It Ain't Easy Touring Assisi

We woke up early this morning greeted by a blast of cold air blowing in through the window, a most effective wake up call and a nice change from the usually hot weather we have had here in Castiglion Fiorentino. We ran up to Hermes and ordered the usual, a cappuccino and a pastry, before heading back down to catch the bus that would be taking us to Assisi. After the two hour bus ride taking us out of Tuscany and into the region of Umbria, we first caught a glimpse of the Basilica of San Francesco spreading out over the hill, capturing the eye with its white and pink walls and long row of arches. Once inside the city walls, we were once again blessed to have Paolo as our tour guide. Always eager for students to ask him questions, Paolo expounded upon the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture that we would be seeing later that day and pointed out elements within church itself that were representative of those eras as we walked through the basilica. One of the highlights of our tour was seeing a series of panels painted by Giotto telling the story of St. Francis' life and his mission to found Franciscan order.

Similar to Castiglion Fiorentino, the city of Assisi is built into the hillside, so the streets are steep and narrow, and the buildings and shops seem to perch one on top of the other all the way up the hill. So after leaving the Basilica of San Francesco, we made our way through the narrow streets lined with colorful shops selling religious items, finally arriving at the Basilica of Santa Chiara. There we were able to see a beautiful crucifix in the chapel that was similar to one that we had seen in our own little Castiglion Fiorentino the day before.

Ready for lunch, we made our way to the restaurant and sat down to a lovely three course meal consisting of pasta, chicken cordon bleu with potatoes and salad and fruit for desert. After that, the group was free to explore Assisi. Some went shopping, many spending their euros on wooden swords (which proved very useful in a few skirmishes and mock epic battles that took place back at the center). Others visited the Temple of Minvera, built in the first century AD while a few decided to hike up the hill to a castle overlooking the city below. The incredible view from the castle was just one more striking reminder that we are actually in Italy and are truly experiencing all it has to offer. At four, the group reassembled and headed to the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels. The outside of the church was very large and impressive, but when we ventured inside, we saw a smaller, more humble building in the center of the basilica – yes, a church inside of a church! The smaller church was originally built by Saint Francis, but his followers later built the larger, more lavish church around it. After exploring this last basilica, we piled back onto the bus and arrived at the center in time for more delicious pasta and our nightly gelato. Right now, some are playing soccer with a few locals, while others are slaving away on the blog to inform our followers of our day. So goodbye for now, we're off to soak up more Italy!

Buona Sera,
Taylor Orr and Amanda Savage