Assisi

Lewis family movies fall into 3 general categories: old movies, saint movies, and Lord of the Rings. Sure, there's a bit of Master and Commander and Pirates of the Caribbean in the mix, but overall, it's quite the eclectic collection! Though I feel a bit like a heretic, I must admit that I am not usually the biggest fan of low budget, feel good, religious films. Of course, there are some notable exceptions, including Brother Sun, Sister Moon. Though I definitely didn't enjoy this movie the first time I watched it, the movie has definitely grown on me over the years. 

The basilica di San Francesco.

I had no idea how much my familiarity with this film would affect my visit in Assisi. From the moment we stumbled off the over-packed, completely claustrophobic bus to Assisi, I felt as if I had been there before. The city, or town rather, is absolutely gorgeous. The buildings are all made of the same Umbrian stone and are adorned with window boxes bursting with red flowers. The basilica di San Francesco was also a sight to see. Knowing something about the life of St. Francis made me feel as though I had a connection with this church. It was wonderful to look at the frescos, and recognize the scenes from the life of St. Francis. We also saw the famous crucifix from San Damiano, which now hangs in a small chapel within the basilica. It was such a powerful experience! After touring the basilica, we meandered over to the church of St. Clare. This church was much smaller and is built out of beautiful rose-colored stone. Also, the lookout from the church affords an incredible view of the green Umbrian countryside. 

It's a little hard to see, but the word on the grass is Pax. How fitting!

Another view of the basilica.

As we walked back through the town on our way home, I was struck by the remembrance of a scene in Brother Sun, Sister Moon depicting St. Francis speaking and singing with the birds. At the time, I found this scene a bit silly. After Assisi though, I can understand why St. Francis was inspired by the beauty and peace that surrounded him – I certainly was. 

Chiesa di Santa Clara.

I didn't want to leave!

Venice

Venice is by far the most unique city that I've ever visited. We arrived by train and then took a “taxi” to our hotel. The taxi was actually a speed boat, and our trip was actually more of a joy ride. As we sped through the grand canal, we caught our first sight of Venice's many islands. Venice is literally IN the water. I'm not sure why I found this particularly surprising. I knew that Venice was made up of several hundred islands, many of which are manmade, and all of which are sinking, but seeing the city for the first time was quite astonishing.

View of the Grand Canal.

The leaning tower of Venice.

 

After unpacking our things and grabbing a panino to go, we hit the road with our tour guide, conveniently named Guido. He gave us tours of the Doge's Palace and the Basilica di San Marco. In its prime, Venice traded salt for gold. Apparently this trading was quite successful, because the Doge's Palace (Duke's palace) was covered in 14 karat gold as well as several colossal paintings. It was designed to display the wealth and power of the duke, and I must say.... it was quite successful. I was ready to swear allegiance!

Outside of the Doge's Palace.

The Basilica di San Marco had a similar effect. It too was adorned in gold as well as pieces of vibrant colored glass (Venice is also famous for its glass). The mosaics displayed various biblical scenes that were created in order to educate the largely illiterate church. I can't imagine coming to mass in this magnificent basilica, learning biblical history through the beautiful artwork in this church. Seeing this basilica really made me realize how serious the church is about educating people. I suppose you could think of it as the medieval version of RCIA.

St. Mark's square.

Inside the Doge's palace.

We also took a tour of La Finice, which is Venice's opera house. Walking into this opera house felt much like walking onto the set of Phantom of the Opera. I have never seen so much gold in one place! Even more amazing, perhaps was the fact that the Venetians have rebuilt the opera house twice! The first time was an accident, and the second time it was arson- the repairmen were running behind schedule on their work and were about to be fined, so they set fire to the opera house to avoid from paying the fine. According to Guido, the two arsonists are now on some island in the Caribbean. How did that happen!!! But I digress.

La Finice!

A sidestreet.

The beautiful mosaics on St. Marks.

At the end of the tour I made a very rash decision to buy a rush ticket for a performance of La Traviata, which was to take place that night. After learning that the opera was first premiered at La Finice, I just couldn't resist. I thought of my Grandpa Griesbach as I watched this spectacle unfold into a musical masterpiece. It was a truly wonderful experience.

A little restaurant we found.

Bell tower in St. Mark's square.

Though I absolutely adored Venice, returning to Arezzo after this long weekend was very nice. In fact, one of my friends jumped off the train proclaiming “Land Ho!” Yep, that about sums it up :)