July 17th
Buongiorno!
Today, our day began with an enriching tour of Assisi, led by a knowledgeable local guide. He provided us with insightful explanations about the various landmarks and finer details of the city. Having explored Assisi during our stay so far, it was a pleasure to deepen our understanding of its attractions.
The experience of visiting the upper and lower levels of St. Francis’s Basilica was truly awe-inspiring! St. Francis was said to have an exceptional care for the environment and animals within it, and was known as a peacemaker, being the first one to establish cordial relations with the Muslim world. He’s the patron saint of animals, ecology, and Italy! The upper level presented a captivating narrative of St. Francis’s life through the beautiful frescoes. On the lower level, the basilica was filled with stunning frescoes portraying the core values of the Franciscan order and their commitment to a life of service. Among the remarkable frescoes, the Sunset Madonna particularly stood out, named after the enchanting way the golden rays of the setting sun illuminate the gold accents.
Following this memorable visit, we had the opportunity to explore the city’s enduring historical buildings, some of which are over 700 years old! Though now repurposed as shops, houses, and hotels, they retain their captivating Gothic and Romanesque architectural styles.
Lastly, we stopped at Basilica of Saint Claire, dedicated to St. Clare of Assisi. In her life, she established The Order of Poor Ladies (now The Order of Saint Clare) and defended Assisi through her passionate prayer outside the city when Frederick II attempted to attack it. Unfortunately, many of the frescoes were destroyed in an earthquake, but the architecture and stained glass windows are truly stunning!
After a delightful lunch, our next destination was Accademia Lingua Italiana Assisi, a local school dedicated to helping students learn Italian.
We had two amazing Italian language professors Mr. Juzebe and Ms. Sophia taught us a plentiful of basic Italian within two hours. We learned how to properly introduce ourselves in Italian with our name, where we are from, and what we are on vacation to do. Juzebe did decide to single out Andrew K in the middle of the class as they had a delightful imaginary phone call to demonstrate how to have basic conversations in Italian. The students who had already learned Spanish also got a stern lecture to never mix the languages together, this made Andrew feel a bit better about not being able to keep up with Juzebes pace. His lesson was super engaging and I’m sure all the students will agree that he made the class lively and fun.
After class, a group of students decided to go to the castle a.k.a the “Rocca Maggiore” where there were breathtaking views of the entire city. As we were exploring the courtyards, Sid decided to peek into a little nook and found a tiny narrow secret staircase that went almost 6 stories high leading to a tower overlooking the entire castle. On the way up, there was an opening to a Tower Keep with glass hallways and amazing photo ops. Rebecca proved the glass hallways stability by Irish dancing accross the floor. We found another amazing room but it was blocked off by a glass wall so everyone was sent straight to the dungeon!
And to answer yesterday’s question – yes, we all slept very well!
Tiernan Lindauer ‘27 & Vishaka Bhora ‘27
