Assisi

Another view of Saint Mary of the Angels

Saint Francis statue in the garden.

Looking back at Saint Mary's from the Basilica of Saint Francis

Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

This mated pair of white doves never goes far from Saint Francis' statue.

The golden angel looks over the church.

Saint Mary of the Angels church in Assisi

Porziucola Chapel inside Saint Mary's

Village Italy 2007 - Friends, Experiences, and Memories
A Journey through the real Italy on a Rick Steves' tour

Assisi

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Day 4 - Tuesday 18-September-2007

After breakfast, Giorgio took us on a short bus ride from Montone to Assisi. The first stop was in the “new” Assisi to see Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary of the Angels) where St. Francis of Assisi restored a small, now historic, Porziucola Chapel. Saint Frances found asylum in the old chapel when he abandoned his family and their wealth. It was in disrepair, so he restored it and was given the chapel as a gift by the Benedictines in the early thirteenth century.

Next up, we got back on the bus for a short trip to the hill town of old Assisi. Here we had a guided tour of the Basilica of St Francis given by a local guide. You may remember that the Basilica was heavily damaged in a 1997 earthquake and was closed for nearly two years. It has since been restored, reopened, and is said to be earthquake-proof. For the tour, we used individual wireless headsets because of the requirements to be very quiet inside the church.

Rosaries from the gift shop are popular items, especially if you or someone you know is very religious. Cathy bought a rosary for her Aunt Dolly. After exploring on our own for a while, we met back at the meeting place. Karin was there and had bought us a selection of small, delicious pastries (I can’t remember the name).

For those of you who don’t know, Saint Francis is the Patron Saint of Animals (and of the Environment and Ecology). After his death, they built a huge church over the tiny chapel. Here, we went to the rose garden and saw the “thorn-less” roses and a mated pair of doves that never leave the area near the statue of St. Francis.

After touring the Basilica, we walked as a group to the main square (Piazza del Comune) and Karin gave us an orientation and overview of the main sights in the town. We thought we lost Char (my buddy!) and Bette along the way, but they caught up soon after we reached the piazza.

We had time for lunch on our own and to explore the rest of old Assisi. Cathy and I had porketta sandwiches from a local sandwich shop. I also bought a small jar of olive/truffle paste to bring home (It smelled so good, I couldn’t resist).

Back in the square, we stopped to get a gelato. Cathy found a priest (or monk) and asked him to bless the rosary that she had bought for Aunt Dolly. She said he was very friendly and gave her a big hug .

On the way back to Montone, we got some rain, so we set our expectations that it might be too wet for the truffle hunt this evening.

There are lots of churches in Assisi and lots of Saints (especially for a small village). Francis, Maria degli Angeli, Claire, Rufino, Stefano...

We had a few hours to explore, so Cathy and I walked up to the castle Rocca Maggiore and then explored some of the side streets.