Pilgrim's Way Monday 13th

An early start this morning, leaving the hotel in Venice at 7:30 am. This was necessary as you can't take buses into the city, so we got on a motor launch to take us to the port area where the coach was waiting, already loaded with our cases. This process must add extraordinary costs to all products as everything has to be double handled like this to get to shops and businesses.
Heading south we passed Bologna and our lunch stop is Ravenna.
Outside of Ravenna is a Basilica, built 1500 years ago, which has beautiful. mosaics inside, particularly around the apse. The mosaics comprise tiny pieces of glass  and it took years to complete. Lunch was a yummy lasagna.
Continuing on our way, the road on which we travelled went through farming and orchard country. The fields are only relatively small, each only a few acres, if that, and they may have wheat in one and peach trees in the next and vegetables in the next one. Further on we drove through the Appenines which has to be some of the most beautiful countryside you could imagine, green grass, mountains, small rivers (the Tiber starts here) and attractive farmlets.
We eventually arrived at Assisi. This town is built high on a hill and looks very impressive and awe-inspiring as you approach it. The coaches aren't allowed to enter the town so after checking into our hotel we were driven to a parking area and walked into Assisi. This is, of course, the home of St Francis and also of St. Clare who was a contemporary of Francis and founded the Poor Clare's Order.
The church which honors Clare is beautiful but the Basilica which was built over the crypt which holds St Francis' body is even more so. We viewed the crypt and the magnificent frescoes in the church which were painted mostly by Giotto.
There was a severe earthquake in 1997 which damaged some of the building and one of the aftershocks killed four people when part of the church's interior fell on them.
These buildings and the artworks which decorate them have to be seen to be believed and are to be admired.
There are 500 residents of Assisi and they are allowed to drive their cars in the steep narrow roads, much to the annoyance of our local guide, nobody else can take vehicles in.
Returning to the hotel we had an included dinner with enjoyable company at table