Today included a pleasant spring walk up to the Rocca Maggiore, a very old fortress that was built and torn down and rebuilt over the centuries. We went up there for the views. At the time of Francis' birth, occupying forces controlled the Rocca. As a youth, he may well have had a role in tearing it down when the townspeople of Assisi rebelled against outside authorities. It was built again about a century and a half later, and off and on for centuries was a strategic outpost. Finally, during the 1800's, rumors of treasures led the townspeople to do some ransacking. Today, a substantial part of the fortress remains and can be explored for a modest admission fee. Fortunately, the Rocca no longer serves a military purpose, as thick and high stone walls don't provide quite the security they once did. Here's a picture of Assisi looking down from the path up to the Rocca.
We explored other parts of Assisi, as well, including Francis' boyhood home, at least according to tradition, which now has a church built over it.
One meets interesting people here. There is a gentleman who occasionally sits on the front step of my apartment to eat his lunch. His name is Massimo, he was born in Foligno (where Francis sold his father's cloths), he belongs to a group that aspire to follow Saint Benedict, and he goes about barefoot and in a sackcloth. Perhaps the best I can describe the sackcloth is to say it seems very much like a large converted burlap bag. Massimo speaks English fairly well, is an interesting conversationalist, and has a cheerful smile. I was asked by someone if it bothered me to have him sitting on my steps. I laughed and replied, "This is Assisi! It would bother me if it bothered me to have him sitting on my steps."
Ciao.
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