Rome – May 11, 2018

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Taken the morning we left Assisi.

On the move again.  The 15 minute taxi ride down the hill and out onto the plain to the railway station cost almost as much as the train fare to Rome. That is not to complain about the taxi, but to say that Italian trains are cheap, clean, new, and seem to run on time.  And this set seems to have gotten their car and platform at the same store, as the heights match.

At the train station in Assisi, well protected by the carabinieri in the background.

After the leisurely two hour ride, and the km walk from where the train deposited us, we joined the circus that is Rome’s Termini train station.  There we changed to the express train for the half hour ride to the three terminal maze that is Rome’s Fiumicino International airport. The cheese in this maze was the shuttle bus to the Best Western Hotel, eventually found.  

This particular Best Western has seen better days.  There are liquor bottles and glasses piled in the lobby, dirty laundry stacked in the hallways, the room wallpaper is peeling, and the toilet seat is broken. I’m too laid back to complain (what good would it do me today?) but Trip Advisor will get pictures.  That may help others.

Rome airport is nowhere near Rome, of course, but 16 miles south west on the Mediterranean at Fiumicino.  We are near a canal connecting the Tiber to the sea.  There is a large lift bridge over the canal, just for local interest.  The main street has a double row of angle parking in the middle of the street in contrast to Assisi’s half lane width streets.  We went for a walk into scenic downtown Fiumicino, and could not find a better place to eat, so we’ll use the Best Western resturant.

This is how they sell wine in the grocery store in Fiumicino. Stacey thought he’d died and gone to heaven!

The motel resturant seems to be under better management than the motel itself.  Good menu, good service, reasonable price. We finally had spaghetti with tomato sauce (see the front of my shirt for a review).  

We have often talked about having the full Italian four course meal – antipasto, primo pati, secundo pati, dessert (with wine and salad) – but given the quantities of food involved, we would have to spread it over four days.