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!