Traveling Outside and Within: All Day Long in Assisi

Woke up this morning eager to visit the Basilica of St. Francis that I had seen those years ago with Chuck. Because we were on a tour, our visit there was somewhat rushed and only an introduction to the glorious and abundant art there. Denise and I trundled down the hill and walked quietly into the Lower Church.

Heavenly day, but it was glorious! The walls and columns were covered with frescoes of the lives of Christ and St. Francis, with the in-between areas decorated with designs of draperies, flowers or geometrics. Of course no photographs are allowed. But, employing my usual method of copying postcards, here are two of my favorite madonnas:

We left through the upper church onto a plaza and grassy area:

It was thrilling to be in that place, and I wondered if I was thrilled by the spirituality or the artistry, when I realized they are not mutually exclusive or necessarily different. A soul opened to be touched is open and willing to receive. I am, and this is a sacred and holy space for me.

Denise and I wandered the rest of the morning, snapping pictures here and there, climbling hills and easing our way back down until we stopped for lunch next to this fountain:

We separated then until dinner time back at Hotel Minerva, named for a goddess who was worshipped in a pre-Christian era temple in Assisi, now topped by a church.

Here are some of the sights I saw yesterday; none of dinner because my ipad was recharging in the room following a long day.