Viva Italia - Day 5 - Papal Audience and Arrival in Assisi

First thing on Wednesday, we went back to St. Peter's for an audience with the Pope. It was another unique experience, but I have to confess it was kind of long with the message being repeated in so many languages. It was cool that the choir we are with got to sing for him. He seems to be a very personable person. While waiting for the Pope, all the choirs would take turns singing and eventually they started singing together. They were from different countries, but united in song. It was really great to see that.

Here he is flanked by his personal security - the Swiss Guards. Back when Italy was not a unified country, the Pope hired soldiers from Switzerland because they were the best soldiers and they were neutral. They still come from Switzerland today and they still wear the uniforms designed by Michelangelo.

After the audience, we had a little free time - which David and I used to eat panini - and then we started the three-hour drive to Assisi. A lot of the members of our group are really sick with bad colds. I've had a nasty cough, but fortunately I don't feel bad from the cough. It's just hard to breathe sometimes. And - David will say this is too much info - but I got a kidney stone in the middle of the night, so the bus ride to Assisi was incredibly painful for me. It's not quite so bad now, but it's been an interesting day.

We were fortunate to arrive in Assisi at night. The city was all lit up. The stone is a white/pink color and the city sits on a hill. It is truly beautiful. The oldest part of the city is pre-Columbian and extends from there. It has a medieval looks with cobblestones and tall stone buildings. It reminded me a little bit of Sienna, but was quite different.

 

The above building is in the "newer" part of the city - called the Fraction of Assisi. The church is Santa Maria de Los Angeles and it is where the Francescan monks got the name for Los Angeles, California.

Our hotel was in the old part of the city and had a beautiful view out over the valley. We were exhausted and the internet wasn't free, so we just fell into bed after dinner.

Speaking of dinner, because we're with the group, we've had some amazing dinners of multiple courses. We've also had pizza, panini, gnocchi and gelato - all my favorites. I heard someone say they were sick of the food and I couldn't believe it. The food here is a party for the taste buds!