Assisi - 24 and 25 April

Now writing from my new room at Monastero S. Andrea. Incredible view! It really was one of those "Room with a view"-type moments. The nun who checked me in opened the shutters and...wow!

I'm in a little, high room, I always like these, feeling secure up under the roof away from the busyness of the world. The nuns here are Franciscans, as at Villa i Cancelli, elderly but vigorous and well-organised. What will the Church do when there are no more nuns? I suppose they will sell these convents off to luxury hotel chains and poor slobs like me will have no chance to stay in these beautiful places. I had an afternoon nap in this little room, the first sunny room I've had, just doze off in the sun on the bed. Blissful.

The New Church - only about 300 years old.

View from the little Piazza outside Santa Margherita.

Santa Margherita, a modest little church, but only open on Sundays.

Chapel of rest on the way to San Damiano.

Beautiful walk down the hill to San Damiano today, the church which Francis rebuilt at the command of God's voice issuing from the old crucifix. The crucifix is now at the Basilica of Saint Clare and an object of great veneration. San Damiano was given by Francis to Clare as a place to establish her order and to house her "Poor Ladies". It's very old and very small, and quite gloomy inside. It must have been horrible in winter, cold and isolated from the town above it. Clare died here and her body was guarded night and day by soldiers and townspeople from Assisi - it was feared that the Perugians (the dreadful people in the next town) would steal her body, to the greater glory and financial advantage of their own, but Assisi kept her saint and is now in the unique position of having two. Francis composed his "Canticle of the Creatures" here, and there is a statue of him overlooking the countryside.

The courtyard of San Damiano

The white hydrangea in the refectory marks the place where Saint Clare habitually sat, even if there was no food to eat that day.

A sneaky glimpse of the inner private courtyard where the monks stay. Statue of Francis feeding the birds or sowing seed?

Statue of Francis meditating in the countryside. Someone places flowers in his lap every day.

Sheep! The only sheep I saw on this trip. (Being a New Zealander, I have a great liking for sheep). These still had their tails on, which always looks odd - we dock ours to avoid flystrike. (See how much I know, and I don't even live on a farm!)

This was the view from my lunch stop. There were happy pilgrims going up and down the path behind me, singing.

View over Assisi onto the plain, from the Piazza Santa Chiara.

Tomorrow I go to Sansepolcro, for a date with Piero della Francesca's great masterpiece "The Resurrection".
PS. Last night I had a funny dream, of  a smiling Saint Francis offering me, no, not the Eucharist as you might expect, but a chocolate-creme filled pastry! You can see where my religious beliefs lie, with my taste-buds.