Assisi

JMJ

Buongiorno! :) The sun is coming up over our third day in Assisi, and I've finally found an internet spot so I can update here. 

Assisi is so beautiful. There is something special about this locality that is unlike any other place. It is so peaceful, and so Franciscan. . . the "peace that passes understanding" fills this town.

The most they've done to special sites, like the house where St. Francis grew up, is convert them into chapels. They're otherwise preserved just as they were. Every nook and cranny of this town is utterly gorgeous, especially the churches. The Basilica is my favorite . . . although the tour guide said there are something like 46 churches in Assisi!

Our schedule has been quite packed; meals are scheduled every day, along with Mass and at least one tour, and we have talks in the evening. But during the hot part of the day we have a little extra time, so yesterday I was able to pick up a few postcards and do a little exploring around Assisi. :) 

Our very down-to-earth Philly tour guide Mike, a third-order Franciscan and an excellent guide through the Basilica. He showed us the lower church, and the upper church, and explained the frescoes and the theological intentions behind the art and architecture. Unfortunately, pictures were strictly not allowed inside the Basilica. 

This lovely rose fell out of nowhere onto the ground in front of me! It must have fallen from someone's balcony or from a flowerpot on a ledge or something, but I couldn't see where it came from, and no one seemed to be looking for a rose they had dropped. 

The central square, or Piazza de Commune, of Assisi. 

Some of the good ol' boys in our class with us this semester. 

Assisi. The Citta delle Pace, city of Peace. 

The Tomb of St. Francis, where we had Mass yesterday. 

I have many more beautiful pictures to share, but I have limited internet at this little cafe, and I have to rush back to the hotel now, or I will be late for breakfast. Today we are headed down to Santa Maria degli Angeli, Mary of the Angels, where we will have Mass, and where the Portiuncula now resides. 

I'm praying for all of you here every day at all of these sacred places, especially at the Tomb of St. Francis. Please keep praying for us as we continue our pilgrimage in Assisi today and tomorrow leave for Siena. 

Ciao! Or as they say here in Assisi, Pax et Bonum!