Spring is in the Air

Spring has definitely arrived in Italy. All the trees have fresh green buds. The wildflowers are coloring the fields with bright yellows, reds, whites, and others. Everywhere you look, life is energized, young, and excited to see the warm sun again.

Yesterday we took a day off and traveled to Assisi, the town where St. Francis and St. Clare lived and died. We first arrived in Santa Maria degli Angeli. It is a small town on the valley floor below Assisi. It was here that St. Francis built his church. The original church still stands and a second larger church was built over the top of it. It was a little overwhelming to actually touch the church that St. Francis built with his own hands. We also got to see the rope that he wore around his waist. You could even see the blood on it from his stigmata. It was breath taking. After Santa Maria degli Angeli we boarded the bus again and headed up a steep mountain to the town of Assisi. Stepping off the bus, we felt like we had stepped back in time to when St. Francis walked the same streets. All the buildings, all the streets, everything seemed like they had never changed. The streets were extremely narrow and everything was made of stone. There were several churches. Regi and I stepped into the first one and we found that it was the church that St. Francis and St. Clare where baptized in.

As we continued on we found ourselves at the top of the mountain at which the castle was that protected the little village. From that point we had a stunning view of the village. We started our way down and ran across the strangest fence. At first we thought that it was a fence that someone had put beads on but on closer inspection we found that people started putting their gum on the fence. As we followed the fence the amount of gum increased to a point that there was no wire left exposed. It was very strange but yet artistic. Following the signs, we made our way to the Basilica of St. Francis. In this church there are the remains of the saint. The church was very impressive with frescos covering all the interior walls depicting the life of the saint. It was sad having to leave that holy village.

The other night I noticed some great cloud formations so Regi and I climbed the mountain by our house to watch the sun set. It was so peaceful and romantic. As we returned to the house I noticed the light on the house and the streaks of clouds in the bluish black sky. A couple of long exposures later I had a stunning image.

The grandmother arrived here the other day for a visit and is making some great authentic Italian meals for us. I can’t wait for tomorrow when see plans to make a tiramisu.