We said Ciao to Florence and drove straight through to Assisi (3 hours) for a Furrs-cafeteria style lunch...students were glued to the Italian soap opera playing on a big screen TV...except for the one student who had fallen asleep with someone else's gum 'glued' to her hair. (Yes, that really happened, and it is recorded here so she can never deny it.) The modern city of Assisi sits at the base of a mountain upon which the Medieval city rests. Not one but two basilicas sit atop one another in tribute to St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order. St. Catherine, his friend and contemporary, founded the Poor Claire order and there is a church for her as well within the walled maze of stone-laden streets. A few hearty souls clamored to the fortress at the very top, passing women selling fresh truffles harvested from the hillsides in Umbria, the region we are now in. The remainder found a pastry, did some shopping for religious relics, and enjoyed strolling narrow avenues transporting us back in time. We toured the basilicas and saw Giotto's frescoes dating back to the late 1200s. It was a quiet place and a needed respite. Another three hour bus ride took us into Rome. (We watched the original episodes of Mr. Bean for entertainment.) Here, traffic is bustling and students are once again adjusting to more European style accommodations. Many of them are at this moment at a McDonald's behind the hotel not to eat but to access faster WiFi!
Preparations are being made for a monumental day tomorrow. No backpacks-students must carry passports-strict dress code--we will have a local guide and tour of the Colosseum, Forum, Parthenon, and Vatican. As an old man who must now retire would say, "Arrivederci."
(Also, we will try to repost pics from yesterday...)
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