Following our day in Firenze, a two-hour bus ride allowed us to relax and enjoy the passing scenery. Clear, blue skies gave the landscape a picturesque quality that I wanted to keep looking at, even as I grew drowsy sitting in those comfortable seats. Simonetta kept up a running commentary of the local towns and landmarks we passed. From the itinerary, I knew this would be another "one-nighter" in Assisi and then off to Rome the following afternoon once we completed our tour of the Basilica of St. Francis.
Basilica of St. Francis
As a reminder, you can click on any photo to see a larger format without losing your place here. The same holds true with any link (in blue) that you find. Clicking on the link will open a new window, and you won't have to navigate back to this page.
We were about halfway to Assisi when we made a brief stop at one of the many AutoGrill locations along the road. AutoGrill is Italy's version of Buc-ees, the pre-eminent stop for Texans (at least in my humble opinion) on the go. While the AutoGrills may not be as large as the standard Buc-ees, what they lack in size, they more than make up for in quality and variety of their food and snacks.
Typical AutoGrill
Our hotel for tonight would be the Hotel Cenacolo in Assisi. It is a former convent that has been restored and remodeled for modern convenience while maintaining its old-world charm. Cindy and I agree that we'd love to come back here and spend a few days. Tonight's dinner at the hotel is the second of three "included" dinners that Globus offers. Much to our delight, the hotel offered a happy hour before dinner, right at dusk. They also offered some light snacks to whet our appetite. The view outside the window of the bar area was stunning, and I wished there was a balcony or outside viewing area to take better pictures.
Sunset in Assisi
Even with a few of the happy hour snacks, most of us were ready for dinner. Unlike the assigned seating on the bus, we were free to pick our dining companions and tables as we saw fit.
Pasta course
Entree
Dessert
Ahhh, that hit the spot nicely. Our pasta had an interesting garlic-parm sauce that was rich and creamy. Our entree wasn't just the standard "meat and potatoes" dish. The beef chunks were tender, and the savory red sauce complemented both the meat and potatoes. Our tira misu dessert added a nice finish to dinner. But where was the gelato? True to form, Simonetta already had our daily plan posted in the lobby by the time we finished our meal.
Assisi schedule
We found that allowing ourselves about 45 minutes from waking up to luggage out worked best for us. That gave us a few minutes to snooze after the first alarm and gradually wake up without having to get into "fire drill" mode. Honestly, though, getting to sleep in until 8:30 or so would've been a real treat about now.
As is typical of most of the "old" Italian towns, the original part of Assisi and the basilica were concentrated on the top of a mountain, using this high ground to easily protect the town and people from invaders. If you've ever driven on these curvy mountain roads, you can appreciate how the hairpin turns of the switchbacks make it hard for large vehicles to negotiate. With our big bus, we would have to park in a designated parking area down from the main entrance. Simonetta advised that we would have a ten-minute walk up from the parking lot to the entrance to the basilica. It would be somewhat steep in a few places, but we would just take our time and go at a slow pace.
The cool morning and leisurely stroll up to the basilica didn't challenge our stamina, at least not mine, and the view at the top made this stroll very much worth it. Wow, the view from here is breathtaking!
Stunning view
Approaching the basilica
Entrance to the basilica
Unfortunately, once we entered the basilica, photography was not allowed. It was every bit as beautiful as everything we've seen so far. I'm sure it's obvious by now if you've read any of my blogs that I'm a very visual person and love to take photographs. All is not lost, though. I took the liberty to do an image search on Google for this basilica. You can find the results by clicking here. This search does include some inside photos if you are curious.
Notice that I specifically avoided referring to myself as a "photographer," as it would be insulting to those who are so much more skilled and knowledgeable in photography than I am. Kinda like referring to myself as a "chef." I love to cook (and eat!) but have neither the skill nor experience to call myself anything other than a cook.....or "finicky foodie."
Once we were back outside, though, I took several photos of the magnificent view we had of the surrounding area. We picked mid-March to do this tour for several reasons, and I'm glad the weather was so suitable for our trip. Blue skies and a cool breeze tempted me to find a bench somewhere and just soak it all in.
The plants spell "PAX" for peace
The Pope's "Castle"
This round structure served as a sort of "castle" for the Pope when he visited the basilica. I zoomed in to capture this photo from the buildings in the background. You can just see it in the photo before this one. Look to the top left of the buildings, to the right of that clump of trees.
Another beautiful vista
And a few more shots
We still had a little free time left before we had to get back on the bus. While a short hike to the old part of Assisi was doable, Cindy and I decided to just hang around the local area. We would have to make it a quick hike to and from old Assisi to allow ourselves even a little time to explore. Ultimately, we made our way back to the parking area, stopping to take a few more photos.
Narrow, steep and winding streets
Our drive from Assisi to our hotel in Rome would take about 2 1/2 hours. The plan was to make a lunch stop and then another short restroom stop along the way. Sounds good to me! We had another "excursion" dinner in Rome tonight, but a hot sandwich and drink would tide me over nicely.
En route to Rome
We stopped at an AutoGrill about halfway to Rome for a lunch break. I didn't really elaborate on the AutoGrills much in my last blog, so I'd like to take the time to do so now. These stores have a designated entrance and exit, unlike most roadside places here in the US. As you enter the store, there are the usual drink cases and displays of chips, candy, gum, etc. The AutoGrills also have a coffee stand (with tall tables you stand at to have your coffee), a deli area, and sometimes a cafeteria area with tables and chairs. Once you select something from the deli area, you pay the cashier first, then present the receipt to the cook/server, who will prepare and serve you your food.
What, no tacos??
photo by Cindy Newman
That's fine; I'll wait for tacos until I get home. All of these sandwiches look tasty and once Cindy and I made our selections, I paid the cashier and handed the gentleman behind the counter our receipt. In short order, we had our sandwiches and drinks and sat down at one of the tables to enjoy our lunch. And enjoy we did! The cashier even talked me into buying a chocolate and hazelnut bar as part of a BOGO deal. Sold!
What is it about this Italian salami? It is soooooo freakin' goooood! Combined with some melted mozzarella cheese, this sandwich was completely satisfying. A quick word here about eating on the bus. Officially, Globus prohibits eating and drinking (except water) on the bus. I understand the reason behind this, but it did seem a bit....restrictive. On our bus, though, we were able to enjoy some cookies or candy as long as it was reasonably small. Maybe Simonetta just didn't notice.
Today marked our third seat rotation. I was curious how the group as a whole would deal with this, and for the most part, everyone did just fine. There was a little confusion with the first rotation, but once that got settled, there were no issues with who sat where.
Assisi to Rome
The orange circle indicates our seat rotation for today. Even though our daily plan was updated and posted, there was no need to post an updated rotation chart. Everyone figured out where they needed to be, and that was that.
After my gargantuan blog on Florence, this one seems tiny. That's reasonable, though, as we didn't do any other major tour in Assisi except for the basilica. With Rome and then Sorrento coming up, we had a LOT more touring to do. We would be staying two nights in each of these locations. With so many places in Rome, I will most likely split our time there into two installments.
Have you ever been to Assisi? What did you think? What do you think of this series so far? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments selection below.
The previous three installments in this series are linked below.
The next installment about our time in Rome can be found here.
Until next time.....
carpe cerevisi
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