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