We took the train from Roma to Figlio and had to change trains to go to Assisi. after two hours we got to Figlio and struggled to get our bags from overhead and got off the train. Many people stayed on the train even though it was the last stop so that was kind of concerning. We bumped the bags down the stairs and had to go upstairs again to get to the platform – binario – for the train to Assisi. I told Annie to stay with the bags and I would find a conductor to find out what track/platform. We had just gotton off at two – due. “Escuzi signore, que es binario to Assisi” I asked. “ Binario due” “due?” I ask and hold up two fingers. “si, si” okay. so I go back to Annie and tell her we have to bump the bags back up to the same platform and I think we get back on the same train. But our connection was for second class so we had to move to the unair-conditioned car. Not too bad because it was short and we just stayed at the end of the train and met a nun and her companion. I saw that their bag was heavy and using sign language, I asked if I could carry their bag off for them. “oh Gratzi, gratzi” Then we had a little conversation somehow. They only spoke Italian, I said some words in Italian – mia figlia (fee-lee-ah) is my daughter and they were surprised that she was only 13. They thought at first I was Italian and didn’t believe I was American because I had parted on the side and pulled back and had big gold hoop earrings on. They asked if we were on vacation and if we were staying up in Assisi. They were staying in the town below, where the train stopped. St. Francis and St. Clare had founded a church there. After we got off they said something like thank you and have a great vacation. I didn’t know how so say you also so I said “et tu” hoping it meant and you or you too. They understood and smiled.
Assisi was peaceful and quiet. It is a medieval town with steep winding streets. The swallows cry “eee, eee” and swoop and dive all around the towers. Our hotel was in the center of town and you had to walk down a little alley to get it. Our rooms looked out over peoples gardens and from a terrace you could look over the valley. We walked down to see the basilica and stopped and had gelato. the young lady was listening to the world cup (which was on every TV and radio) and I asked if it was Italia. Si, si. Any goals? no, something in Italian that meant it just started. Good luck I said and she smiled. We sat at a table outside and we could hear her sing with the crowds on TV the Italian anthem. There are two churches at the Basilica one lower that is older and one upper that is newer. the lower also had some relics. It was interesting to see his cloak. It was really just an assortment of patches. The bottom has al kinds of frescos on the wall. It is nothing like St. Peter’s but is still very ornamented. In the upper church you can see the repairs above the door that had to be done after the earthquake in the late 1990’s.
We also went to St. Clares’s church which has a pretty red and white striped exterior. Annie called it the candy cane church. Inside in the right side chapel is the cross with the Jesus that spoke to St. Francis to rebuild his church. It is exactly like all the crosses that are in each classroom in the school at St. Francis in Raleigh.
We had a nice dinner – Annie had spaghetti carbonara (that had way too much pepper) and I had a carpaccio zucchini (shaved zucchini) and spinach and ricotta raviolis with black truffle sauce –(tartufe nero) which are a specialty of the region. the next morning after breakfast we went back to the train station to go to Florence.
Assisi was peaceful and quiet. It is a medieval town with steep winding streets. The swallows cry “eee, eee” and swoop and dive all around the towers. Our hotel was in the center of town and you had to walk down a little alley to get it. Our rooms looked out over peoples gardens and from a terrace you could look over the valley. We walked down to see the basilica and stopped and had gelato. the young lady was listening to the world cup (which was on every TV and radio) and I asked if it was Italia. Si, si. Any goals? no, something in Italian that meant it just started. Good luck I said and she smiled. We sat at a table outside and we could hear her sing with the crowds on TV the Italian anthem. There are two churches at the Basilica one lower that is older and one upper that is newer. the lower also had some relics. It was interesting to see his cloak. It was really just an assortment of patches. The bottom has al kinds of frescos on the wall. It is nothing like St. Peter’s but is still very ornamented. In the upper church you can see the repairs above the door that had to be done after the earthquake in the late 1990’s.
We also went to St. Clares’s church which has a pretty red and white striped exterior. Annie called it the candy cane church. Inside in the right side chapel is the cross with the Jesus that spoke to St. Francis to rebuild his church. It is exactly like all the crosses that are in each classroom in the school at St. Francis in Raleigh.
We had a nice dinner – Annie had spaghetti carbonara (that had way too much pepper) and I had a carpaccio zucchini (shaved zucchini) and spinach and ricotta raviolis with black truffle sauce –(tartufe nero) which are a specialty of the region. the next morning after breakfast we went back to the train station to go to Florence.
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