Day 07. October 25, 2000. Sorrento, Assisi. Traveling to Assisi. An early wake-up and packing was followed by breakfast at 07:00. Then we set our luggage outside the room, and sat outside where we chatted with Dom & Ron while we waited for the bus. The bus stopped mid-morning at one autogrill for snacks and later for lunch at another. Mid-afternoon we made a last pit stop at a wine & food store. It was so touristy they had their own Japanese translater on staff. The Perugina "Luisa" chocolate bars with ganache inside each bite were heavenly. At 16:30 we unloaded ourselves and our luggage below town and headed for basillica where Friar Thomas explained about the life of St. Francis, the history and art of the basilica and the Franciscan order before showing us into the lower basillica. Ooh! Aah! We decided to spend all day tomorrow there looking at everything. We made it through the lower basillica, reliquary, tomb and gift shop by 18:00, leaving with a nice picture book of the basillicas. Shortly after 18:00 we checked into room 75 of Hotel Subasio, a really classy old hotel with a fabulous view, whose northern wall borders the lower square/parking lot of the basillica. Our room faced west over the cliff with an outstanding view of the valley where new Assisi is. The air is smoggy here with burning smoke as in Sorrento, but the evening view is still tremendous. Allan wandered throuh the hotel, ending on the balcony terrace below and right of our window, were he chatted with fellow travelers until dinner. We sat with Virgil & Arlys from Colorado. After dinner we did laundry again. We're getting a little better, but wringing is still a pain. Later Jane planned a route to go see the forum and the other churches in Assisi on the following day.

by Allan West and Jane Dominguez web.cookie.org