On the Pilgrims’ Trail in Assisi (Italy Pt IV)

From Tuscany we had a fairly short drive to Assisi – a small hilltop village in the heart of Umbria. Umbria is not an area we knew much about, but it was to prove to be a real find for us. Umbria was almost ‘Tuscan like’ in its feel, although the vineyards fewer in number, replaced by olive groves and fields of crops. There was still a fair number of tourists here – but a different sort of tourist – and the place was a little more laid back and ‘off the beaten track’. In Assisi, as we were about the learn, the main category of tourist is the ‘pilgrim’……

St Francis – the Friars and Poor Clares

Assisi is the spiritual home of Umbria, on account of it being home to St Francis who established the Fransican order here before his death in the 1200s. A little ignorant of this, we found ourselves embarking on a tour of the Basilica Di San Francesco, led by a Franciscan Friar (who happened to be from Maryland US). The Basilica is an immense structure with a lower (older) church and the upper church built on top of it. Below these two structures is the crypt of St Francis, where the Saint’s body was laid to rest. As we were led around it we learned about St Francis, the history of the man and the order he established and of the building and its frescos. The tour was very well done and we both found it quite moving emotionally and spiritually. It is great to see a movement of people who continue to work for the beliefs espoused by St Francis with a focus on peace, acceptance and the care of others.

Our accommodation here was a self-contained stone hut at the base of Assisi and overlooking the plains below – dotted with fields, olives and churches. Each morning groups of pilgrims, usually accompanied by a Poor Clare and/or Friar would walk by on the road in or out of Assisi.

We also embarked on our own little pilgrimage to Santuario di San Damiano – the place where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of God instructing him to rebuild his ‘Church’, taken by St Francis at first literally and later metaphorically. We were once again handicapped by the lack of signage and without a Friar or Poor Clare in tow the ’15 min’ walk took us a good hour and a half or so. Having said that, it was a beautiful day and walking amongst the olives in the countryside was magic. The Santuario itself is very small and simple – but it occupies a very peaceful site on a hill and it is easy to see how St Francis developed such a connection with nature in the time he spent in the Assisi area.

Daytripping in Umbria

Our time in Umbria was pretty relaxed, however we did explore the area a bit including:

• Perugia – the main city in this area and a bustling student town (many of whom are foreign students studying abroad). Once we had our bearings, we enjoyed looking around this ancient fortified town. We saw its depths (in a well 36m deep dating to 3rd century BC, but also used during WWII to supply water to the city) and it heights (climbing one of the towers on the city’s defensive walls). Of course there were churches – this time we visited one of Italy’s oldest, dating to the 5th and 6th centuries, although before that a pagan place of worship had stood here. Perugia is also famous for its chocolate – so Michelle did not pass up the opportunity to invest in this side of Perugia….

• Montefalco – in Verona we had been introduced to the wines of Umbria – so we took a short trip to Montefalco and visited a wine estate there. As it happened, another kiwi couple were tasting while we were there – pinot growers from Malborough, enjoying their quiet season in Italy! The wines here were great, with Sangiovese featuring heavily, but without the price tag attracted by many of the wines of Tuscany. One to keep an eye out for….

• Spello – just down the road from us, a cute little town. Although we had a frustrating visit here (I won’t go into the detail), it was unquestionably a very pretty town with some nice restaurants and shops – it could certainly hold its own with some of the Tuscan villages we saw, albeit on a much smaller scale.

We’ll be back?

Umbria was a great region and Assisi a very nice spot to explore it from. I could certainly see me in villa here some time in the future for a week or so……