The Magic of Assisi
Written: Jan 23 '00 (Updated Jan 25 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful medieval streets and architecture
Cons: Like most of Italy, crowded and touristy
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| hanhayes's Full Review: Assisi |
On a summers day, Assisi is packed with hundreds of buses winding up and down the narrow streets of this popular hill town. Tour groups stand in clusters or travel in packs under their colored caps or pennants, like children on a summer camp field trip. Even the Franciscan monks who roam the street look cheerful and happy, unlike some of the dour Cistercians in other monasteries.
Like much of Italy, Assisi attracts millions of visitors, and it takes a bit of effort to penetrate the circus-like atmosphere to truly appreciate it. Perhaps that is why the Giotto frescos in the Basilica telling the life of St. Francis are so memorable. Gazing up at the faded walls, the crowds outside are lost as you are suddenly taken back centuries. The frescos breathe life into the sponsor of all this tourism and St. Francis suddenly becomes a person you know and understand.
I first went to Assisi in 1995, and when I returned four years later I was anxious to see the damage done by the 1997 earthquake. I followed closely the restoration of the Basilica, and I wept when I saw photos of the earthquake, remembering the transformation from gaiety to solemn serenity inside the church. Standing outside the Basilica looking at the fallen roof, I was too heartsick to remain in Assisi for very long.
Besides, my small son who is entertained by the pigeons wherever we go, was banned from feeding them by a recent ordinance. But that may change, and that is what makes Italy so beautiful: timelessness in an ever-changing world.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hanhayes
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Member: Hannah Hayes
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 19 members
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