The itinerary for the next few days was a bit sketchy so after brief discussion with our guide Marco, I carefully side stepped any decision making by referring him to Fr. Luan. Assisi is Fr. Luan's spiritual heartland and he knows the area well. Between the two of them they came up with some interesting side trips. It should prove to be most interesting and I'm sure it will add to the spiritual dimension of our journey.
The bus drive through Umbria was beautiful. The hills were so green, a big change from the sun baked brown fields of Spain. The hill sides were covered by grape vines, sunflowers waiting to be harvested and olive trees. One similarity between Spain and Italy is the proliferation of solar panels. They are everywhere, in the fields, on top of houses, over garages, anywhere they can catch the sun. Our own beautiful country is just as sunny so it makes me wonder why we haven't opted for such sustainable energy measures. I guess the political imperative hasn't really been there, but we have an obligation to ensure that our stewardship of the land ensures we can pass it on to our children, just as our indigenous brothers and sisters did for thousands of years before we arrived. I'm sure St. Francis of Assisi would agree.
Our first stop on our Francescan pilgrimage was in the hills where St. Francis met the wolf. We were there for lunch not to meet wolves and what a place. A swimming pool! Very welcome on such a hot day. Then lunch: melon and proscuito, homemade pasta, meat and coffee and dessert. The best coffee so far. Marco made an excellent choice.
After lunch we had Mass in a chapel in the Bascilica of St. Clare. Another beautiful church although much of the painting inside has been removed or has been plastered over because of it's deterioration. The only area fully covered was the ceiling above the altar. There was no photography allowed inside. I discovered this via an angry nun after I snapped a picture of the crucifix (which I alter deleted because it was burred). We then picked up a new guide and went downstairs into St. Clare's crypt.
Assisi is a beautiful town high in the hills and contains many religious shops and there were a number of people dressed in period costume - including a barefoot St. Francis. It is a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of crowded Rome. We were heading for the Cathedral of St. Francis when one of our group realized a camera had been left behind. Re-tracing our steps, camera and owner were re-united at the Bascilica. The moral of the story: if you are going to lose something, do it in a church, that way it will be returned. We decided to leave the Cathedral for tomorrow and headed for our hotel and dinner.
After dinner most of the group headed back up the hill to Assisi for coffee and gelato. A few of us stayed behind, some to do Uni work, me to complete today's blog entry.
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