about that we earned such high ranking status, but sometimes it is better not to ask and just go with the flow, especially if the flow is in your direction.
Today is supposed to be a day off - sort of. We laid out this plan a couple days ago. Take it easy Thursday morning, see the sites of Spoleto, then pack up and do a leisurely hike/climb of only two plus miles and 1200’ of gain to Monteluco, another of St. Francis’ retreat high in the hills, away from the pomp of the church below in Spoleto.
Sally has been doing the research so she knew where we should go and what we should see on Spoleto. I chiefly served as navigator. Get us to the Duomo to see St. Francis’ letter to his brother Leo, one of only two authentic letters that have survived 800 years that were actual written by the man himself? Yes ma’am! Follow me. Only this time Sally has a map of the city with those escalators well defined so we can ride them rather than hoof it up and down stairs.
Excited to use them, we found the entrance to them just a street over from our apartment on Piazza Mercato. We walked through the stone archway as we exited the street and saw an elevator and a set of stairs. No escalators. Oh wait!! The escalators must be deep underground under the city. Let’s take the stairs down to them. We shun elevators when there are stairs to be had, exercise being important and all. We tripped lightly down four flights, then looked over the handrail downward and saw the stairs descending into oblivion. Change of plans. Back up the four flights and over to the elevator.
Only two choices in the elevator 0 or 1. We were at 1, we pressed 0. Down we went . . and went. When the doors opened we were very deep under the city. We walked out of the short tunnel to the elevator into a brightly lit tunnel gayly painted with people mover conveyer like escalators running both up and down into the distance. Amazing. We immediately started walking toward the one above us to move up in the city. The people mover was not moving, but as we approached it started. Up we went. How cool. Wish we would have known about these yesterday!
We stepped off the top of that 50 yard long stretch and walked to the next. It activated and up we went again. How cool!! About three quarters of the way up this one I got to thinking, “Wait. Our apartment was on the same level as the Duomo. We don’t need to be going up. Then I remembered seeing the word Duomo at the tunnel we used to access the escalators. Oops. We don’t need to ride these, just walk over to the Duomo from our apartment. I explained this to my good natured companion. We got off the up escalator and hopped on the down one. We rode the elevator back up to the street and traversed over to the Duomo.
Inside the elevator entrance tunnel and inside the escalator tunnel were magnificent posters showing American and Italian artists performing music, dance and other forms of art. Sally started filling me in. In 1958 an American Italian Gian Carlo Menotti started the “Two Worlds Art Festival” uniting the arts of dance, concerts, drama, opera, and science roundtable discussions between Europe and the US. American artists could become known in Europe by performing at the festival in Spoleto. A sister event took place in Charleston, South Carolina. Posters showed the broad piazza of the Duomo filled with thousands of people watching a performance of an orchestra. Other equally amazing posters showed other aspects of the event. This theme of arts fills the city.
But, for now we were off to see St. Francis’s letter to his brother Leo which we found in the last side chapel on the left in the Duomo. Pretty cool.
We toured the rest of this magnificent church, then headed outside and sought out the other escalator that would take us to the castle atop the highest point in the city. Escalator 2 (this time real escalators) took us up to this amazing castle that at various times has housed the pope.
We didn’t care to enter it and it was closed anyhow so we walked around the outside of it around to the back side so we could see the amazing Ponte Della Torri, 80 meters tall, 240 meters long and built in the 13th century of limestone. Aqueduct and bridge for people.
The view from this perch above the city was amazing. We could see all the way back to Assisi.
We retraced our steps down the escalators and back to our room and prepared to leave.
Where are we going? The Way would take us over the Ponte Sella Torri and 1200’ feet up the mountainside to Monteluco, and that is what we planned to do. From there the Way traverses 8 miles of forest and descends 2500’ down to the next valley and the town of Ceselli. Concerned for Sally’s knees we have decided not to complete that part. Tomorrow we will return to Spoleto and bus around to Ceselli and continue walking from there.
We bought two pieces of focaccia bread for the hike, packed up, left the key and the money for our nights stay and headed out.
We spent the next 2 hours climbing up to Monteluco on a steep, wide trail through magnificent sacred forests of oak that have been protected since the 5th century. On top we found our hotel, one of three structures, the other two another hotel and the church.
When we entered the hotel a man and a women were there to greet us. We gave our name and they acted as if they knew we were coming and that we were their only guests. Room key is in the door. Top floor. We will get your passports later.
This elegant old hotel nestled in these sacred woods was stately and a marked contrast to the other places we had been staying. Our room was a typical hotel room with a huge rooftop balcony.
We rested a few minutes, then Sally decided that she was willing to continue on the hike to Ceselli, starting early in the morning and taking it easy on the way down. We had already arranged to spend Friday night back in Spoleto at Felicity’s apartment, but that was not a big deal. We called to find places to stay after we made it to Ceselli.
Everything was closed for the season. We called all the places within our range of hiking. Nothing available. We would have to hike back down to Spoleto. With that, we went out to explore the area.
We entered the church of St. Francis. It was open, but no one was there. There were tiny cells for the friars to live and contemplate in, including St Francis’. Donations were being sought for a badly needed new roof. Hopefully they will the funds to protect this historic site. We donated.
We walked the paved loop around a big playfield and marveled at the large, modern abandoned buildings at the far end. What was their story?
Back at the hotel we asked about dinner and wondered if we could see a menu. The owner(?) brought us one and showed us three choices he would prepare for us. We had seen no one else at the hotel and only a few people in the area. It was at this point we realized we were the only people in the whole hotel. Sally inquired as to why only us and no one else.
In broken English he replied, “We closed November 7 to November 21”.
Sally quirked, “ But we are here”
With a smile he replied, “You special”.
I guess so. If he wasn’t open, we would have had no place to stay and would have to hike back down.
We told him we would have ravioli for dinner. He told us dinner was at 7:00. We returned to our room to relax. We also called the Caldwells to check in.
When we returned to the dining room a single table was set. A gas burning stove in the corner flamed brightly. We were served dinner and desert. It was good. Sally says it was romantic. She wore the dress I have been hauling all over the Spoleto valley.
We rode the elevator back to our room for the night. We couldn’t help giggling that we were the only people in this three star 25 room elegant hotel for the night. But we also felt sorry for the owners. How is it we got a room and interrupted their time off? They were gracious and kind, but we must have been a terrible interruption. I guess we are just special.
I've known your were special for over a decade my friends!
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