Pace e bene

Salve, amici! Greetings from Roma. Grace and I made it safely to Rome on Wednesday and then immediately departed by bus for orientation in Assisi. And let me tell you, Assisi is the bee’s knees. It is a tiny city that is built on a gargantuan hill. After spending five days there, I must say that my calf muscles are looking fine. The city is extremely religious, and it has every right to be, being the birthplace of dear Brother Francis and all.

When we arrived, we began the trip by climbing up the intimidating hill to reach our hotel. Kaitlyn and I were put in a simple room with an amazing view that was on the top floor of the building. I looked down at the city, and all I could say was, “This is not real life!” over and over. Everything about Assisi was appealing to me: the tiny streets, the giant pigeons, the churches, the many gelato shops, and the bearded faces that were everywhere.

During my stay in Assisi, I was able to see The Basilica of St. Francis, which is filled with beautifully painted frescos that depict events in Francis’s life. Francis’s tomb is located in the lower part of the basilica. I also visited SanChiara, the church of St. Clare. I saw her incorrupt body in the crypt of the building. My favorite building in Assisi was the church of SanDamiano. SanDamiano deserves a teensy bit of a background story. Ok, so one day, Francis was praying. (Crazy, right?) He had a vision in which the Lord told him to go rebuild His church. So, what does Francis do? He literally goes and rebuilds the church of SanDamiano, only to realize afterwards that God meant His church made up of people. So then Francis wastes no time in being awesome and going off to love people and proclaim the gospel. The story behind the church and its connection to Francis made it even more significant to me, not to mention, the view on the way down the hill to the church was absolutely amazing. I will never forget the peace I felt while I was there. If you are not familiar with the story of St. Francis, I highly encourage you to do check it out. He was one fantastic dude.

I experienced my first gelato in Assisi; it was everything I dreamed of and more. If you have not yet had the taste of gelato in Italy on a warm fall day, you have not lived. I’m just saying…

My absolute favorite Assisi memory occurred on the second to last day that we were there. I was having sort of a rough day; I was really tired, a bit overwhelmed, and already starting to get a bit sad that we had to leave Assisi so soon. It was the middle of the afternoon, and I was about to fall asleep in Grace’s room. The sound of multiple drums floated through the window. Grace and I reluctantly got up and went outside to see what the noise was, and I am so glad we did. We walked down the street, and low and behold, a group of men and women dressed in all red were playing drums and dancing to the beat. They were so happy, and the joy was contagious. Everyone in the shops and on the street stopped what they were doing to listen and watch as the band made their way towards the main piazza. We followed them up the hill, and we could not stop smiling. It has been a very very long time since I have seen one person (let alone twenty) seem so joyful about what they were doing. We hung around until they stopped playing. As we were walking back down the hill, another band made its way up the street. This time, it was all men and they were playing saxophones and trombones and trumpets and drums. (One guy even pulled out a guitar and mini amp at one point.) And they were just as joyful, if not more so, than the band before. They danced around while they played, and Grace and I couldn’t stop laughing. We followed the crowd back up the hill to the piazza. They played for quite some time before the drummers showed up again. Then the two bands had an impromptu concert together, and it was amazing. It blew my mind how they could sound so good together without knowing what exactly the other group was playing. It was a perfect end to the day.

On Sunday afternoon we made our way back to Rome via bus. Rome is the exact opposite of Assisi. It is huge, busy, not as hilly, and is a bit more accepting of ignorant tourists. The pantheon is literally a three minute walk (if that) from where we are staying. I went to it last night and had my mind blown. Twice. I get to room with Grace Coffey all semester, which is awesome, because she is the sweetest and most wonderful of all the roommates. We started classes today, and I already have a huge girl crush on my Archeology professor. She is so passionate about what she does, and she makes my desire to learn even greater. She also has a sweet British Italian accent. There is so much more swirling around in my mind that I want to share, but not right now, Todd, I’m so tired…

A more detailed account of my adventures can be expected soon. Until then, you stay classy, San Diego!