Sunday was decision day - we could either go to the beatification of 498 Spanish martyrs (+ Benedict's Angelus) or to Assisi. I chose Assisi!
We cabbed to Termini (Rome's train station) bright and early (like way bright and way early) to catch an 8 o'clock-hour train to Assisi. There was a minor mishap with the ticketing: at first, because the 4 of us in my cab went ahead and got our own round trip tickets; second, because the rest of us got ripped off by the ticket agent. Lovely. The train ride was awesome. I was taking pictures the whole way. It's a good two or so hour trip, and Sylvia and I got in some good talking the way there. Seriously, I haven't mentioned it up to yet I don't think, but there were some quality folk on this trip.
When we got off the train, we grabbed a couple of cabs, drove through Assisi, and went to the Carceri, where Frank's cave & hermitage are. It was gorgeous, and my pictures don't do it justice. We hiked up a path a ways and had Mass - one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
Eremo di San Francesco
After Mass, we walked back through and cabbed down to Assisi proper. One of the cool things about Assisi is that their modern/new buildings have to look like their old ones. I think that's just grand. We walked a little ways to the piazza outside San Rufino's where we had the best pizza in the world.
Officially the best pizza in the world. According to Fr. Stan, it will make your soul spin. He might be a little bit right.
Yummy!!
This is where you can find the very best pizza of your life.
After pizza eating (by the way, I totally got extra to take back to Olivia - who had stayed for the beatification / to eat "later," and neither of those things ever happened. Wah wah...), I wandered off on my own, zig zagging from shop to shop through Assisi to the Basilica di San Francesco. Yes, I really did kill most of an afternoon that way. The rest of the afternoon was Tomb Time - fantastic.
(fog not smog - for the record)
St. Francis' tomb
*sigh* The best day. It really was quite awesome. I'm a little speechless about it because there was a definite spirit all over Assisi that bears experiencing more than belittling through words. I wouldn't want to live in Assisi - for fear of taking it for granted - but I will definitely visit there again some day.
Our train ride back to Rome was long; we got there about 9p. Was this the night we watched the 2nd movie? Maybe. I don't remember.
