Assisi looks like it came out of a movie. A small little town built on the top of a hill, it is probably one of the most picturesque places that we have visited yet. We took a day trip there today.
Our first stop was lunch, we were both starving. We went to I Monici, a restaurant that Matthew had recommended to us. We had to go half-way up the stone staircase next to the building to get inside. They were just opening so we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. For lunch we split a pizza, the I Monici; it had tomato sauce and mozzarella on a thin pizza crust that was baked until the cheese was melty and delicious. Then the chef put dollops of ricotta cheese which had been mixed with sautéed spinach on top. It was a delightful mix of warm pizza and fresh tasting ricotta cheese, definitely one of our favorite eats by far in Italy.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the town, there were so many winding paths and staircases, it was amazing that we didn’t get terribly lost… although it was so small, getting lost may not have actually been possible. The first place we went to was the Basilica of St. Francis, this church actually has two churches on top of each other as well as St. Francis’s tomb underneath. This multi-layer church is possible because it was build into the side of the hill. The main basilica is breathtaking, each side chapel is filled with prominent Franciscan saints as well as one special one to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
The tomb of St. Francis was very peaceful. We were able to sit for a while and pray for all of our intentions. All of St. Francis’s companions are buried in the tomb as well. As we were leaving, several nuns came in to pray, they were so cute in their habits. 🙂
Next, we went to the church that was St. Francis’s home. It was quite small especially compared to his basilica, but we were able to see the small hole where his father had imprisoned him, because Francis was giving away his things and his father thought he had lost his mind. Neither one of us could have fit in there even semi-comfortably, so we couldn’t imagine how Francis, a grown man, fit in there.
The last church that we visited was the Basilica of St. Clare. This church was also quite large, but it had a small beautiful side chapel where the blessed sacrament was kept. It was nice to escape there from the whirlwind of tourists and tours that were happening within the church at the same time. Down in the crypt were the bones of St. Clare, they are kept behind a statue of St. Clare in her death. The back side of the statue, however is hollow and her actual bones are exposed, but only able to be viewed by the Poor Clare Sisters. In the crypt there were also many second class relics from St. Clare and St. Francis, their original garments as well as many pieces of clothing that St. Clare made for St. Francis after he received the stigmata.
We finished the day by climbing to the top of the hill that Assisi was built on to the fortress called Rocca Maggiore, that is at the top. There was an amazing view, and it was a great place to sit down and rest after a full day of walking around.
We got stuck on the train again on the way home and that was hard, but what a lovely day to remember our time in Italy by.
Ciao!
❤ i&k
europeorbust2015 