day 2 of our 2 day expedition north east to the centre of umbria
yesterday a highly satisfactory attendance at the umbria jazz festival
the t-shirt bought, the concert attended, the experience - treasured
today we are back on the culture trail with a visit to the town of assisi
a bit of prior reading and recommendation puts it on the must see list
on approach we see a large basilica atop a giant fortress construction
both part of a large town overlapping the peak of an even larger hill
from a distance we can see a commonality in building materials
an off-white block construction providing a picturesque scene
it's a zig-zag road to the top and we deposit the c1 in a carpark
we load up and see people emerging and going into a laneway
that'll do - we follow and pick up on some signage leading us in
as we walk down we agree - this place is unique and looks good
the roads and houses of the same colour and block construction
and so tidy with flower boxes providing the odd splash of colour
arrival at a large piazza and there's serious tourist activity happening
the tourist information centre arms us with a map of must-see locations
we head off to the southern end of town to visit basilica di san francesco
and what a picture - a huge white building on a blue sky background
there's a steady stream of people passing through a secuity check
we join them and pick up a couple of audio guides for the visit
first up - the lower church where visitors are invited to prayer
it is beautifully decorated including large and colourful frescoes
the voices in our head providing an enlightening history lesson
the basilica was built in the 13th century under papal instruction
saint francis of assisi's body is interned in a lower crypt here
down a flight of stairs and we enter the small and plain crypt
this is a very special place where the patron saint of italy lies
we are 2 of 4 million visitors a year drawn to pay their respects
a few minutes in the crypt and a sense of calm and good pervades
and with that we walk up a tall outer staircase to the upper church
what a beautiful interior filled with light from stained glass windows
a series of quite brightly painted large frescoes surround the walls
the story of st francis's life and each described on our audio guide
time kind of stands still in this place but soon we are back outside
it's a hot, sunny day and the monks in charge must be feeling it
dressed in their dark flowing robes and leading large tour groups
the surroundings of the basilica are quite extraordinary as well
a large lawn and a long striped facade with a columned path
we head away down a street with cafes and souvenir shops
unusually even the souvenirs have a certain class about them
consulting our map we then take a long walk to some piazzas
there's more basilicas to inspect and more wonder to be had
it's clearly a modern town too with schools and businesses
lunch at a small cafe under sun umbrellas and time to pause
what a beautiful town - we will return - but next - the castle
we resist the 180 steps to the top and take the car (too hot)
it's a small castle with battlements and a central tower
a torture room with implements on display is chilling
and the stunning views - 360 degrees far and wide
a great way to end our visit - into the car and away
it's a couple of hours enjoyable drive back home
interrupted by a needed snooze - superb 2 days...
