Out of Italy’s twenty states, or administrative regions, Umbria is #17 by population. but, in terms of saints, it was home to three of the world’s favorite saints, and we explored the lives, and architectural and art history legacies of two of them.
Most of the day was spent, in one way or another, learning about St. Francis of Assisi. We began visiting the “church within a church,” St. Maria degli Angeli. This basilica houses the tiny church, Portiunicula, which was one of the poor churches that the youth who became St. Francis of Assisi repaired from ruin.
To keep some brevity, I won’t give much detail about the life of St. Francis. More knowledgeable people have written loads of material about him. This is the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis, and his veneration still seems to be going strong.
Our second stop was the Basilica of St. Francis, a “double” church. It has a top and bottom sanctuary. The remains of St. Francis are inside, and the frescos are the show stoppers. We were here in 2023, and they were in the process of being restored. The netting has been removed now, and they really shine. No photos allowed, but our guide, Marta, is a real expert in this area, and did a wonderful job explaining it to us. I believe the frescos will be available to view digitally before long, and that will be a wonderful chance for more people to see them.
I had a unique Italian coffee break today. I was pretty desperate for jolt (these posts don’t write themselves while I sleep, after all.). Lucky for me, I could pay .50 euros for a WC, and in the lobby, find an instant espresso machine. All the creature comforts in one place! Italians are so practical, and realistic.
We headed off for a bite of lunch, and then about half our group elected to hike up to the St. Francis Hermitage. In 2023, we were with a group that started above the hermitage and hiked down to it, and then hiked from the hermitage down to Assisi. This year, let’s just say, we earned our gelato! I did not take a photo on the very steep first 1.25 miles. When it leveled out, I was alone on the trail for a few minutes and took a couple of photos:
Very nice! It was one of the two most spiritual parts of the day for me.
At the hermitage, we walked through the tiny areas carved into the stones. The forest surrounding the hermitage was considered sacred long before St. Francis. Perhaps in part because of him, the area is still protected and has tall, old trees. There are a steady procession of visitors, although it is not easy to get to if you don’t have your own car.
There is a small chapel for prayer, and two of us sat there for a little while. It was very still but the silence had a sort of texture to it in spite of all of the people not too far away. Perhaps it was the stone? The decorations were simple and contemporary rather than ancient and the sun was streaming in through the windows. It was the second spiritual moment of my day.
On the hike up, I remarked that what would make me feel like a martyr would be deprivation from gelato if somehow our post hermitage itinerary did not allow a gelato break. I am here to tell you, a martyr I am not– gelato was acquired in the piazza Santa Ciara.
Saint Ciara (Claire) was a very early follower of Francis, although it was not easy for her to figure out how to do this, as a woman. We can say, she persisted, and although she lived a mostly cloistered life, was nevertheless very influential. Her basilica holds many relics.
We returned to Foligno for dinner and, I expect, a very sound night’s sleep.
I remain absolutely delighted every time I look down a small street in Umbria.
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