On Thursday morning we got up early to catch a bus to Termini and board our train to Assisi. We had tickets with Trenitalia and it was about an hour and a half train ride and we got off right outside Assisi and got on a regional train that took us right into the outskirts of town. We rented out a studio apartment from someone in Assisi for cheap. It turned out to be really good accommodations. It had a kitchen, full bathroom, and a washer. Once we arrived in town our landlord picked us up in his car and took us to the apartment to check in. He gave us tour of the town on the way back and told us what churches to see. When we got to the apartment he gave us a map and circled the sights he showed us earlier.
We got settled in around noon so we found a good place to eat and started to see the town. Assisi is a small town with about 4 roads built into the mountain and they're about a half-mile long, so the town is really easy to walk through because it's so small, it's just really hilly. Once we ate we had to get train tickets to Florence and that was our next goal. We had to find the Travel Agent in town first. We went to a convent to ask for directions. After about a half an hour stop we left with some good places to eat and what else we needed to see. The nun also directed us to the ticket office which opened at 3pm. We decided to walk there and see if he opened a little early. He wasn't open yet so we decided to get some souvenirs at a local shop, for people to be later named. When we came out the ticket place was open so Mom and Mary went in to discuss the ticket situation with the clerk. After awhile they came out with tickets to Florence and return tickets from Florence to Rome. Score!
Next, we decided to go see the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. It was about a ten minute walk down to the church which meant we would be walking uphill the whole way back which would be fun. The Basilica has three levels. The main church level, the lower church, and the lowest level, where St. Francis is buried. We spent a couple hours touring the church and reading out of our Rick Steves Guide. We left the Basilica around 5 and headed back to the apartment. We checked out a place to eat supper but they weren't open for dinner yet. We decided to grab some bread and pesto to tide us over. We went back and ate some bread and took a short nap. After we headed to Il Duomo Pizzeria. It is supposed to be a good place to eat, a few of the locals referred us to the restaurant. I ordered a Salame Picante pizza, it was pretty good. After we went on a short night walk through the city back to the apartment.
Included in our lodging was a breakfast homemade by our landlord, so we got up early and he had breakfast prepared in his home for us. It wasn't very much, some cappuccino and bread, but it was good. After that, we decided to hike up to the top of the mountain to see the castle. We were told there is literally nothing in the castle and tourists just pay to go inside it to check it out and go to the top if it to take pictures. Mary took a quick hike up there before breakfast and she told us it was about a five minute hike. Our landlord said it was about a fifteen minute hike and that's why we didn't hike up there the day before. On the top of the hill there were some amazing views. It was one of the coolest things I saw in Assisi. You can see for miles with mountains on each side of the castle. It had an amazing view. Click the link for more pictures.
