Assissi, Italy
October, 2011
Sunday, October 30 Florence to Assisi
We walked 1km to Thrifty Car Rental with our luggage. When we arrived, they were not opened. We discovered that day light savings started in Italy today, so all the clocks went back an hour. I turned out that our car was at the airport, but the guy found another car for us which was a bit smaller. We somehow managed to squeeze the luggage in, with two cases on the backseat.
It was a two hour drive to Assisi, and the GPS worked like a charm, no problems! The hotel was very comfortable. On arrival, we grabbed a map and drove to Santa Maria Degli Angeli. The food was good, but the scenery was amazing. We discovered the Basilica built over the top of St Francis, first monastery. We were able to enter for free, because there was a huge monk and nun convention next door. They opened the church up for them to have a look, so we joined them. It felt like Friar Tuck and the Flying Nun were everywhere!
We drove up the hill to the medieval town of Assisi. The place is enormous and has so much to see. It is on top of a hill, so the views are superb, but the buildings have not changed muxh in 800 years. It is famous, of course, for St Francis, who was born to well-off parents but left it all, so he could devote his life to helping the needy. We spent three hours there, but saw only the tip of the iceberg.
We went to a service in the Church of Santa Ciara (St Clare) The place was packed and we saw all the frescoes that told her story, and we even had to line up to venture into the crypt to see her tomb.
We saw a Ancient Roman Temple, from the 1st Century, now decked out like a Catholic Church. Once again, there were nuns and monks everywhere from all over the globe. We even saw some Franciscan monks, who wore sackcloths and were barefoot. The views of the Toscana Valley from Assisi were amazing, and we took many photos overlooking the olive groves as the sun set.
Monday, October 31 Assisi
We were at Assisi by 9am so we could attend mass at St Frances Basilica. We were able to see his tomb in the crypt. We checked out both the upper and lower basilicas before we set off exploring Assisi. We visited his birthplace and the house where he was raised. Before lunch, we trekked up the hill to Rocco Maggiore, an old Roman fortress built in the 14th Century.
We had lunch at St Ciara’s piazza, then headed down the bottom of the hill to see the cathedral of St Pietra. So much climbing today, the legs were really feeling it. We went to the Pinacoteca, which is now a museum. During the 1940s, it was where Jewish refugees from all over Europe, fled to in order to escape the Nazis. Assisi has been regarded as a city of Peace for over 800 years, so they protected the jewish refugees by printing false ID cards for them on their arrival.
While watching the documentary in the museum, I was thirsty. Jamaica passed me her mineral water. When I unscrewed the lid, it exploded and the lid hit the roof at 100mph. Luckily, there was no one else but us in the room, Hopefully, I didn’t do too much damage to the 800 year old fresco on the ceiling!
Below, the heart of the city is the remains of the original roman city from 2000 years ago. We explored down there, before heading back to the hotel when it got dark. On the way home, we had to stop and get some panoramic shots of the entire city on the hill.
We walked 1km to Thrifty Car Rental with our luggage. When we arrived, they were not opened. We discovered that day light savings started in Italy today, so all the clocks went back an hour. I turned out that our car was at the airport, but the guy found another car for us which was a bit smaller. We somehow managed to squeeze the luggage in, with two cases on the backseat.
It was a two hour drive to Assisi, and the GPS worked like a charm, no problems! The hotel was very comfortable. On arrival, we grabbed a map and drove to Santa Maria Degli Angeli. The food was good, but the scenery was amazing. We discovered the Basilica built over the top of St Francis, first monastery. We were able to enter for free, because there was a huge monk and nun convention next door. They opened the church up for them to have a look, so we joined them. It felt like Friar Tuck and the Flying Nun were everywhere!
We drove up the hill to the medieval town of Assisi. The place is enormous and has so much to see. It is on top of a hill, so the views are superb, but the buildings have not changed muxh in 800 years. It is famous, of course, for St Francis, who was born to well-off parents but left it all, so he could devote his life to helping the needy. We spent three hours there, but saw only the tip of the iceberg.
We went to a service in the Church of Santa Ciara (St Clare) The place was packed and we saw all the frescoes that told her story, and we even had to line up to venture into the crypt to see her tomb.
We saw a Ancient Roman Temple, from the 1st Century, now decked out like a Catholic Church. Once again, there were nuns and monks everywhere from all over the globe. We even saw some Franciscan monks, who wore sackcloths and were barefoot. The views of the Toscana Valley from Assisi were amazing, and we took many photos overlooking the olive groves as the sun set.
Monday, October 31 Assisi
We were at Assisi by 9am so we could attend mass at St Frances Basilica. We were able to see his tomb in the crypt. We checked out both the upper and lower basilicas before we set off exploring Assisi. We visited his birthplace and the house where he was raised. Before lunch, we trekked up the hill to Rocco Maggiore, an old Roman fortress built in the 14th Century.
We had lunch at St Ciara’s piazza, then headed down the bottom of the hill to see the cathedral of St Pietra. So much climbing today, the legs were really feeling it. We went to the Pinacoteca, which is now a museum. During the 1940s, it was where Jewish refugees from all over Europe, fled to in order to escape the Nazis. Assisi has been regarded as a city of Peace for over 800 years, so they protected the jewish refugees by printing false ID cards for them on their arrival.
While watching the documentary in the museum, I was thirsty. Jamaica passed me her mineral water. When I unscrewed the lid, it exploded and the lid hit the roof at 100mph. Luckily, there was no one else but us in the room, Hopefully, I didn’t do too much damage to the 800 year old fresco on the ceiling!
Below, the heart of the city is the remains of the original roman city from 2000 years ago. We explored down there, before heading back to the hotel when it got dark. On the way home, we had to stop and get some panoramic shots of the entire city on the hill.