Assisi - 23 April

View across the plain of Assisi. The dome is the Basilica of the Porciuncola, which encloses the little church in which Saint Francis died. Beautiful light.

 First day in Assisi. The weather is not as good as it could be, a bit cold and cloudy, but Assisi is still lovely. The place I'm staying at is the Monastero Santa Colette. It's a French foundation so many people here are visitors from France and speak only French! Just when I'd got used to speaking Italian. My French is very limited, Oui, Bonjour, Merci and Non are about it. Santa Colette was a French nun of the early 15th century who brought the Franciscan women's order into France, St. Clare of Assisi being her inspiration. Colette wrote her own Rule for her nuns, which was accepted by Pope Benedict. I'd not heard of her before, but she seems to be a particularly popular French saint.
   I had trouble finding the place and only came upon it by chance. Street numbers in old Italian towns are often eccentric, owing to subdivision and infill. Hence no.3 Borgo San Pietro comes after no .9 and is over the road from no. 17. It's a much bigger, buzzier place than Villa i Cancelli, so no hopes of an afternoon snooze. A group of kids outside playing hide and seek very noisily, so I'm going to go out to get away from them.

The Basilica of Saint Francis in the evening light.

I thought at first that this was where I was staying - sadly not.

The main gate into the town from the massive bus-park for the pilgrims.

Main door of the lower Basilica, where Francis is buried in the crypt.

Basilica in daylight.