Today we left Florence to head to the capital of Italy, Rome! On our way there we stopped in Assisi which is famous for being the home of Saint Francis and Saint Clare in Catholicism. They were both known for renouncing their family’s wealth, title, and name to serve God. Francis rebuilt a church that was generally used by the lepers just outside the community. Clare wanted to help as well but her path went in another direction.
In Assisi we visited the church that contained the tomb of Saint Clare first. It was a simpler church, but was beautiful nonetheless. One thing I noticed was that the vaulting looked strange as I thought it was slightly off the center. I am not sure if it was an illusion or if I am correct. There we also saw various relics such as clothing that belonged to both saints, locks of Saint Clare’s hair, and other objects. We also visited the gothic church that the tomb of Saint Francis is in. Four of his friends’ tombs are also there on each side of Saint Francis’s tomb. The church itself was quite pretty, yet somewhat plain compared to other churches I have seen. This church is also made of two separate churches, and this is because on is built on top of the other.
After this we were free for an hour or two and so a few of us hiked up to the fortress that overlooks Assisi. It was a fun hike with pretty views over the valley below. We didn’t go in the fortress itself due to a lack of time and possibly money. Annie and I separated and stopped by a place that a majority of our group was lined up in front of. Apparently Rick Steves recommended the place and Rick maintains a god-like status for some people in the group. Annie and I decided to go next door with had pizza with a marinara-wine sauce, a chocolate torte, and thick hot chocolate all of which were quite delicious.
We then left Assisi, but not before petting a lovely, chubby kitty, and headed off to Rome! We didn’t have enough time to go out and do something so we just got dinner and hung out in our fancy hotel that had gigantic rooms.
[Featured Image: A view of Assisi]
Studying In The Salt Castle 