Assisi – so many stories and so extraordinary!

On the hills in Umbria is this beautiful city. I’m getting better at traversing buses and trains and my reward is finding beautiful places in Italy to visit.

Changing trains is always a push as your first train has to be on time! And sometimes it is. Then one has to find a local bus that goes to the city of Assisi! Yes I did!! A group of American kids were on the bus. From NC. Nice chat with one of the chaperones.

I admire those folks who can go on long trips with high school kids. Everyone of them had a large backpack on. No losing luggage for this group. Smart move. Once you start packing ‘smaller’ you realize how much easier it is. And your vacation is no longer about losing luggage and buying clothes, etc. – til your luggage is returned. Big time wasters. Learning how to pack simply is an art.

The bus ride is a bit longer but so beautiful. Assisi is in Umbria. Beautiful, overlooked Umbria. Shhhh. The Umbrians like it that way. But I digress…the bus is fine, we arrive at the gates of Assisi. Beautiful beyond words. It’s as if the entire city is blessed. A totally different feel to this small but stunning city. To enter, you pass a ristorante – I know as years ago, I elected to have wine rather than walk up to the church. I missed it then, so absolutely will not miss again!

I take a longer walk up to the main huge church. The architecture of the buildings, how the town is laid out on the hillside is quite interesting. Heading towards the church, I get a water and a vegetarian sandwich. There are always vegetarian options. Caprese salads and sandwiches are my go to ‘eats’. Yeah I’m a cheap date!

This town is full of people, pilgrimages, those needing prayers, curious seekers, and the ‘hey it is on my tour’! And most are probably a combination of all.

The church is magnificent. Free entry as just about all churches are, but this one has a miraculous evening feel to it. The ceilings are navy blue with stars glowing. The darkness feels warm and comforting. Magnificent, stunning and majestic.

St Francis is entombed here. And I see a Blessing Concert for the Animals on display later this month. Moving into the main area, I started taking photos. Illegally. A kind security guard taps me on the shoulder and gently says ‘no photos’. How did I miss that sign??? So some photos here gained by my lovely but honest mistake. I follow the rules. And I am genuinely sorry. Moving on I see side chapels and the ceilings are just spectacular! I can see a sore neck from looking up so I sit and look, take it all in. So many questions. The history of this country continues to amaze me.

There are always candles to light in every church. I keep thinking of St Francis and his love for all animals. It’s nice to be here with him. And I pray for the animals of the world. And for us. Always. Every church I walk into.

One is so overtaken by the brilliance of the artwork surrounding you and so far above you that you are staring, mouth gaping and overwhelmed. Then you remember you look strange, close your mouth and try to be unseen. And you keep walking and viewing.

Luckily it’s not hard to find out who built the church, who the artists are, and so begins a story or journey of understanding the brilliance of this massive undertaking. So many of these unbelievable works of architectural art took over hundreds of years to finish. Passed from fathers to sons, artists, architects, engineers, builders…fascinating.

Who thought to make the ceilings here the nighttime sky? Wow. Simply and emphatically ‘wow’.

Sitting, praying, looking…it’s time to head back. Assisi is not that far. I think visiting at Christmas would be interesting and the ‘Blessing of the Animals’ is always lovely. I’ll be back.

Gubbio and Assisi have a bond via St Francis, patron saint of animals (the story is on my Gubbio – World’s biggest Christmas tree’ blog). So you know he’s my fave patron saint – although his tomb there is rather uneventful, there is something about this place that is very very special. Yes you should go.

Back to the bus, trains and home. Long day, lots of walking! And much more to see than you might think.