Day 3 - Left Rome Early  7:30am.  First stop will be Assisi and then we will head on to Montecatini Terme - where we will spend our evenings for the next few.  It was a few hour drive to Assisi and on the way we got to look at a lot of the Italian country side - it was beautiful.  I couldn't stop looking.  Massimo would comment as we passed certain things here and there. 

Assisi sits on top of a hill.  When we got there - because it was such a steep walk - they had an escalator that took you to the top. 

There are two churches and a cathedral.  The first we saw as St. Clara.  It was a very pretty church.  The churches were built with a pinkish stone that is indigenous to the area - so most of the buildings are pink.

St. Francis is famous for Christ speaking to him and telling him to restore the church.  He first took it literally and started repairing the church.  Then he realized what it really meant - and he renounced worldly belongings and pledged to help the poor.  The Franciscan monks live based on his teaching.  They would live as Christ.  They build a church in his honor.  He had requested it be plain.  But they didn't listen and they built two churches in the same place - an upper church and a lower church.  It was very hot.  We were supposed to go to mass in the lower sanctuary but we were running behind because our guide was a little long winded.  Interesting but we were on a timeline.  The lower church was full so we had to race upstairs and it was pretty full church so we were kind of spread out.  Some couldn't find seats at all.  It was quite an experience - it was all in latin or Italian - who knows :-)  there were wonderful frescos on the inside of the church documenting St. Francis' story.  We grabbed a bite to eat  at a little restaurant. Then we went shopping.  the town was very cool, narrow streets, old buildings.  beautiful vistas, balconies with flowers.  What was interesting were all the tourists and the cars - the residents of the town would have to weave thru swarms of people.  It was so pretty - so pretty.

From there we all boarded the bus and headed to Montecatini Terme.  We checked in and went to our rooms.  Mine was 428 - same number as Mom and Dad's hours :-)  Cool old key with a tassel.

 Beautiful hotel - built in the 1800s.  Was American HQ during WWII. Made into a hospital afterward - then made back into a hotel. You had to turn your key in when you left, picked it up when you returned.   My room had two floors.  Upstairs loft bedroom.  The room and hotel were beautiful but the AC didn't work well and it was nearly 40C - what ever that means.  We were told they shut them off during dinner time - so they could use the energy to cool the dining room.  It is registered as historic.  I sat with Ali, Tanner and Fred for dinner.

 Nunzia is our bartender. She is great!  She took  great care of us.  She could remember everyones room number - you only had to tell her one time.  She was a lot of fun.   After Dinner we all went out on the front patio (for lack of better word) and had a night cap and toasted another great day in Italy and discussed all the adventures we had had that day.

Elevator is very small - the shower is smaller.  My room is by Mike and Gina and across from Fred.  Martin and Jeanie Bever are on our floor as well. It is hot!

Day Two - Vatican City St Peters, Sistine Chapel and the Colloseum

August 4, 2012 One thing I learned in Italy is that - while lunches and dinners are delicious - breakfast not so much.  The coffee is very strong - but I like strong - this is borderline for me :-)

Today we had to get up and in the lobby early - we had an appointment at the Vatican.  Breakfast was a buffet.  Lunch meat, cheese, hard breads.  There were scrambled eggs too. Yogurt, melon.

We met Max in the Lobby - we had to leave on the bus at 8am.  When we got on the bus we were introduced to Nora.  She was a wonderful older lady - in a blue flowered long caftan type dress.  Short grey hair and very knowlegable.

 We were given headsets that we would keep for the rest of our tour with Max.  They made hearing what they said very nice.  We made our way in the bus thru the streets of Rome.  The bus dropped us off and we walked past thousands of people lined up along the walls of Vatican City who didn't have appointments.  Max left us in Nora's hands for the tour of the Vatican.  We pretty much walked up to the door and got in.

  The initial entry point once you go thru the door is very modern.  With a lot of art and a very contemporary stair case.  One of the first things we saw was a model layout of Vatican city.  We saw  the dome of St. Peter.

The hall of tapestries -  two of with stood out to me - One that had the killing of the babies from from the time Herod sent the rule out to kill all male children under 2 years of age and there was one of the resurrection where Christ's eyes followed you where ever you went.. 

We saw Michealangelo's pieta - or a replica of it in the halls leading to the Sistine chapel - it was really something to see.  We could get up close to it - the real one is in St. Peters behind protective glass because in 1972 a mentally disturbed person attacked it with a masons hammer - it was painstakingly  restored.  It was one of Michealangelo's first  The sculpture, in Carrara marble, was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed   It is one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. 

Then we went into the Sistine Chapel.  You were not allowed to take photos and they asked you to be quiet.  Every now and then you would hear NO PHOTOS NO PHOTOS.  Nora explained to us where the Papal Conclave took place - we sat along the walls where so many cardinals have sat choosing popes.  Nora explained quietly (because she wasn't supposed to be speaking to us)The ceiling is one of Michealangelos crowning acheivements  - but he didn't want to paint it the Pope forced him to - he want back to Florence and the pope sent people after him telling the people of Florence it will be bad for you if you don't give him up.  So he painted the ceiling when we was young.  He came back and painted the last judgment when he he was in his 50s. 
That fresco covers entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. It is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and final judgment of God.The souls of humans rise and descend to heaven and hell crossing the river of stix.  It is really quite something to see.   The Last Judgment drew a lot of criticism  within the church. Michelangelo was accused of being insensitive to proper decorum because of the nudes.A few years after the fresco was complete in response to certain accusers, when the Pope's own Master of ceremonies complained it was disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have all those nude figures," Michelangelo worked his face into the scene inthe  bottom-right corner of the painting him with donkey ears - while his nudity is covered by a coiled snake. It is said that when he complained to the Pope, the pontiff joked that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, so the portrait would have to remain and it is there to this day. 
Along the walls on one side is the story of Moses on the other the story of Christ.  You could spend days in there and not see every thing there is to see in those paintings. 

From there we proceeded into St. Peters Basilica.  You really can't get a clear understanding of the emense size of it.  Everything is in proportion so it is hard to tell unless you see a person standing next to something.  The apostle Peter is buried beneath the alter - which is just overwhelming to think about.   That is why it is call St. Peters.  We couldn't get close to the alter at first - there were special guests - a Bavarian pilgrimage.  Nora asked them if they were German - the replied almost insulted.  Nora called them crazy bavarians.   She would always say ANYWAY... as we were about to move to another destination.    She was full of all kinds of information - I wish I had a way to record all the things she was spouting.  Once the Bavarians marched out in ceremony - we all lined up by the ropes - and I was one of the first to touch the foot of Peters bronze statue which is mostly worn away because so many people touch it.Suppose to be blessed if you do.    The canopy over the alter itself is made from Bronze - much of which was taken in from the Pantheon..  It is over 100,000 lbs of bronze.  It is enormous!

Afterwards we had lunch in Vatican City - bought a few souveniers.  I got Marty a Pen from Vatican City.
We sat at a table on a side walk.  Watching buses go buy with tourists.

Then we met back up with Nora and we got on our bus and put on our head phones and listened as we drove thru the streets of Rome and Nora explained what various buildings were and the stories behind them.
We went by the ruins.  Then we went to something I have only dreamed of seeing - The Colosseum.

 That was a surreal moment for sure.  Looking out the bus and there it is. didn't even notice Constantines Arch for a while sitting right next to it.

 I touched it - I walked up the steep stairs and walked completely around the top.  You should always use go with a tour group where you tours are scheduled - I say that because we walked by tons and tons of people who were waiting in line - but because we were scheduled - we got right in.  The gates were all numbers - like our stadiums today ONLY in Roman numerals - And FYI - 54 is LIIII not LIV

 I have pictures - hey - the Romans themselves numbered the gate -...I would think they know more about Roman Numerals than my elementary school teacher :-)  I have to say it was spectacular.

After we got back some of us went to a gelatoria - Me, Gina, Tanner Jeanie Rita and Dennis.  Tanner is on a mission to have 24 different types of gelato :-)  He wants to beat a teachers record.

Later that night we went to dinner at this little restaurant.  We had met Massimo at the hotel and he joined us.  We found out that Max was jumped on bus 64 and robbed.  He was supposed to give us the tour of the Colosseum but was at the police station so Nora took over for him.  He had some bumps and bruises.  He said it was the crazy Peruvians - they rob him and have others situated on the bus to say it was he who robbed the others.  Poor Massimo!  NEVER RIDE BUS 64!!!

Dinner was great - they all were!

After dinner we walked back to the hotel - and had a night cap , play some Euchre (which Rita and I beat Dennis and Mike in the Championship).

They had a piano player at the bar singing - well I guess in Rome you don't sing along with the Piano player EVEN if he is playing Piano Man - we got yelled at. :-)  It was late and I will say for the second night in Rome - I was pretty tipsy!  And we had to get up very early the next morning.  I went out on my balcony and stared at St. Peters again for a while.



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