Assisi

The room was small but the view was amazing. Hotel Ideale, which is located at the end of the public bus route, that picks you up at the train station. We were the only ones staying there back in December, which makes me wonder why they would give us the small room. Oh well. We ate both nights at Tratoria Pallota. The truffles dish with the thick spaghetti was our food epiphany. You can check out my tripadvisor photos on Ideale if you want. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187905-d447228-r90228972-Hotel_Ideale_Turisti-Assisi_Umbria.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT Here is our tripadvisor review of Trattoria Pallota and some photos of our meal.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187905-d1198745-r90252053-Trattoria_Pallotta-Assisi_Umbria.html

You didn't ask this, but be sure to do the RS self-guided walk through Assisi. He takes you into some little places you would never find on your own. Assisi is beautiful!

This is a second vote for Trattoria Pallotta. Wonderful! In September we stayed at Hotel Hermitage where the owners were quite helpful. Good location!
We loved Assisi!

Dona, I loved my stay at Hotel Pallotta just a short walk up hill from the main piazza in old town. My room was a single and believe the price was 65 E. The owners of the hotel also own & run the Trattoria. Stefano is a very gracious host. As others have mentioned Trattoria Pallotta served delicious Umbrian dishes. I also loved the Picci with funghi & black olive. The cognilia (rabbit) was very yummy.

Thank you all for all your suggestions and good advice on places to stay and resturants. My next question would be, we plan on arriving around 3:30pm on a Thursday and am not sure if we should spend 2 nights there or one night and take an early night train back to Rome on Friday night? BTW we have been to Rome before, just don;t know if there is enough to see and do in Assisi.
Thanks again for your great advice. Dona

One night's enough. You can actually see everything in a half day.

I'd second Ed's comment. Assisi is nice, but 2 nights seems like overkill.

This is where you see that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to travel. It all depends on your interests and style of travel. I loved Assisi and was very glad we were there for 2 nights. Personally, I was very interested in Saint Francis's life and enjoyed experiencing the town from that perspective. Also, if you enjoy taking pictures, Assisi is extremely photogenic. You can see what I mean here, with some of the photos I took: http://tinyurl.com/PicsOfAssisi And it's another one of those places in Italy (like Venice) that completely change in character after the hordes of daytrippers leave in the late afternoon. But unlike Venice, the workers don't all leave to go back to their homes someplace else. They actually live right there. You can walk around this hilltop town, looking down on the lights in the valley below and just soaking in all the beauty and history.

Your photos of Assisi are gorgeous, Michael. We share your
assessment of this beautiful place.

If you are getting in late, it makes sense to have 2 nights and 1 full day in Assisi, IMO. If you rush off to Rome late morning, then you really didn't give Assisi too much of your time when you only give it a 1 night stay.

However, you do it, I recommend one full day. We did a day trip from Florence and it worked but it was not enough. Also, note that the better restaurantes close from 4-7pm so we missed a nice dinner as it's a 2.5hr. train ride back to Florence. Next, the hills in Assisi are a bit steep. One way to see it is to take the Line C bus to the top of the hill (last stop) and see everything as you casually walk down. Some hotels are a bit of a walk up the hills from public transportation. As I recall, there is a mini bus that will take you up the hills.

Thanks for all your info. Sent inquiries to both hotels to check availability and rates. Looks like we will stay 2 nights, as we get in around 4pm on day 1 and don't want to deal with finding our lodging in Rome late on Friday night. Besides after reading your reviews and seeing those wonderful pictures we don't want to be rushed and want to savor those wonderful resturants! Thanks again. Dona

I'll see if I can dig up the name of this wonderful restaurant where we ate. Our cabdriver recommended it.

Found it. Osteria La piazzetta dell'erba. Address is via San Gabriele dell'Addolorata 15/b. Phone is 075 815352 . Food is traditional Umbrian, and it has a wonderful ambience. One good sign is that in Googling it, about all I could find were sites in Italian about it. Have a great time. I envy you. Assisi is beautiful. If you like roller coasters, consider taking a ride on one of the local buses that does the loop around town, in and out, like tracing the petals on a daisy. You'll need to hang on for dear life to avoid being tossed around like a rag doll but it remains a fun and unexpected memory for us. And there are some amazing views as you fly through town.

Received our confirmation from the Hotel Ideale and have sent an email to reserve a table for dinner at La Pallotta. Michael is the restaurant you suggest located in the old town? Thanks again for all your help, now I can give my arm a rest from all the surfing!!!!!!lol Dona

The restaurant is indeed in the historic center of Assisi, down a side street from the Temple of Minerva. Google maps will show you where. It's also worth a trip down into the town of Santa Maria degli Angeli (where the train station is). It's sometimes called "Lower Assisi." They have a HUUUUGE basilica that contains a little church inside it and next to that little church is the small building where Francis died, both under the roof of the basilica. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Santa_Maria_degli_Angeli