Assisi

Today's trip out as a toss up between quite a few choices. Maybe the long drive to Siena, visiting the cathedral and the bookshops, and seeing the preparations for this Saturday's "Palio" horse race round the Piazza del Campo. Or perhaps a trip to see the villages of Todi, Orvieto and Montefalco, where some of the best wine we drank last week came from. But finally I setttled on Assisi, which I have seen from the terrace of the villa everyday for the last two weeks or so, nestled on the side of Mount Subasio

The key feature is clearly the "absurd" Basillica di San Francisco. Controversial since its completion, it is probably the worst example of a building put up to commemorate the life of someone. But that would be waiting at the other end of town from where I was parked. First stop for me was the Basilica di Santa Chiara. This is also a somewhat unusual looking church with three very ugly flying buttresses on the left side.

Saint Claire was more or less a contemporary of St Francis, and was committed to the same Christian philosophy of poverty. She found the Order of the Poor Claires who resided next door to the first Franciscans. Highlight of this visit was the crypt with her tomb tucked away. Her life is, in many ways, just as interesting as St Francis and Assisi itself seesm to have just as many souvenirs about her as it does about St Francis.

The city was pretty full of people, even mid morning. Large tour groups walking behind their guides holding up umbrellas. A surprisingly large number of monks and nuns walking round as well. Were they locals or on holiday?


Looking towards the centre of the city from St Chiara

The main square of the city - the Minerva Temple facade to the left dates from the Romans

An angel miming to a hippy harp player!

And so after a walk along the length of town, I reached the "imfamous" Basilica di San Francisco. This is a monsterous building dominating the sky line from the valley below at that end of the city. And a truly ridiculous way to commemorate St Francis, a preacher of poverty. The only good thing that can be said about it is that the frescos of St Francis's life were mostly painted by Giotto and members of his school and are interesting for that reason. But whoever could have thought that building this was a symbol of the greatness of St Francis and his message. Totally absurd!

The front facade of the Basillico di San Francisco

View to the valley below

After spending an hour or so in the Basillica it was back along the main street to the Cattedrale di San Rufino. Highlight here was a beautiful statue of St Francis

But at the eastern end of town, close to where I was parked, is the Santuario di San Damiano. This was the tiny church that St Francis had stumbled across in a state of disrepair and where God had apparently spoken to him through a crucifix and instructed him to "restore my house that is falling in ruins". So Francis sold all his belongings and made the repairs. St Claire then lived in this small complex of buildings for the next 40 years or so with the other sisters of her order. And no doubt at all, this is more like the way St Francis and St Claire should be commemorated

Statue of St Claire outside the Santuario

The tiny roof garden where St Claire grew flowers

A fresco of the Annunciation outside in the central courtyard - the lower part is shielded by glass, hence the reflections

The centre of Assisi from the Santuario

So a mixed visit overall. If I hadn't visited the Santuario, I would have probably come away with a much more negative view than I did do. As it was, the Santuario more than made up for the Basillico.