The anniversary of Saint Frances’ death is a huge religious and civil affair. The historic district is filled with priests and nuns. Military guards are posted at every corner. I stood with the “common folk’ in front of the Basilica viewing the mass on a “Jumbo-Tron” screen while religious and civil heads of state filled the basilica.
Cammino Di Assisi in 15 days:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th MY FAVORITES
The throbbing sound of the beating drums drew me up stairs, through allies, under arches, along lanes to a gathering in the piazza honoring the anniversary of Saint Frances’s death. What a marvelous ending to a 168 mile walk!
Dinner with my favorite Italians. We have been playing “telephone tag” keeping contact over the past days. They telephone me and I find the nearest translator. People are so kind to me as I am limited to English.
Scenes around the Basilica of Assisi honoring Saint Frances of Assisi, 1100’s.
Daily I wrapped my feet in ultra thin tape to prevent blisters. Final result…NO BLISTERS! Daily packing line-up. A kind soul met, Italian of course.
October 3, 2015
Paper work completes the Cammino di Assisi. My Piligrino passport gets a final stamp and I am presented with a certificate.
Arriving at the gate, “Porta Santa Croce” I am greeted by a fellow Italian Piligrino. In total, I have met nine Italian (seven reunited in Assisi), five Brazilian (stopped walking), two other Americans, and one German (lost contact). Alas, the Basilica Assisi.
Leaving the country. A shard of pottery found walking on the carriage road becomes a keepsake. A hunter and his dog stroller out of the olive grove.
Dashed hopes of arriving to the Assisi Basilica clean. My muddy boots feel like lead weights. As the saying goes, “A pound on your feet is like five pounds on your back.” Keep following the signs to Assisi.
