Assisi, Italy

St. Francis and St. Clare

I went to Assisi that one time, and I’m thinking that’s probably going to be it.

Oh, I know, beloved favorite, frequent – even annual - destination for some. It’s their absolute favorite place in Italy.

Now, Assisi is undeniably attractive, charming and spiritually significant. Powerful, even. Winding, hilly cobblestone streets? Marvelous, expansive views? Saint Francis and Saint Clare? What’s my problem, exactly?

I guess its this: been there, done that – that just about sums up my state of mind on Assisi.

I’ve been to Italy several times since 2012, and hope to return many more, God willing. Assisi – except perhaps a 5km hike up to Francis’ hermitage on nearby Mount Subasio, the Eremo delle Carceri – just isn’t on the list.

So what is? Anywhere, really, because as I often declare, it’s all new to me - but if I had to choose, on that list would be the Dolomites, Turin, the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy and of course, the Coculla Snake Festival, and no, I’m not kidding at all, and don’t be shocked if I reach that goal before any of the others. It happens on May 1, so watch out, although it would be a crime to experience it without Rocky’s former owner along for the ride, and he’ll be in the throes of the last weeks of college around then, so maybe the snakes will have to wait until next year. But yes, someday, I’ll be there.

Back to Assisi. I sometimes think that the appeal of Assisi – aside from the whole St. Francis thing which is, yes, central – might be that it’s the only small Italian town on many tour and pilgrimage itineraries, and so folks, tired and worn out from the busyness, noise and messiness of Rome and Florence land there and find welcome relief and enchantment in this almost ideal medieval landscape.

Now this is Italy, Mildred!

Guess what? Italy is full of charming, small, hilly, medieval townscapes. Okay, none of them have Saint Francis, but a lot have other saints and every one of them has a history and art and food and surprising trattorias and local wine. And some even have snakes. Take a drive and survey those hills. You’ll lose count of the ochre, tile-roofed buildings crowning them.

Sorano, Italy

I’m ready to discover other intriguing Italian towns, yes, but even more, the vibe I took away from Assisi actually left me not cold, maybe not quite chilly, but…distanced. That vibe is well-earned and hard won via wisdom gleaned from a millennium of tourism and pilgrimage, a vibe centered on Francis and Clare, yes, but also assuring a pleasant, focused experience of the streets they walked, and therefore, that vibe ends up being, yes, charming, but also safe, manageable, and maybe even a little sterile.

Here’s what happened back in 2012, here’s where that came from: We walked around and around – some of us (not me) ran. It was enjoyable, but odd. Something felt different. What was it? Finally, it hit me. No beggars. Not in front of open church doors, not anywhere in Assisi. Not a one.

It wasn’t just their day off, either. For begging’s simply illegal on the streets of Assisi, and has been since 2008.

The city fathers had their reasons. Indeed, in Padua, I had experienced aggressive panhandling that left me a bit ill at ease, and I’m sure, with the crowds that fill Assisi’s streets, it was a prime destination for panhandlers and street peddlers of all sorts. So it was undoubtedly a good decision.

Still ironic, though, yes?

That absence, that feeling of walking around a quaint outdoor museum most of the time rather than a living community where the divine enters the mess and might even jump out at you unexpectedly – that’s what dwells in my Assisi memories and diminishes my interest in returning. But that’s probably just me. After all, if you ask me what my preferred vibe is, I’d have no hesitation in telling you “Naples,” messy, chaotic, alive, crumbling - which is probably the preferred vibe of approximately one in ten of my fellow travelers to Italy.

Here’s where we agree, though.

Assisi? They swear that going there can change your life.

They just might be right about that.