Day 2 (Tue, Sep 18): Arrival/Welcome Reception/Neighborhood Walk

When Karen awoke we were over land, the cities showing beautiful and golden in the darkness, like a closeup version of those "Earth at night" photos NASA puts out. We landed at Fiumicino's (a Rome suburb) Leonardo da Vinci airport early, at 7:30 am. Rome was hot and muggy. Passport review and (non-existent) customs check went very smoothly. On our way out into the main terminal we were discovered by Daniella, who recognized our Elderhostel luggage tags and directed us to wait at the coffee shop. We were relieved to find another Elderhosteller there (David Mulligan). This meant we were in the right place. Gradually others assembled (Babette Marcus, Kayla Moser, Joe and Aurelie Agresta, Bill and Mary Hall). One problem we confronted was the apparent absence of a restroom. Fortunately someone else in the group, David I think, had better luck, so we all had a chance to take care of things prior to our 2-1/2 hour bus trip to Assisi. It was a beautiful ride up into the Umbrian hills. Karen missed some of it because she was so tired she slept part of the way. Again, I couldn't sleep, and my utter exhaustion by now kept me from fully appreciating the beauty outside the window. parking lot escalator Porta Nuova Assisi, as you approach it along the road, is spectacular. It is spread out across the base of Mt. Subasio. It appears pink against a background of mostly green trees. Our Baroni bus took us into a parking lot (see porta Nuova on the lower extreme right of an Assisi map) where we got off and used escalators for the steep cimb up to the old town. There was no room up there for busses, nor could they negotiate the narrow streets. After a short walk, complete with spectacular views of the valley, we arrived at the Hotel Sole, which lies between (and very near) the Basilica di Santa Chiara (St. Clare) and Piazza del Comune (City Center). Our room was small but very nice, except for the stone-hard bed. Our room was right over the front door and even had a little balcony.

Assisi

Province Perugia (PG) Elevation 424 m Area 186 km² Population ('04) 26,196 Density 131/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates 43°04' 12°37' Dialing code 075 Postal code 06081 Fratzioni Capodacqua, Castelnuovo, Costa di Trex, Colle delle Forche, Eremo delle Carceri, Morra, Palazzo, Paradiso, Passaggio d'Assisi, Petrignano d'Assisi, Pieve San Nicol˜, Porziano, Rivotorto, Rocca San Angelo, San Damiano, San Gregorio, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Santa Maria Lignano, San Vitale, Sterpeto, Torchiagina, Tordandrea, Tordibetto. Patron St. Rufinus, 12 Aug

Assisi - Hotel Sole is just above "20" Assisi, showing Sole (Sun) Hotels, Dining, Attractions Another street map

from the Hotel Sole website
hotel street	hotel exterior	lobby	lounge	restaurant	restaurant	double room

We had lunch with the rest of the bus passengers, then rested for a couple of hours. Even though exhausted, I had a hard time resting because the bed was so ... hard. (How did I ever sleep on floors in my college days?) Next we took a short walk to Santa Chiara and back, enjoying the lovely breeze. Returning to the hotel, we had a brief get-acquainted meeting lead by Marco and Genna, complete with a happy reunion with Frank and Giannina Mooney and Babette Marcus, our friends from the trip to Padua/Venice. The Mooneys, in fact, were right next door to us, just over the Risorante. After dinner we took a brief walk with Babette, then called it a night. The Hotel Sole - ★ ★ The pictures below show the street view looking rightward from our balcony room, just over the front door. That's the Temple of Minerva and Torre del Popolo (Tower of the People) about one of our blocks away. The leftward view is the street leading toward Santa Chiara, just beyond that arch. The doorway across the street leads down to our classroom. The rest are from inside the bedroom: the headboard of our bed, desk and closets, and the bathroom. The hotel lobby is really a small hallway just inside the front door, leading to the desk in the rear. The nice, small lounger was directly across the hall from our room. The little restaurant where we took our meals is to the right of the front door. I don't know what it is with Italians and their bathrooms. They are notably talented designers, but can't seem to get it right when it comes to bathrooms and toilets. Every toilet flushes somewhat differently from every other (this one has an "up" plunger beneath the raised tank). The shower stalls are unbelievably small and hardly water-retentive. And they always manage to locate the less-frequently used bidet out front of the toilet, in order to give your shins an occasional unnecessary bash. Why?

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