Italy 2016: Day 2

On Wednesday, the second day of the trip, it was yet again another rainy, wet day in Assisi. The group started their second morning of the trip exploring through the small town of Assisi. The Basilica di Santa Chiara (Basilica of Saint Claire) is where we started off the day. We entered the church and saw very few artistic works on the walls. The light of the basilica was very dim and the architectural designs of the basilica were very beautiful, but also very modest. There were two crosses in the basilica that were both very famous and both expressed different emotions of Jesus Christ at his death. In the bottom of the basilica was a crypt dedicated to Saint Claire, whom the basilica was also named after. The crypt displayed Saint Clare’s remains and clothes. It also had the original tunic of Saint Francis who inspired Saint Claire to be come a nun. After the exploration of this basilica we went to the most famous basilica in Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco (Basilica of Saint Francis). This basilica, unlike the one before, displayed many famous and old frescos by Giotto telling of many stories of Assisi as well as the most famous stories in the old and the new testaments of the Christian Bible. The lower levels of the basilica exhibited the tomb of Saint Francis, which was quite simple in design. After this the group traveled to the art capital of the world: Florence, Italy. It was around 1:00PM when we first entered the city and split up for about an hour to eat lunch. After this, around 2 o’clock, the group met in front of Brunelleschi’s Duomo, a part of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is arguably the most famous building in all of Florence. We were allowed to take pictures of this church on the inside. It is very famous for the dome that encases the church due to the fact that it holds its own massive weight. The ceiling of the dome is covered in a gorgeous fresco that inspired Michelangelo’s future work in the Basilica of Saint Pierre. After this the group traveled to the Ponte Vecchio, also know as the “Old Bridge” in English, which is covered in numerous gold shops. It also gave a chance to see some of the best views of the Arno River that runs through Florence. After this the group had some free time and many of the people in the group went to the famous leather shop known as Leonardo to learn how leather is made. After a few hours of roaming the city of Florence, we met back up with our tour guides and traveled to a small Italian restaurant for dinner: pasta, potatoes, fresh bread, pork, and gelato for dessert. After dinner, the group travelled to a small town on the outskirts of Florence called Fiesole. Fino a domani! (Until tomorrow!)

– Parker Ruffin