Pasta & the Pope: Assisi (Days 15-16)

Hola todos,

Day 1

It was finally time to leave Florence and head off for my next adventure! I grabbed an early morning train to Assisi, which went blessedly uneventfully. At the Assisi train station, I grabbed the local bus into the town: otherwise, it’s an hour-long uphill hike. (And while I'm usually down for the physical challenge, I was carrying all of my stuff and the bus was only like $1.50.)

From the train station, looking up into Assisi in the distance.

 

The first views of Assisi off the bus.

I wasn’t able to check into the monastery where I was staying until much later, so I set off to see all of the sites (yet again schlepping all of my stuff). The town is built into a mountain, so carrying everything (and my increasing number of souvenirs!) up and down the hilly streets and staircases was definitely a workout. My steps should count for at least double!

 

The streets are so cute and picturesque here. Just adorable!

 

The central town square.

Since I’d been traveling all morning, I desperately needed a bathroom and an outlet to charge my phone. I popped into a few shops off the main square to see if any had both of those, in addition to some food, and I found a little gem called Assiana Spadini that fit the bill. The sandwich was cheap and good, so I was able to fuel both my body and my phone. Perfetto! (As a side note, I still haven’t figured out when to pay at the table and when to pay at the counter if you sit down at a restaurant. Practice seems to be mixed, even if you have a waiter.)

Assisi is just the cutest town. I used this walking tour as my general exploration guide and set off after finishing my panino.

 

 

Assisi is also chock-full of Catholic holy sites. So if you’re less interested in the Catholic stuff, I won’t be offended if you skip the prose and just look at the pictures😉 

My first stop was the Basilica of St. Francis. Which is more of a complex: one church below, another built on top of it, and St. Francis's tomb below both. And a convent/monastery attached in the back.

 

 

The side of the Basilica complex is visible on the left here. Huge.

You aren't allowed to take pictures inside, but the basilica is stunning. Filled with beautiful frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue, and stunning floor and wall mosaics, lovely side chapels, and St. Francis's burial site (along with some other early Franciscans). The church was built in the 13th century. Wow!

The next stop was the Cathedral of San Rufino, the church in which St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized in the 1200s. Wild.

 

The font in which they were both baptized. So cool to see!

Snack break: Italian street food, suppli and arancini. Basically, stuffed rice balls that are lightly fried. I was unimpressed given the hype I'd heard around these two foods.

 

This is a chapel on a side street; it sits where St. Francis was born (in a horse barn or something like that). 

The house in which he grew up, now a church, is just up the street:

 

The Basilica of St. Clare was next, another huge and beautiful church. I wasn't allowed to take pictures here, either, which allowed me just to sit in the church and absorb the beauty. This church also holds St. Clare's tomb and the San Damiano cross connected with St. Francis.

 

 

You can see the people in the foreground here--giving a sense of the scale of this gigantic church.

 

The view of Assisi and the beautiful Umbrian countryside from the plaza out in front of St. Clare's. It is just so so beautiful here!

Also not pictured but visited was the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, the final resting place of new millennial saint Carlo Acutis. His house is right next door, too.

After finding my hotel (it was supposed to be a monastery again, but they bumped me over to a local hotel because there was, interestingly, no room at the inn), I went off in search of dinner at Taverna Magna Comunis.

Umbricelli, a type of local Umbrian (regional) pasta, all’amatriciana. And, of course, a local dry red.

Dessert: tiramisu from Dolcemio.

Day 2

Today I finished my walking tour through the town, taking it slow and just taking in the beautiful scenery. I didn't have my big bag today since I was able to leave that at the hotel. Climbing through the streets was so much easier! The city felt smaller and I felt so much stronger... or maybe it was the super thick coffee they served at breakfast.

Before heading out, I visited Assisi Sapori, a local meat and cheese shop. They made me a little box lunch for the train. A to-go charcuterie board is the way to my heart.

It was time to head off to Rome after only about 30 hours in Assisi. I had seen what I wanted to see, but I wouldn't have been put off by one more day in this peaceful town. Especially since, after the day-trip crowds go home, a calm quiet settles over Assisi, inviting contemplation and peaceful rest.

Besos,

Tina the Exploradora

Cumulative steps: 348,032

Pasta & the Pope: Florence (Days 12-14)

Hola todos, 

The last few days have been pretty slow. I probably scheduled one more day in Florence than I ideally should have, but that’s allowed me time to just sit by the river and enjoy the view for a while, or people watch by a tourist spot, or just wander the streets with a bit of a purposelessness. But I did have a few activities or tours or happenings of note:

Tours and Wanderings

I went to mass at the Duomo—the fastest way to see the incredible dome ceiling frescoes (otherwise, the line can take hours).

 

The Duomo dome has 700+ painted figures (I think?).

I went on this tour to two family-run wineries in Chianti. Surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside, we learned about the olive oil, wine, and balsamic vinegar that are made in this region.

The first winery we went to was Tenuta Torciano, founded in 1720 (!!). The second was Poggio ai Laghi. Both were absolutely fabulous, and the wine was so delicious and smooth. I'm a sucker for a good chianti.

 

 

 

I toured the Santa Maria Novella church and its attached cloister. The wall frescoes, paintings, and main altar were all so beautiful.

 

 

 

Just look at that ceiling!

 

The cloister grounds.

And I stopped by the Church of San Marco, another stunning church.

I checked out the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, a market on the east side of Florence with food stalls and restaurants, and fresh meat, fish, vegetable, and fruit stands, and clothing and knock-knack booths. It appears to me that Mercado Centrale has a wider selection, but this market is much less crowded and could hold some undiscovered gems.

I went to the Duomo’s Baptistery (and the sweet ticket lady gave me discount tickets since the ceiling is under restoration!). Its interior marble lining was probably completed by 1113, and the exterior is completely marble. Several generations of artists worked on the 1,000 square meters of mosaics on the dome’s ceiling. Unfortunately, it currently being restored and we couldn’t see any of it. We could see some of the other incredible mosaics, though.

 

 

All of these gilded decorations are small-tile mosaics. It's incredible to see the artistry!

The Duomo’s museum was included with the baptistery ticket, so I checked it out, even though I’m a bit burnt out on museums. They had originals of some of the sculptures in the church and on its exterior, as well as the golden doors that were a part of the Duomo and baptistery. And models of varying facade ideas, old construction equipment, and floor plans. The museum itself is where a former timber warehouse used to be: the timber sales there were used to fund the building of the church and its repairs.

 

Check out this to-scale model of a potential facade for the Duomo. This view is from the second floor of the museum, and you can see how small the people below are in comparison.

This was Bruschinelli's own wooden model for the tippy-top of the Duomo.

At the top of the museum, you got a great view of the dome.

This is a Pieta, Michelangelo’s second to last piece. He abandoned it after seven years when he damaged it, frustrated by faults in the marble. Michelangelo sculpted himself as Nicodemus (top figure).

Food

I went to the trendy bar 25 Hours with some of the other young people who I hit it off with on the wine tour, and I ate a spicy salami pizza at Matto Matto. I recommend both spots!

The pizza at Matto Matto--after I remembered to snap a pic!

I went to Un Caffe for lunch—so cheap and good! I almost went back a second day, but I had other places to try. This sandwich was €4, or about $4.50. Yum!

(And yes, I am skipping All’Antico Vinaio this trip. The lines were always *super* long because it's Instagram-famous and, since it has now expanded to other cities outside of Florence, including Rome and even New York City, I'd rather try somewhere *truly* local.)

Daily coffee-and-a-sweet-treat breaks allowed me to try a bunch of different local pastries. The one pictured below is a Sicilian cannoli--chocolate chips on one end and orange rind on the other. An interesting, but yummy, combo!

I also walked around the Mercado Centrale, checking out the local foods and souvenirs available as well as the selection of restaurants on the first and second floors. I ended up eating lunch one day at La Primeria: fresh pasta cooked to order for €6 a plate. You can’t beat that!

Not pictured: my trip to My Sugar gelato, a spot that had been recommended and was definitely worth it. One thing I love here is that they have smaller serving sizes but will still give you two flavors! Just enough to satisfy you.

Florence Overall

A total delight. It's in contention for my favorite city this trip. There is so much history, so much to see and do, but in a compact and easy-to-navigate city. And while Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, it isn't hard to get out of the Centro Storico and get a feel for culture that is a bit more local.

Besos,

Tina the Exploradora

Cumulative steps: 312,547