Saturday, July 29, 2000 Day 14

We got up for breakfast and then departed Sorrento at 9:00 and drove toward Rome. On our way we stopped at te Abbey of Mt. Cassino, renowned for the battle during World War II. This is the oldest abbey in Europe. St. Benedictine started this abbey. There are 45 monasteries on the hill. Farmers went close to abbey to be protected if they were attacked. Their rule is to pray and work. Pagans were transformed to Christians. In Rome, they destroyed the temples. St. Benedictine started a new religious way of living - Christianity grows. This abbey has been destroyed 3 times in its 1500 years of existence. First by the barbarians, second by the earthquakes, and third by the bomb from the war. The only thing that stayed intact was St. Benedictines statue. German's were thought to be in the abbey that is why it was bombed. It is 2000 feet high. Only 20 - 22 monks still live there. Way up at the top of the mountain is a spectacular view.

This is the view from the Abbey

We stopped at the Autogrill for lunch. We left about 12:00 to head back to Rome. When we got back to Rome, we checked into the Visconti Palace, and went walking one more time around the city. It was a lot different this time because of lot of the people who live here left to go on holiday. Holiday for Italians is the whole month of August. Traffic was minimal and the only people around were the tourists. We went to supper at George's Restaurant today for our farewell dinner. We had Hors D' Oeuvre des Gournets, Tagliolini Verdi Gratinati, Medaglioni di Filetto George's, Creme Brulee, and Caffe.