Road Trip to Assisi

One of our "must" visit places during our trip to Italy was Assisi.  It was the birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare who found the Franciscan Order and the Poor Sisters (later: Poor Clares) respectively.  The town itself sits high upon a hill with a commanding view of the valley below.

We left our tower in the olive orchard early that morning.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to say goodbye to this??

The drive was quick and we were soon greeted by views of the city, which was much larger than I had envisioned. That's the Basilica di San Francesco all the way on the left.

Once we parked and entered the city walls, we found an ancient city dominated by churches and beautiful views.

Our first real stop was the Basilica of San Francesco, but we were unable to take photographs of the inside. We did, however, go a little crazy with the photos of the exterior of the upper church.  Here are a few:

Sculpture in the large grassy area immediately in front of the Basilica.

Afterwards, we headed across the town the Basilica di Santa Chiara (St. Clare).  She founded the Poor Clares, an organization very similar to the Franciscan monks (but for ladies, of course).  Her Basilica was much simpler than St. Francis's, but equally impressive on the inside.  Unfortunately, we were again unable to take photographs of the inside.

And finally, we headed back home (but not before taking a few more photos):

- B