Today, we packed up our belongings again had a delicious breakfast
and left on our way to Assisi! We had a wine tasting in Montefalco and a short
drive to Ravenna.
Assisi, located in the Umbria region, is famous for being
the birthplace of St. Francis’ and now serves as a major tourist destination. I
connect a lot with St. Francis and the town of Assisi was very meaningful to me
because of his influence.
The first destination on our tour of Assisi was St. Clare’s
Basilica. We had a small scavenger hunt to find certain things in the Basilica
and locate where they were. We found the crypt of St. Clare, and compared the
crosses of the Basilica. St. Clare’s remains are important because they were
transferred from the chapel of San Giorgio to the Basilica where they reside
today. We were not about to see the crypt but it was amazing to be in such a
place for me. St. Clare was born in Assisi and after hearing Francis’ story she
decided to follow in his footsteps and devote her life to prayer. After she
refused the wealth of her family and an arranged marriage she moved to Gubbio
and sought the help of St. Francis. Her devotion to religion is inspiring and I
think that Italian modern culture can learn from the history that they have in
their towns.
The next stop on our tour was the Basilica of St. Francis
which is also the headquarters of the Franciscan Order. It has been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since 2000 and construction began immediately after St.
Francis’ canonization on July 16, 1228. There are two churches in the Basilica
one Upper and one Lower. St Francis’ body was moved from what is currently St.
Clare’s Basilica to St. Francis’ Basilica. Both churches are covered in frescos
and contain Giotto’s cycle of frescos. They show St. Francis’ life and are so
vivid and beautiful. I could have stood and looked at them for hours but sadly
we were on a strict schedule.
The most important part of the Basilica is considered to be the
Crypt of St. Francis. In 1818, St. Francis’ body was discovered underneath the
Lower Church and the Pope ordered that a crypt be built so that people could
visit the burial place of St. Francis. I felt so blessed to be a part of such a
beautiful part of Italian culture and that I have been able to visit all of
these very spiritual places.
We left Assisi in the afternoon for a wine and olive oil
tasting in Montefalco with a certified sommelier. The meal included an array of
dishes that were specific to this region and paired wonderfully with the wines.
Everything was absolutely delicious, especially the spaghetti which looked
beautiful, and the wine was amazing! We tried a selection of three wines which
were the Grechetto di Todi, Montefalco Rosso, and Sangrantino. I enjoyed the
Grechetto di Todi wine the most. The Sangrantino was a little too strong and
spicy for me. Before we tasted each wine, our sommelier had us describe the
wine’s characteristics such as its smell, color, and characteristics. After our
meal, we went to see how they produced their olive oil. One of the women explained
how they used the machines to process the olives and how they gather the olives
in the Fall. It was such a great learning experience for me and I loved
learning more about wine.
After our wine and olive oil tasting, we returned back to
the bus for a 3 hour ride to Ravenna, our last travel destination for the trip.
Today was a beautiful spiritual experience for me and I really loved to learn
about the religious history of Italian culture!
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