Prego, Mi piace gli occhialli, Attraversimo, Andiamo, Frulatto di pesca, Vorrei vino rosso....

Ciao! I am slowly but surely picking up Italian. The blog title features a few of the words and phrases I have picked up. I forgot how difficult it was to be brand new to a language since I have taken Spanish for five years. Fortunately a lot of Italians speak English, especially in Rome since it is such a tourist city! Anyways, I have much catching up to do, so I will begin with Assisi. On our first evening in Assisi, we came across a German choir singing songs (in English!) in the piazza. The piazza of Italian cities/towns is a square where life in the city is centered around. The main feature of the one in Assisi is the Temple of Manerva which was built in the 1st century A.D. Amazingly it is still in remarkable condition, and it fits in perfectly with the other buildings which were built in the 14th and 15th centuries. Italy's ability to blend such antiquity and modernity together so well can be seen throughout Assisi, Rome, and I imagine all of Italy. Assisi is a beautiful and peaceful place, as it should be holding a few of the most holy places in the world. The first is the Basilica of Santa Chiara (Saint Claire) which includes the following: the cross that spoke to San Francesco (Saint Francis) and told him to "rebuild my church", Santa Chiara's tomb and perfectly preserved skeleton, Santa Chiara's long blond hair she cut off when she joined San Francesco, and clothes from both of them. It was very moved by the story of Santa Chiara. At age 16, when she found out she was to be wed to a wealthy man, she hid from her parents with San Francesco. She gave up everything she had to devote herself to God when she was younger than I am. Both she and Saint Francis were the same in that they took the vow of poverty very seriously. Saint Claire made all of her clothes and grew her food. The Poor Sisters of Saint Claire live in a convent connected to the Basilica of Santa Chiara. They never leave their cloister, following the ways of Santa Chiara by growing food in a courtyard in the middle of the building and making their own clothes. Another very powerful holy place in Assisi is San Damiano. God is truly present here as it's the place where San Francesco first escaped his father, hiding in a small crypt, the place of Santa Chiara's death (which we were able to go into the room), where the cross spoke to San Francesco, telling him to go and "rebuild my church", and where it is believed that he wrote the Canticle of the Creatures. You could see how he could appreciate and write about the beauty of Nature there because it is located in the middle of olive trees outisde the gates of Assisi. (I lit a candle here for my family so know that the prayers of Saint Francis and Saint Claire are with you.) The Basilica of San Francesco is another amazing place in Assisi. My favorite part was the crypt that holds the tomb of San Francesco. You could see the deep emotion and love people from all around the world have for him. Another amazing part was the frescoes that were painted by Giotto to display the life of Saint Francis. I never realized the importance of his life. From my experiences in Assisi and witnessing the effects of the work of Saint Francis still very much visible today, I think he is the closest human beings will come to following in the footsteps of Christ. I forget the exact numbers because there was so much information to take in, but I would recommend looking up the numbers of members of the First Franciscan order who have been pope and who are saints. Also, two out of the three people who have received the stigmata have been Franciscan brothers, the first being Saint Francis. Another incredible church in Assisi is Santa Maria Delle Grazze in the valley, which is the church built for Santa Chiara. It is built over the home where Saint Franics and his followers lived, and consequently where Santa Chiara escaped her family when she found out she was to be married to a wealthy man. Well that's the short summary of Assisi....I will be filling you in about Rome and putting up pictures ASAP!

Quick hello from Assisi

Ciao from Assisi! I am sitting in a small Internet cafe with about twenty other Saint Mary's students. We were all very excited to walk by it this morning on our long trek up to La Rocca, Assisi's mountain top fortress. Unless I eat gelato about three times a day, I do not think I will be gaining weight. The portions are significantly less, yet filling. Also, Assisi is on a hill, so we are constantly walking uphill. The hills and stairs are never-ending. I have already fallen in love with Italy. It hit me last night watching the sunset that I was beginning the best experience of my life. The Italian culture is warm and unique. But more on that later when I have significant time to describe it in its entirety! Well, I'm off to chat with my friends and then head to dinner! Check for another update early next week! 

Almost there!

Welcome to my blog! I will be using this to share stories and experiences throughout my semester abroad. Also, I will be able to share photos of my travels with you! I fly out of Chicago Tuesday, September 23rd. We have a short layover in Madrid, then head to Roma. Then we will travel by bus with the entire Saint Mary's group to Assisi for orientation. After four days there, we will return to Rome on September 28 for classes. Until Then, Ciao!