Day Trip to Assisi

Yesterday Matthew and I visited Assisi, and had an absolutely wonderful time. Take a look!

We started off at the Basilica di San Francesco:

We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but the church is divided into two levels. The lower basilica is decorated with stunning frescoes and stained glass-- one of those places you always find something new to look at! After visiting the tomb of St. Francis himself, we made our way to the upper basilica, which was decorated by Giotto and includes a very famous cycle of St. Francis's life (remember "St. Francis Preaching to the Birds"?)

We couldn't help taking a selfie.

Then we just followed the signposts for all of the other attractions to the opposite side of town. Our next stop was the Roman temple to Minerva, built around the 1st century BC, which has since been converted to a church (big surprise). While the inside of the church is a beautiful Baroque-style sanctuary, the columns from the original temple remain untouched.

Matthew didn't shrink. It's just a big temple.

While we walked through the piazza we noticed a little frescoed archway that was quite pretty. Observe how it is open to the elements and not particularly interesting to the passers-by. Just another example of how pervasive this sort of art is in these regions.

Next we stopped by the church of San Rufino. It is named after Assisi's first bishop, who was martyred in the 3rd century. The church itself was begun in 1140 (although it was not completed until 1571), and it is where both St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized. It houses a surprisingly large museum in the crypt below, with all kinds of artifacts and diocesan treasures. While the exhibit was very interesting, we were highly amused to find a 5-foot tall gilded candlestick from who-knows-when being used to prop open a door!

After lunch we climbed up to the Rocca Maggiore (Assisi's castle). It's been built off-and-on (renovated, knocked down, reconstructed...) since the 12th century. Matthew absolutely loved clambering around the tunnels and narrow staircases, exploring all kinds of nooks, and plotting his own attacks on the castle, so I took plenty of pictures.

The view was gorgeous (when is it not?)

We got a nice view of the Basilica di Santa Chiara!

Our last couple of stops were the Basilica di Santa Chiara and the Roman amphitheater. Santa Chiara was just as lovely as I remembered, particularly the tomb underneath, though Matthew was a bit startled to find himself face-to-face with a dead saint.

Since Matthew was so enamored with the Assisi castle, we took a detour on the way home to visit some of the local castles at Fiore. While some were smaller ruins on top of a hill, one is currently under renovation for its owner in Milan. Talk about living history!