Greetings from Assisi. We've posted a few of the pictures from our trip from Rome to Assisi, by way of Greccio, a favorite hermitage of St. Francis of Assisi. Photos in this post include photos of Greccio, an abode located in a hillside overlooking a fantastic vista below. Since St. Francis initiated the "Creche," or manger scene, the exhibit included many unique Creches from around the world, in addition to the quarters where St. Francis and his followers meditated.
We arrived in Assisi and settled into our lodging, the Cittadella Ospitalita', home to an organization run by lay Catholics. The rooms are neither lavish, nor austere, but quite comfortable. The three meals a day that we are provided consist of three to four courses each of very well prepared Italian food.
Assisi is a lovely Italian hillside town where you literally walk uphill no matter where you are going. All buildings are built with stone, of which 85% were damaged in the 1997 earthquake. These buildings have been beautifully restored at great expense to the Italian public, but from our eyes, the job was well worth it, the buildings are exquisite. Assisi is the hometown of St. Francis, as well as St. Clare. St. Francis, born in 1182 as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. Francis, after spending a year in captivity in a dungeon as a prisoner of war, decided to reject wealth, clothes, and his father. He took off his clothes in the public square, throwing them at his father and embraced a life of poverty. He believed that possession of objects, or the desire to, was the root of all conflict. If one had no possessions, there would be no conflict. He attracted a large following, including St. Clare, both of whom are buried in basilicas in Assisi, one at each end of the town. You can find out a lot more about Assisi and St. Francis at Anne's Italy.
Anne Robichaud, the author of the blog above and a long time resident of Assisi, gave us a wonderfully detailed tour of the historic city, after which, half of the group climbed up and up and up to the Rocca Maggiore, the papal castle situated above Assisi.
The phtos, as promised, are linked below, simply click on the link and you should be taken to the photo album. Please leave a comment if they are not working. There are more to come, now that we have figured out the internet in Assisi. Stay safe and stay tuned. Arrivederci!
2011 Jterm Greccio Assisi 1st Batch of Photos
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