Day 1 of our Carrani Tour from Rome to Venice

The intricate detail on the carvings at St Francis Basilica in Assisi

Great day, but long and busy. We were up and going shortly after 6am  to get packed and head over to the Hotel Diana to leave on our 4 day tour.  The last legs of our journey through Italy, heading north to eventually end up in Venice.


We got going out of Rome about 8 am, after loading all the tour participants from 3 or 4 different hotels, 37 folks in all. After about an hour, we had a pit stop at a little roadside cafe that looked like it had the most amazing pastry.  Sadly I wasn't ready to eat any more after having had the hotel breakfast prior to leaving.  I still regret that missed opportunity, it looked so good!

Our first stop was at Assisi where we had the opportunity to tour St Francis Basilica.  We had the opportunity  tour of both the chapel and the crypt where he is buried.  It's amazing to see the response of dedicated Catholics at his tomb, almost 900 years after his death.  I was truly moved by their passion and love for the man. 

Horse and rider in the gardens of St Francis Basilica, Assisi

We ate lunch at a great little restaurant in town, then carried on where our next stop was Siena. 


There we had a 20 minute walk to get to the Middle Ages town square, and had another hour or so to tour and relax.   We decided not to go to the museum, instead enjoying our time in the square, taking pictures and exploring the courthouse.  Finding wine corks representing the area to add to our collection, we went and had a couple of drinks at a cafe that offered free wifi. Deciding to have a bite to eat there, we ordered an appetizer that we assumed to be a 'fondue' of some sort, based on the name 'fondue' but what we got was a plate with arugula lettuce covered by some mild meat, maybe pastrami, with some cheese melted on. It wasn't what I'd expected, and the dish didn't do anything for me, but the bread they served with it was great. Nice, white crusty bread. Another reminder that we should have learned more Italian!

Upon leaving Siena we carried on for our first night's destination as we headed on to Florence.