Santa Chiara
I decided to go to Assisi for a couple of reasons. I had read about Giotto's frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco in my art history class a year or two ago. But before that, many years before that, I sang in the student choir of the LDS Institute in Logan and we sang a version of the Prayer of St Francis by John Rutter. Sadly, even though it is often referred to as the Prayer of St Francis we don't know who actually wrote it. The Franciscans call it the Simple Prayer.
One of the things I think about is how I would paint or draw a place or thing, what pigments or paper color I would use etc. While Siena was most definitely siena, both burnt and raw, Assisi is pink, specifically potters pink, a muted earthy pale pink that I quite like. The color comes from the local pink and white limestone used to build the town. The colors are especially noticeable in the striped walls of the main churches. Along with the pink the new spring grass was especially vibrant this week and contrasted with the muted blue green of the olive trees. Many of the other trees were still bare from the winter so the olive trees stood out.
Santa Chiara and olive orchard on pink
I couldn't find my hotel at first so I stopped in at a shop to ask about the address. I didn't see it because the entrance was up an adorable set of stone stairs. The room was basic, but the location was fantastic. I smiled every time I climbed the steps.
After checking in I walked down the street looking for lunch. It was a little cold and rainy, but some places had their doors open. I could smell something amazing so I stopped. The place was an Indian Italian fusion restaurant. The only other guests for lunch were an older American couple who live in town. The chef was doing double duty since the owner was out jumping through bureaucratic hoops. I completely enjoyed eating chicken curry and chatting with the American woman. It would be such a different experience to live in a small hill town. These towns are charming, but so small. There are language schools and summer music festivals, but it's pretty quiet except for the Franciscan pilgrims. There is a large expat community, but they are mostly seasonal visitors due to Schengen visa limitations. I can see the appeal with the slower pace of life and the relationships you build with neighbors, but I'll stay in Rome.
View from my window
Assisi was a Roman town and an important stop between Venice and Rome. It is was a wealthy place in the middle ages, but the world passed it by and as a result it is a fairly well preserved Medieval town that celebrates it's most famous former inhabitants, St Francis and St Claire. Rick Steves has a walking tour recording for Assisi and the Basilica of St Francis.
St Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. He was popular and aspired to the nobility. He joined the local army during a war with nearby Perugia hoping to advance his social position. He was captured and imprisoned for a year. After his release he joined a crusade, but did not make it far from home. He returned home after receiving a call to a religious life preaching a message of poverty and peace. He soon attracted followers who organized themselves into a religious order, the Franciscans. One of his followers was a young noblewoman from Assisi named Chiara (Clare). She followed him into the religious life and founded an order of religious women, the Poor Clares.
Basilica of St Francis
St Francis preaching to the birds
Upper Basilica of St Francis
I came to Assisi to see the frescoes in the Basilica of St Francis. They are stunning and historically quite important. There are actually two basilicas, a lower older church and a slightly newer, but still old, upper church. We weren't allowed to take photos, although I did sneak in a couple, but they did have post cards available to purchase. It was interesting to see how much emphasis is placed on the saints in the Catholic church, especially in a place like this were everything centers on such an influential person. The frescoes depicted Francis' life as parallel to Christ, placing him as a near equal. For a person whose life was about poverty and preaching about peace through Christ, the churches seemed a rather incongruous. They are opulent glorifications of the saint and secondarily about God.
Buttresses on Santa Chiara
Pink Romanesque lions - San Rufino
I visited San Rufino on a rainy morning. It is very typically Romanesque, which makes it austere compared to the Baroque I'm used to in Rome. It is beautiful in it's own way. The interior has had some of the usual updates that take away from the original, but they did a great job with the underground. If there is ever a church that charges a euro or two to visit the crypt it is almost always worth the visit. San Rufino did not disappoint. There is a well restored warren of chambers down below. You can see remnants of an earlier church as well as a Roman cistern and other old Roman bits as well as a library and painting exhibit.
Assisi embroidery from the hotel breakfast room
The walking tour mentioned Assisi embroidery, a Medieval style characteristic of the area. I've been playing around with Blackwork, a related style. These are both counted styles which are done today on even weave linen or on aida cloth, like cross stitch. In both cases there are more traditional Medieval patterns and motifs, but people have adapted the techniques to more modern designs as well. I even found a woman who researches old paintings and recreates the stitching patterns from the clothes of the Medieval and Renaissance nobles.
My own birds in Blackwork
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