Waking up to sunshine really changes my attitude!

After our morning routines we set out for the Palazzo dell’Emiciclo, the regional government building. L’Aquila is the capital of Abruzzo.

Set in back of a small park it seems a classic government building but inside there was an art exhibit and this window:

The interior is super modern, I’m guessing reconstructed after the earthquake:

The views through the porticos, outside, were really pretty:

From there we walked out of the city a bit to the 13th century Basilica di Santa Maria Collemaggio:

I loved the details on the facade and the entrance:

The basilica houses the remains of Pope Celestino who founded the church. It has a bit of a “Game of Thrones” feel on the inside, just brighter:

There was a lot of information inside about the damage and restoration from the earthquake. There are still seismic censors inside.

We walked back into town and stopped at a sandwich shop, took our panini (focaccia with prosciutto for Ken, mortadella for me) to Piazza Duomo and sat in the sun and ate with the plebians, watching the kids chase the pigeons and play. Then we walked back a bit to a pastry shop and had coffee and little pastries.

Later, we took another pre-dinner walk.

Leftovers for dinner were good with a bottle of Aglianico, Ken’s sometimes favorite wine.

This is how we do it! Yes.