awe inspiring Assisi

Our trip to Assisi began with a rough start… we missed our train by seconds which made our journey take twice as long. Upon arrival, we realized the place we were staying was 40 minutes away by walk. Normally a 40 minute walk sounds like a piece of cake but when you have giant backpacks, a heavy camera, and all your stuff it can be a struggle. Luckily, the as we stepped out of the train, we were transported to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Nestled in the Umbrian hills, Assisi sits surrounded by natural beauty and landscapes that your eyes will just not believe.

As we ascended the hill (Assisi sits on a hill) all we could do was laugh at the current situation we were in…struggling as we trudged upward with our backpacks. Once we reached our accommodation, we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by our host Annalisa who shouted cheery words at us in Italian which we couldn’t understand. We felt so welcomed by her and she was like our new Italian mother.

The only way I can describe our time in Assisi was utterly stunning and astounding. As we wandered through many cathedrals we were lucky to listen to two different church youth choirs spontaneously sing in cathedrals. These experiences were just unbelievable and their music was honestly life changing.

We ventured up to a castle with amazing views and saw the cutest dog in the entire world named Lulu. Afterwards we decided to hike up to a monastery where Saint Francis lived and studied. This turned out to be a wild adventure. The hike up to the monastery was a tough walk up steep path. We saw nobody at all during our entire hike! After exploring the monastery which was really neat, we began our descent but it started to rain. We had no choice but to continue downward, ended our hike drenched but laughing the entire way. Our journey downhill was one of my highlights of our time in Assisi somehow.

Another highlight for me was seeing the Basilica of Saint Frances. For me, this Basilica was just breathtaking beyond words. One of my favorite things are frescos on the ceilings of churches and this chapel is FILLED with them! Also, learning about the meaning behind many of the things in the church was just such a wonderful experience.

As we left today, we were sad to say goodbye but we were sent off with lots of love. Our host’s mother (our Italian grandmother) sent us off by saying things in Italian very cheerily. The only words I could understand were bellisima and bella. She presented us with a basket of candy to choose from as all grandmothers so kindly know how to do. It was such a funny and wonderful moment that I will always remember.