Where St. Francis took on a vow of poverty. Seven hundred years later the Assisians
are
still pleased if visitors emulate the good saint by parting with some of their
worldly goods too.
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Assisi sits up on a hill and its walls make for an impressive post card. Here is the Franciscan monastery built after the death of St. Francis, one of Italy's principal patron saints. On our tour we heard that he lived a simple life of
poverty. Back in America. I did some reading and learned he founded the
Franciscan order, and was a social worker and lover of nature. He attained
sainthood because he was said to have acquired the stigmata of Christ
on his palms and ankles after a vision. |
I learned that changing money in Italy on a Sunday is sinful. They punish you with a horrendous exchange rate, but I needed some lira to buy snowdomes.I lost 20% on the transaction, but it did allow me to buy the domes above.
Also on sale were a couple of lucite domes, including a two-sider,
but I left them on the shelves. One was awful, with a cartoon face of a monk
on printed one side and the monastery on the other. Now that I'm home, I regret
not buying it, since it was a blue lucite dome and not black. Oh well, I did
get this one, which can't compare with the
round balls. I tried to ask (in Italian) a little old lady running a giftstand
what snowdomes were called in Italy...She called them Bollonaires de
Neve. ...or balls with snow?
To tell the truth, Assisi is a wonderful town and you certainly must visit
and ramble through its winding and hilly streets.. .
