The Events of Monday, March 14, 2011

                Awoken by the sounds of birds singing and light coming through the window, I rolled over to hear my husband say, “I love this bed.” I had to agree. Unlike the hard – not firm but lumpy hard – mattresses and pillows we endured in our villa in Venice, these mattresses and pillows are firm, yet cushion and cradle you as you sleep. Both Jim and I slept through the night for the first time since arriving in Europe a week ago. Has it only been a week since we boarded the plane for Phase Two of our adventure? It seems so much longer.

                For breakfast Jim fried up the sliced Italian ham purchased for us by our host, and we had toast with peach jam homemade by our hostess. It was a delicious way to start the day. Soon all had been cycled through the unique shower; you must read Caitlin’s shower blog on this one. We pulled out our load of jeans that we had washed as we slept last night and hung them to dry and put in a load of shirts. The washer is VERY small. Good thing we have not let the laundry accumulate, as we did during our RV tour. It would take forever, as we do not have a dryer, but a drying rack at these accommodations. An earlier load of unmentionables spent the night hanging in front of the fire. We left these to finish drying as we went about our business for today.

                Assisi was today’s destination. Our family has been long-time fans of Saint Francis of Assisi, for whom San Francisco is named. Jim and all the kids were born in San Francisco. Caitlin’s fifth grade mission project was on Mission San Francisco de Asis named for Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order, and Lindsey’s fifth grade mission project was on Mission Santa Clara de Asis, named for Clare of Assisi, the founder of the order of the Poor Clares. Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a biopic film about Saint Francis and his friend Clare, a 1972 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is also a family favorite. Jim and I were introduced to the film while a part of Stanford’s Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and we have enjoyed sharing this story with our children. So it was with great excitement that we set off to walk the streets where these saints and their followers had walked.

                However, first came the task of getting there. Our leased minivan, a Renault Escape, is a stick shift. Even though I was the one to teach Jim how to drive stick, I have not yet had the opportunity or the gumption to attempt driving on this portion of our trip. We picked up the car in the late evening after flying for over nineteen hours, and it was getting dark. So there was not ample time or space for me to relearn how to drive a stick. The narrow streets of Venice were also not ideal for this experiment. So this morning, on the long driveway of the property and on the calm country lanes of Valtopina, I had my first opportunity to check out my driving skills. It only took a few attempts to get the feel of the clutch. Soon we were speeding toward Assisi. I remarked to Jim, “You’re right. It’s like falling off a bike.” He laughed and hoped I meant something different, as crashing was not what he had in mind. The only difficulty was learning to use the fifth and sixth gear, as none of the previous stick cars I have driven went beyond gear four. In Assisi, I mistakenly drove past the entrance to the parking garage. Not having tried out reverse yet, I pulled a tight U-turn on a small side street and marveled at the turning radius of this car. Amazing.

                Soon, we parked, loaded up with lunches and raincoats, and set to explore Assisi. Jim led us on Rick Steves’ Self Guided Walk of Assisi. As we walked around a Roman amphitheater, we learned that Assisi was once an important Roman town. We marveled at the medieval architecture on our way to the Basilica of St. Clare, and viewed the wooden crucifix that came to life and spoke to Saint Francis, telling him to “Go and rebuild my Church, which you can see has fallen into ruin.” Outside of the Basilica we were treated to gorgeous views of the Umbrian Valley, resplendent with olive trees. Although it was overcast with threatening rain clouds, the stark sky and lighting just added to the impressiveness of the view. Passing through a series of three arched gates into the city, we were able to see how the city had grown since ancient times. Strolling through the shops of the Corso Mazzini, we treated ourselves to rocciata, traditional raisin-and-apple strudel at the Barr Sensi bakery.

                A few doors down was a shop selling a variety of ceramics. One of the kids spotted salad tongs, a wooden fork and spoon with ceramic holders. Just prior to the trip, my favorite salad tongs, carved with elephants, from Africa, had broken beyond repair. Here was a chance to replace them with souvenirs from our trip. We went inside and found a greater variety and made a family decision about which pair to purchase. While there, Jim found inexpensive umbrellas, and Lindsey and Abby found cross necklaces that would replace ones that had broken at home. Caitlin was thrilled to realize that we had bought umbrellas in Umbria, the name of this region in Italy.

                Next we walked on to the Piazza del Comune, the square at the town “centre”. There we found benches opposite the Temple of Minerva with its six fluted Corinthian columns and enjoyed our lunch. Going inside the Temple of Minerva which over time became the Church of Santa Maria sopra (over) Minerva, we placed our hands on the columns and marveled that we were touching stone from the first- century B.C. Next, we were to find the Church of Santo Stefano. However, our way was blocked by construction, so we had to take a detour. This led us through arches, down narrow cobbled alleys, and through vaults that turned lanes into tunnel. It is hard to describe the breathtaking beauty of this adventure. Perhaps the kids captured it in the millions of pictures they took.

                A short walk down Via San Francesco led us to the Basilica of St. Francis. It is amazing to think that such an elaborate basilica was built to honor a man who took a vow of poverty and spent his life serving the poor and disenfranchised. The church has three parts: the upper basilica, the lower basilica and the tomb, which was closed today due to renovations. The nave of the lower basilica is frescoed with parallel scenes from the lives of Christ and Francis, connected by a ceiling of stars. Above the altar, in gigantic arches cut in the dome, are scenes representing the creed of the Franciscans: Obedience, Chastity and Poverty. Moving to the upper basilica, we passed through a courtyard built to house the monks of the order. The upper basilica is lined with 28 frescoes that tell the story and legend of Saint Francis. Some we had seen explained in the DVD our host shared with us. The remainder we would view tonight. Finished with the walking tour, we pulled out our GPS and city map and started to make our way across the city back to the parking garage. Just at this moment, with perfect timing, it began to rain and we were grateful for our purchase of umbrellas.

                Due to the rain making the stone streets slippery, I was happy to relinquish the driving to Jim. We headed for the Church of San Damiano, where Francis received his calling and Clare spent her days as Mother Superior to the Poor Clares. It was here, in a thatched hut amid the olive trees that Saint Francis spent his last days. The rain had let up as we disembarked to explore. No one was there; we had the place to ourselves. The entrance led into a small chapel with minimal decoration, and a sign pointed to “the monastery” off to the right of the altar. Ducking through a low tunnel, we found ourselves in another chamber, then followed a series of stone steps up and around to other chapels, rooms and an area that appeared to be a dining room. We made our way around a courtyard before descending down the stairs and finding ourselves back where we started. Tour over. It was fun walking through doorways of stone and up and around corners, not knowing what we would find next. Heading back to the car, we climbed in and headed for home.

                In the village of Valtopina, we stopped for groceries. Caitlin and Jim went on the shopping expedition and returned to the car with a variety of goods, some familiar and some not. Cooking for ourselves in Europe will continue to be an adventurous experience. Returning home, we folded some laundry, restarted the fire and hung more laundry to dry before it. While one person was always at the computer, the rest of us rested and read. The kids jumped in to help Dad fix dinner, and we ended up with a delicious dinner of mushroom herb chicken over pasta with salad and bread and the fun surprise of gelato for dessert.

                After dinner, we watched the remainder of the DVD about the frescoes in the Basilica that told the story of Saint Francis. It was interesting to pair that with Rick Steves’ commentary, what we had seen today, and what the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon depicts. At times, the story lines conflict, but the kids were able to understand that was due to artistic license, and it did not diminish the experience for any of us. Ben jumped in the shower, after Lindsey trimmed his neckline and ears (he is letting his hair grow during our time in Europe to see if he likes it). Soon, the kids were ready for bed. Jim researched Rome, while I worked on my blog. Then, it was off to sleep in our wonderful bed in our wonderful accommodations in the wonderful region of Umbria in Italy.