DAY 20 - ASSISI to PERUGIA - 10 May 2026

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The wet conditions made for great photos as we exited Assisi. We followed a shared cycle/walk path made up of donated red bricks. It was very slippery and we were overtaken by some nuns!

At the bottom of the hill we were thrilled to meet up again with Soskia, a pilgrim from Holland we had talked with over several days. She was returning from the Porziuncola, the church we were going to visit, so the encounter was quite unexpected. It was great to have a chance to say goodbye and good luck! 

The church was amazing. The little church where St Francis started his order and where he died has been completely surrounded by a new, large church. Mass was being conducted when we entered and the people sitting behind the little church had a screen so they could view the procedings at the pulpit. 

It is our last day on the Via di Francesco. We followed it through the suburbs and out into the countryside. Coming the other way, we passed many cyclists and just two pilgrims. We wished them 'Buon Cammino'.

Unfortunately the bar we'd chosen for lunch was just closing, so we ate our bananas under the shelter of a bridge. We then ignored some signs that may have said 'Closed' - surely they didn't mean walkers, at least not Australian ones - to follow a path alongside the Tiber River. It was very peaceful, just the patter of rain on the umbrella... maybe the track really was closed? 

We emerged safely at the other end onto an old bridge that had been reconstructed. This led us to an open pasticceria, where we had a sandwich and a wonderful hot chocolate. It tastes like a delicious liquid chocolate pudding, if anyone's wondering. 

Fortified, the remaining kilometres - all uphill it seemed - passed in no time and we soon found ourselves wandering through the medieval streets to our accommodation in Perugia.

 A bit of a clean-up in store after Assisi's big day yesterday
A scenic departure through the narrow streets of Assisi
The festive banners were still out
The straight path to Santa Maria Degli Angeli
We were heading away from Assisi as our friend was heading back in
Following the brick path to Santa Maria Degli Angeli
Leaving Santa Maria Degli Angeli
The wet main square at Bastia Umbra
Cycling in the rain, Italian style
Path by the Tiber 
A section through the woods
Railway bridge across the Tiber
The Tiber at  Ponte San Giovanni 
Like a delicious liquid chocolate pudding
Even though we spent most of the day on the Via di Francesco, there was a lot of road walking
Uphill towards Perugia 
Into the streets of Perugia 
Archways and staircases on the way into Perugia
Piazza IV  Novembre, Perugia 
Perugia
Some bits and pieces from today's walk 
Some of today's scenery
Today's flowers - a taste of home
Birds
Map - Day 20

Day:                               20
Distance:                      28.51 km
Walking time:               5 hrs 53 mins
Elevation gain:             395 metres
Cumulative distance:  388.48 km

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