Anne and Ed walked up Mount Subasio to the top of Assisi on a beautiful  Wednesday afternoon. The Papal Basilica San Francesco was the first place we visited after we had finished walking up to the top of the mountain. We walked into the basilica through the Santa Porta (Holy Door) and then went to the pellegrino office to get the official timbro (stamp) on our Charta Pellegrini (Pilgrim Passport). We also received our Testimonium Pellegrinatum for completing the first part of our pilgrimage Camino di San Francesco. We went back into the Basilica in to visit the tomb of San Francesco which is located in a crypt below the lower church. His tomb is in the center of a small space, constructed of simple field stones. The tomb is in a column surrounded at its four corners by the tombs of his closest companions, the four brothers who lived with and helped Francesco in his mission. nearby is the tomb of a woman he called ‘Brother Jacoba.’ These friends seem to be ‘guarding’ him for all of eternity. We prayed at San Francesco’s tomb. We left the Basilica and walked to the monastero that was to be our home for the next 2 days. 

We went back to the Basilica for a special 6:00 pm Pellegrino Mass at which the names of all Pellegrini arriving in Assisi that day were to be announced from the altar. The Pelligrino Mass turned out to be very special. It started with a long procession of about 50 Franciscan priests and brothers along with about 50 Franciscan nuns walking into the lower church. There was a full choir with musical accompaniment at the Mass. After Mass we went out to eat and the went back to our monastero and to bed.

On our second day in Assisi, after having breakfast in a room overlooking the valley below we walked down to the lower part of Assisi to the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli. It contains within its walls a small structure that was built to the same size as the original hut that Francesco and his first 11 followers built to provide some shelter from the elements. Francesco called it the Porziuncola (the little piece). It was built from sticks and tree limbs with mud to fill in the open spaces. Francesco and his brothers slept on the bare earth. The small Porziuncola Capella which now is inside the degli Angeli is built of much sounder materials. We were fortunate to arrive at the degli Angeli when there were no crowds of tourists and were able to get inside security and the basilica very quickly. We said prayers to ask Francesco to help us on our pilgrimage and asked him to look down on our family and friends, especially those who need his help now. After leaving the degli Angeli we took the bus back to the upper part of Assisi.

In the afternoon we walked down to the San Damiano church which is where Francesco was first visited by Christ, who spoke from a painted, wooden crucifix with the instruction to “fix my church.” Francesco began to repair San Damiano which was quite run down. In order pay for the repair of San Damiano he sold some of his father’s inventory of expensive cloth, without his father’s knowledge or permission. His father was very angry with Francesco and took him to court for theft. The ecclesiastical court decided that Francesco must return the money that he had received from the sale. Francesco did as he was ordered by the bishop/judge. Francesco also decided to return to his father the clothes that he was wearing to symbolize his new path in life – his commitment to follow the path that Jesus took to serve the poor and outcast. San Damiano was later to become the home of Santa Chiara (Clare) who was one of Francesco’s lifelong friends and the person who founded the Order of Poor Ladies which follows the Rule of the Franciscan Order. They are now known as the Order of the Poor Clares.

Later in the day we walked back to the Basilica di San Francesco and walked through the upper church with its wonderful Giotto frescos. We went back to the lower church for Confession (in English) and that day’s 6:00 Pellegrino Mass.

On the next morning, on our walk out of Assisi, we first went to the Basilica Santa Chiara to view Saint Clare’s grave and a large collection of reliquaries of both Santa Chiara and San Francesco. The Basilica Santa Chiara is beautiful and the exhibits were interesting and gave us some insight into Santa Chiara’s life. 

As we left Assisi to walk to Spello we were thinking of San Francesco’s ‘Simple Prayer ‘:

                 Lord, make me an instrument of your peace   

                  Where there is hatred……… Let me sow love    

                  Where there is injury………. pardon

                   ……………

                  For it is in giving ……………..that we receive

                  It is in pardoning……………..that we are pardoned, and 

                  It is in dying ………………….. that we are born to eternal life.

The journey that we are walking is called the Camino di San Francesco. We are following the steps of San Francesco and also trying to understand his message and what it means to us today. After visiting and experiencing the Sanctuario Della Verna and Assisi we have much to contemplate and consider during the second part of the Camino as we journey to Roma.

Leaving the Sanctuario DellaVerna to continue our Camino was difficult.  The Sanctuario is such a special place — so quiet and sacred. Our next destination is Pieve Santo Stefano. Now both Anne and Ed have colds. This walk is similar to the other stages, uphill for 2 hours with some very steep slopes – up to 30° +, and then down hill for the next 3 hours with some short up hill segments.  Arrived in Santo Stefano around 2:00 (17 Kms) and then walked another one half hour  to our albergo. 

The next day’s walk to Sansepolcro is long (30 Kms). It began by having us follow a “hidden ” path transversing the mountain side. The path is no more than 2 feet wide, slippery and muddy and canted down hill toward the Tiber hundreds of feet below  and was very rough. Again we walked up hill for 2 hours,  and then down hill for another 2 hours.  After lunch we were on fairly level ground for the last 10 Kms.  Anne’s hip started to hurt but we finished the walk to town.  The room at the albergo was nice but it was on the tre piano  (third floor) 66 stairs up to the room. Anne’s hip was more painful.  We went out to the Civicio Museo and the Catedrale.  Anne’s hip continued to get worse. Anne walked up the 66 stairs to the room and went to bed while Ed kindly went out to bring back pizza.

In the morning we decided to take a taxi to our next destination – Ctta de Castello, another walled city.  It took about 30 minutes to cover the distance that it would would take us 5 -6 hours to walk. Anne is feeling a little bit better.  We did a little walk around the town to the Pinacoteca (paintings) and then walked to the Catedrale. We went to Messe at the Chiesa San Francesco.  It tutns out that the service was an Italian charismatic one with song, guitars and percussion, testimonials from parishioners,  women speaking from the ambo, a long homily, and then after the Messe was finished everyone danced around the altar in celebration.  We felt very welcomed by the congregation which was like a big famiglia.

Anne and I disagreed about what to do to help minimize Anne’s hip problem, if we are going to be able to continue to walk the Camino.  I thought it was too much weight in the backpacks.  Anne thought that it that the distances were too long. After sleeping on it we decided the next morning to act on both theories.  We put together a small box of things from both backpacks of consisting of 6.5 Kilos of weight and mailed it to our hotel in Roma. We also revised our Camino itinerary.  We will take a taxi,  train, or bus to avoid the longer and more difficult stages.  We will also skip some of the recommended route and spend more time in the most interesting places, significant to Francis.

Our first city that we went to by taxi was Gubbio. It is a medieval town and is a wonderful city with many interesting things to see. Gubbio is built on the side of a mountain. Gubbio was the first city that Francesco reached after the event that changed his life. He and his father had a dispute that went to court. The ecclesiastic court decided in the father’s favor. Francesco had to return money that he had taken. Francesco decided that he was no longer just a son of his father but would serve the poor and outcast  (who would become his family). Francesco returned the money to his father,  and also returned the clothes that he was wearing to symbolize his commitment to his new life. A friend gave him a robe to wear. He started walking north and began his new ministry in Gubbio.  

We saw many things in Gubbio in addition to visiting Franciscan places. We took a ride to the top of the mountain on a funivia  (funicular) and back down again. 

We took the bus on Settembre 27 to Valfabbrica which was the first village that Francesco reached after his split from his family. He was robbed and beaten and the robe was stolen from him. He was not discouraged. He kept going north to his destiny. We went to Messe at a small Cappella off the main church which has a Cimbue fresco over the main altar. 

We decided to walk to Assisi on Settembre 28 to resume our, now changed,  Camino di San Francesco.  We rested and prepared to walk to Assisi in the morning. 

In the early afternoon on Tuesday  (after a strenuous walk in the morning) we took a taxi from Badia Prataglia to Sanctuario DellaVerna, a mountain beloved of Saint Francis, sharing it with a German Swiss woman, Constance.  Constance is walking the Camino by herself. During the ride the sun was shining brightly on the valley below the mountain. After checking in we walked around the Sanctuario for a while and purchased a book to help us understand all of the Sanctuario’s features. The Sanctuario is a holy place. 

We went to the Basilica built not long after Francis death. It has a ‘Door of Mercy ‘. At 6:30 they have Vespers and then pray the Rosary. All prayer services are conducted with spoken and sung prayer using Gregorian chant in either Latin or Italian. Dinner was at 7:30 served family-style at a brisk pace.  After dinner we went to our chilly room and went to bed. 

It seems that in Italy the temperature is regulated by the calendar rather than the temperature. It was around 50° and damp but no heat was turned on. I guess that heat may show up in Ottobre or Novembre, but not in Settembre. Lots of warm blankets helped to make our sleep warm and toasty, but our laundry wouldn’t dry. 

We stayed at the Sanctuario for one extra day. It is one of the most important sites, next to Assisi, in Francis’ life. He spent many days here and loved its remote beauty and isolation. He spent his time in prayer among the huge, cleft rocks and trees. The peak of the mountain, a stiff hour’s climb above the Basilica and guest house,is known as Mount Pena. We started our walk up in bright sunshine atabout 70° and finished in a chilly rain and hail storm!

During one of his visits, while in the middle of a 40 day solo retreat, Francis was visited by Jesus who talked to him while sitting on a stone slab that Francesco used as a table. That stone slab can be seen at the Sanctuario, where a complex of buildings now stand. 

On his very last visit here Francesco again embarked on a 40 day  retreat. During the retreat a vision appeared of Jesus on the cross. Francesco, like all Christians, had been trying to live his life in a manner that was pleasing to God with the hope to be united with God after his earthly life was finished. When Francesco came out of the vision he was marked with the 5 wounds of Jesus -hands, feet, and side. Francesco understood this Stigmata as being a great honor and understood it as being united with God,  while still on earth. The garment that he wore when the Stigmata was given to him is preserved and displayed in a side Cappella at the Basilica. 

The Sanctuario is a holy place. The inscription in stone over the main entrance says that it is “one of the holiest mountains in the whole world “. 

The men and women Franciscans’ lives revolve around prayer – morning, noon, and night. The Monastario’s women and men pray the Hours. They offer Messe  (Mass) five times a day. At 3:00 every day there is a procession from the Basilica to the Cappella da Stimatta (built on the site where Francis received the stigmata ) . The abbot leads the prayer service and holds one of the sacred San Francesco holy objects in a reliquary while leading the procession from the Basilica to the Cappella da Stimatta , which we joined. 

Sitting in the Sanctuario on the morning that we leave to walk to Santo Stefano, I am thinking about the life of the monks. Their life is simple. Their life is quiet. It is full of prayer. I think that I can understand why you could be attracted to this life.  The Sanctuario is truly a holy place. 

Friday: On the day we left Firenze the weather forecast was for rain all day so we decided to take the train to our first stop on our pilgrimage  – Pontassieve.  Ed has a cold and neither of us have gear for heavy rains. Before we left Firenze we went to Church of Santa Trinita which has a series of paintings on the life of San Francesco,  attributed to Giotto (our third try to find it open). On the way to the train station  we stopped at the St Lorenzo church.  As we left St. Lorenzo a heavy rain started on our walk to the station. Train to Pontassieve was comfortable. It was raining heavily when we got off the train and on the short walk to our albergo. We secured our first Pelligrino stamp on our passport at this albergo.

On Saturday morning we started walking from Pontassieve. We stopped at a farmacia on our way out of town to buy some cold medicine. The recomendation was for a pill that combines ibuprofen and Sudafed. 

The path was very rough and uphill for most of the 20 Km. Uphill was +3,400 ft. Then we had a 1,500 ft downhill to end the day.  It was cloudy for the first 4 hours and rained for the last 2.5 hours. Grade went from 10° – 20° up and down. We went to Messe at 6:00 pm at the parish church of Consuma.

Sunday: From Consuma to Stia there was a forecast for rain after 1:00pm so we started walking at 7:30 am — early for us!. We got a ride to our starting point. We walked in a light rain for 2 hours and then 3 hours under overcast skies. The day’s walk was 15Km, 1,700 ft up, 3,400 ft down. Walking down is hard on our legs and the track is often muddy and slippery even when it’s not actually raining.

Monday: From Stia to Camaldoli via Eremo Camaldoli we got a ride to our starting point and began walking at 9:00 am. NO rain today! We arrived at the Eremo, a 1,000 year old working Benedictine monastery, around 1:30 pm. After a quick look around there we walked into Camaldoli village around 3:00 pm. We went back to the Eremo after checking in to the albergo. 

Like all days on this Camino, the walk to Camaldoli involved walking from a valley floor,  over hills or small mountains and down to the next valley.  This day had a 3,500 ft up and a 2,000 ft down along the 17 Km hike. As we walked along through the Parco Nationale Forresta Casentinesi,  which is heavily treed, we heard birds singing,  water flowing,  and the sun peeking through the trees.  Near the end of the day we saw the sun shining over the top of one hill onto the hill on the other side of the valley. Later in the day the valley floor would be in shadows and the sun rested on the higher parts of  the hills. It made me think,  as we walk the Camino di San Francesco,  of the beauty of the natural world.  I am sure that Francesco saw it every day,  everywhere he went.  I am happy that I could see it through St Francis’ eyes today.

Tuesday: The last walk before reaching Sanctuario DellaVerna was ftom Camaldoli to Badia Prataglia.  Very steep grade  – 20° – 30°+ all day, up and down. First 2 hours seemed to be straight up hill. Only 9 Kms but 1,700 ft up and 1,600 ft down. No rain today.  It was a good day.  The next post will be from Sanctuario della Verna.

We are in Firenze and ready to see this city after 10 hours of sleep. We walked up to the Basilica Santa Croce to get our Pelligrino Passport authenticated and stamped to start our Camino di San Francesco. We had tickets to the Accademia which holds Michelangelo’s David among many beautiful works of art. There were many pieces in the collection that included San Francesco and St Clare. We walked all over the city, including Ponte Vecchia, along the Arno river, the Medicee Cappella, San Lorenzo, the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella basilica. We went to Mass at 6:00 pm at SS Annunziata where, to our surprise and pleasure, there was a special ceremony with 3 concelebrating priests and a full chior. We ended the second day with a great dinner in a small Tuscan restaurant. 

On to Pontassieve tomorrow.  Rain forcast for the whole day. 

Anne and I spent 16 hours and two flights getting to Florence (via Dublin and Rome). We didn’t get too much sleep and were tired when we arrived. First we took the train from Fiumicino Airport to Roma and a taxi to the monastery hotel that we will stay at when we return to Roma on 9 Ottobre. There we extracted our backpacks and trekking poles, and left our suitcases. We walked around Trastevere section of Roma and then took a bus to Termini to catch a train to Firenze. When we arrived in Firenze we walked to our monastery hotel but took the long way there. When we finally found the right way we were fortuitously near the Basilica della SS. Annunziata, which has a Porta della Miserecordia (Door of Mercy, open during this Jubilee Year of Mercy designated by Pope Francis). We walked through the Door, said a prayer,  and walked to our hotel. See photo.  We had a very nice dinner and went back to the hotel to get some needed sleep.

We are in the final stages of our preparations.  We have the route, many reservations, tickets to the Papal Audience,and we are almost packed. 

We leave Monday afternoon September 12. Arrivederla.