Rome Experience 2010, day 10

June 1st, 2010 — from the Rome Experience journal of Jeffrey Gardner

Day Ten started with morning mental prayer in the house chapel at the Monastery di S. Antonio in Norcia, followed by breakfast that consisted of coffee, rolls/bread, jams, juices and the world’s best honey.

            All Rome Experience days were special, but this was a bit more so because we were going to Assisi, Italy — St. Francis’ home town! The ride through the Italian mountain country was breathtaking!  The roads are wide and comfortable – no real danger of going off the road – but in many places, the mountain ascends sharply on one side of the road, while descending quickly to a beautiful mountain stream on the other side.  Interestingly, we drove through one mountain tunnel that was 4000 meters long, or approximately 3 miles.   

Rome Experience seminarians in the mountain town of Assisi, June 2010

             Once we got on the highway, the landscape opened up, and we could see beautiful mountains, lush green valleys and cities built along cliffs.  The first stop was the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Our Lady of the Angels) that rests in the valley below the sparkling city of Assisi.  The basilica is quite beautiful on its own, but the real beauty of is that it houses the little church in which St Francis died — the Porziuncola Chapel. The basilica is so big that it comfortably houses the chapel, which is about the size of a one-room schoolhouse. I think these two are the most beautiful of all the churches, other than St Peter’s, that I have seen in Italy.

            After the stop at Our Lady of the Angels, we rode the bus the short distance to Assisi and immediately went into the Basilica of St Francis.   You feel the real presence of St Francis in the basilica — even more so as you roam around Assisi!  As you walk these narrow, brick-lined streets you get a sense of what the saint saw and how he lived.  You can pray in churches where he prayed, eat lunch in the public meeting area called the Piazza Commune where Francis and his followers met, and tour Francis’ house and the room in which he was born.  Assisi is a must for any Catholic visiting Italy.

Well-taught and well-fed

An update from seminarian Jeffrey Gardner, on the time his class spent in Florence and Norcia:

The Ponte Vecchio, Florence

 The two days in Florence were amazing!  We saw so much yet barely scratched the surface.  I have now seen for myself some of the things I previously only studied. The first was Santa Croce in Florence which, aside from being beautiful,  is full of history.   Inside are the tombs Michaelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli!  We also saw the center of Florence and learned about so much of the history of this wonderful city, which once was the banking center of the world.

 In Florence, we had a wonderful tour guide named Dony MacManus:  very Catholic, and a wonderful artist.  He was able to convey the idea to us that art, done properly, conveys the faith. 

 Norcia was beautiful and peaceful.  The accommodations were exceptional and the food was great.  Breakfast consisted of bread, cookies, coffee, jam and the most delicious honey I have ever eaten.  Lunch and dinner were both big and delicious.  They consisted of a pasta serving, usually in red sauce; this was followed by the meat or cheese course with a cooked vegetable; then came the green salad with a vinegar-oil dressing. Dessert consisted of fruit, tiramisu or gelato.  We were well taken care of by the sisters!

 Finally, I am blessed to be here.  I am getting a true sense of the Universal Church, and I am realizing that the Church is the major player in European and world history.