Assisi

As you all can see, the region of Umbria, where the town of Assisi is located, is famous for its dramatic conditions. Although we drove through two hours of rain on the bus, as well as being poured on for the first parts of our tour through the town, later that day we were greeted with beautiful views of the surrounding valley and towns.

The first part of our tour focused on the history of Assisi while we were still on the bus. According to our guide, Assisi was one of the many towns that fought incessantly throughout the Middle Ages, especially with the neighboring town, Perugia (more on it later). After we arrived we took a guided tour through the gigantic Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. The Basilica was gigantic... and very cold. We walked through the famous frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis, toured through the second level of the Basilica and visited the tomb of St. Francis himself.

After the tour, we were given time to ourselves, where we walked up into the small town of Assisi and ate lunch. Our tour guide told us that the town's golden age was in the Middle Ages and has long since passed. Since an earthquake damaged much of the city in the 1960's (I believe), much of the population has moved into the surrounding valleys where modern conveniences (Like indoor plumbing and electricity) can be found. She also told us that Assisi, although it is a very large site for pilgrims (2nd only to Rome, if I remember correctly) it also is famed for its delicious sausage. Boy was she right...

After lunch, a group decided to make the trek up the hill to the Rocca Maggiore, an ancient fortress overlooking the town and the valleys below. Luckily, as we were climbing, the rain finally let up and the sun broke through the clouds for a few minutes resulting in the breathtaking views like the one at the beginning of this entry. Standing at the foot of the ancient castle and looking out over windswept valleys and the sun shining, I once again felt overwhelmed at the wonder and splendor of Italy.

(For all of you who know my secret desire to be lord of a Medieval village/town, this felt like the first step. Just saying. Now all I have to do is find enough money to buy a castle on a hill somewhere...)

As we came down off the hill, the group stopped for a delicious (albeit slightly pricey) snack in a chocolate shop. As we walked down the twisting streets back to the bus I stopped for one last picture of the Church. Although almost everyone boarded the tour bus to go back to Florence, I was instead headed to the nearby city of Perugia, the neighbor and perpetual enemy of Assisi, for the remainder of the weekend.

I'll write again tomorrow...

John