Italy - Day 5 - Reflecting on the Road

I haven't shared much about how we are getting around Italy. For the most part, we are traveling via a large motorcoach. It is quite comfortable especially for some of the longer legs of the journey. Our tour guide creates a rotating seating chart to make sure everyone gets a variety of coach locations and views. The ride is a bit bumpier in the back and there appears to be more legroom in different spots. The bus is equipped with wifi. In some of the smaller villages, we transfer from the large bus to a couple smaller vans.

It is on the bus that many of us are getting our sleep in. We have also traveled by tram, and vaperato. Mostly however we are using our feet. We are walking a lot. Pat is putting some serious mileage on her fit bit.

Today we traveled from Sorrento to Assisi.  On the longer drives, we typically stop periodically to use the water closet (bathroom), stretch our legs, and purchase snacks. The places where we stop are similar to truck stops but they often have freshly prepared pastas and sandwiches.  When you buy snacks and merchandise, it works like it does in the US. However, when it comes to coffee, you pay at the register first. You then get a ticket you present to the barista.

In addition to the normal stops, today we stopped at a WWII cemetary dedicated to the British Commonwealth.

It is located in a town named Cassino. An important battle took place here. The monastery at Cassino was completely destroyed in the process. A group of British veterans happen to be there when we visited. 

We checked into our hotel in Assisi and took a few minutes to freshen up and catch our breaths. Then it was off to tour St. Francis Basilica. St. Francis dedicated his life focused on the poor. This is quite interesting given the fact that he came from a very wealthy family. This is also the name adopted by the current Pope.

St. Francis Basilica is like a little city itself. Priests from all over the world reside there. When you arrive, you are down below and have to trek up to the church. Along the way you pass through narrow streets lined with merchants.

You may notice that I don't have a lot of pictures inside the basilica. That's because they are very holy places with very strict rules. No hats for men and women must have their shoulders and knees covered. Never is any flash photography allowed and sometimes no photography is allowed. I just play it safe and put the camera away. Trust me. They are over the top ornate... all of them.

Back to the hotel for dinner. Arrivederci.