Assisi 1 -- Perugia 0

One of the nice things about being a student in Europe is the ability to travel and see so many different places. Yesterday a few friends and I made a quick train ride over to Perugia, the capital of Umbria. While there we were able to find what we think is the best food deal in Italy- pizza, french fries (fritas), and a drink for 7,50 Euro... not bad. We were also able to attend Mass at the Cathedral.

So I guess you've probably noticed the picture. While in Perugia we observed that just about every Italian ragazzo (person our age) was walking around with a popped collar and what in Italian is called the bursito (which is really a smaller and I guess more practical version of a satchel). So we decided to try and fit in by popping our collars and thought that it might give us a boost in practicing our Italian. No such luck though. Maybe it was because we "un-popped" our collars right after taking this picture. But we eventually found out that most people our age don't start hanging out in Perugia until after midnight, and we had to catch the train back to Assisi (a train that we had to run down a mountain to catch).

When we got back to Assisi, though, the main piazza was swarmed with an international group of high school students who were keeping the rest of the piazza entertained with their dances and songs. It has been amazing to see over the past month how many people come on pilgrimage to Assisi to visit, pray with, and hopefully be somehow changed by St. Clare, St. Francis, and the modern day saints who fill this town. It has also been amazing to see how much life they bring to Assisi. Every night, since I have been here, there have been young groups in all of the piazzas dancing, singing, and praying. A few nights ago there was a group from Germany in the Piazza outside of St. Clare's singing "Country Roads"- small world.

And so, after much consideration, the results are in... Assisi 1 -- Perugia 0.