Ascending Assisi

Assisi is one of the more famous hill towns of Umbria (the Italian province of which Perugia is the capitol) thanks to her famous son, St. Francis of Assisi. Known for his dedication to a life of poverty and the service of others, his followers still wear the brown robes and rope belts and leather sandals I've always associated with Friar Tuck. Thank you, Disney's Robin Hood. Sadly, there were no tonsures to be seen.

Anywho, thousands of pilgrims and sightseers flock to Assisi every year, so it's kind of become a bit of a tourist trap. To paraphrase my guidebook, the roads lined with souvenir shops capitalizing on the saint's fame is probably making said humble saint roll in his tomb. But it's also retained a great deal of its medieval charm, with winding streets, lots of red geraniums, and churches built of light stone. And stairs.

Up, up, up the stairs!

We hiked those stairs to Rocca Maggiore, the medieval fortress that looks down upon Assisi with appropriate majestic intimidation. The views of the town and the surrounding countryside were amazing, though the winding staircases to the tower made my heart pound and my knees knock. The exhausting beauty of the fort sent us to a nearby cafe for sandwiches and water before hiking back down the hill to St. Francis' Basilica, or San Francesco. The Basilica, while definitely beautiful, is more simple; the walls are covered with colorful frescoes depicting the saint's life, and there is very little stained glass to be seen.  We sat inside for a while, enjoying some quiet contemplation (and, to be honest, the cool interior).

When I arrived at the apartment, the internet had been fixed. However, the router is still a finicky piece of...equipment...requiring us to restart it about every 15-30 minutes. Alora. Despite that issue, the internet has helped my achey, tired self decompress from a long day, and just in time. My Italian class starts tomorrow, pulling me away from my gelato-filled tourism. The past few days have been a whirlwind beginning to the month, and I'm excited to finish settling in and see what the rest of this gift of a trip has in store for me.