Backtracking to Assisi

Things have been rather busy around here -- imagine that! -- so we're a bit behind on posting.  Forgive us; we're trying to catch up quickly for you.

We managed serendipitously to choose the foggiest possible day to take Jim & Sharon (Michael's parents) to Assisi.  You know: mountaintop town with a fortress at the top, gorgeous views?  Well, we rapidly decided to stick to the indoor sights, given the weather.

On the bright side, there is plenty of indoor stuff to keep you going.

We took the trains to Assisi, and then the bus from the station to the top of the hill.  Sharon had her handy tour guide with her, so we decided to use the suggested walking tour, which started at the Roman amphitheatre.  We saw the general direction (and there may have been a sign at the bus stop), and meandered that way.  At the next intersections, there were signs for every conceivable destination (including, possibly, Rome) except for the amphitheatre.  Time to ask.

You can just see how the houses
are built into the wall

My impromptu tour guide looked at me as though I were an idiot child and pointed to the curved wall that was between two buildings.  As in, directly in front of us.  Bear in mind, there was no neon sign screaming, "Roman amphitheatre here!" so of course I should be excused for not knowing (?  maybe -- it was pretty dumb, I'll admit -- I should have recognized that by now).

Interestingly, the Assisans of the Middle Ages decided that an amphitheatre was too good to waste.  So they took the walls and built an entire neighborhood inside the walls of the amphitheatre.  Very interesting -- they ended up with a green space in one end and houses in the other.

They had a life-size presepe at the amphitheatre

Here's the actual manger scene

Rick Steves recommended walking slightly outside the walls for the "amazing" view, so we did that.

Sharon with the amazing view behind her

After that, we went down to the Cathedral of San Rufino.  San Rufino is Assisi's patron saint, and has a cathedral there to prove it.  It's built over an earlier church, and is one of the architecturally interesting but unfrescoed type.  Their presepe was African, interestingly -- using carved wooden figures, straw mats & huts, and so on; it was the only of this kind that we've seen.

Wending through the alleys, we made it to the kids' favorite destination: the pasticceria, one of the best we've come across.  Snack time!  Refreshed, we walked across the street to Santa Chiara's church (Saint Clare of the Poor Clares), only to find that it was closed until two.  Our snack notwithstanding, we decided that it must be lunchtime!  Checking into the guide book, we decided that the place to eat was on the other side of the San Rufino cathedral -- as in, where we'd just come from, and back up the hill.

The pink & white stonework is lovely

It was worth it.  Cooked over a wood fire in front of us.  Mmm.  Jeremy & I tried nettles parmigiana.  Now, it was intended as our vegetable dish.  But by the time they'd finished breading, frying, coating in tomato sauce, and layering with cheese, there wasn't much left of the nettle.  Can't complain about flavor, though!

A view of the valley from the piazza outside Sta. Chiara's

Back to Sta Chiara's, with her crypt constructed in the 1800s, very reminiscent of the frescos in Saint Francis's basilica.  Lovely, lovely work.  There is a fresco just inside the door that has been damaged with regular marks.  According to our friend Rick Steves, this was done in order to make an overlying coat of plaster stick.  However, according to the local docent, it's somewhat of a mystery, and could be related to offerings made at the time of the plagues -- and that art historians are strongly divided on the purpose.

A view of the fortress during a temporary "clearing"

Yet another presepe

On the way to St. Francis's

Saint Francis, here we come!  Saint Francis's basilica actually consists of two large churches, one on top of the other.  They're both completely ornate with frescoes that make their way into every art history text.  Totally mind-blowing to see the amount of work involved.  Mosaic altars, wooden inlaid choir stalls, inlaid floors, the whole nine yards.

The "insignificant" side entrance

The interior courtyard of St. Francis's basilica

Upon consulting timetables we decided that we'd better make tracks.  Off home, hoping for a better day next time we go to Assisi!

Love, 

Alexandra