Assisi - part 1 1/2

    Ok, so I tried yesterday, but the wifi was playing all manner of nasty tricks and I lost a whole bunch of stuff.
      S. Maria degli Angeli and the Portiuncula

   It really is beyond words to think that you are standing in places and touching things that Francis did! .....another view of the Portiuncula

door of the portiuncula with tourists

the backdrop over the altar in the portiuncula

This is a portion of the cord that Francis used to keep his robe tied.

This is a statue on the way to the rose garden - the dove is alive!!

     The whole experience is awe-filled! And I took these photos at risk of expulsion from the church, as there were no photos allowed
 But wait...... there's more!!!
      Francis asked for the favor that anyone visiting the portiuncula should have all sins and purgatorial time removed, (ie. plenary indulgence) so Pat and I are golden! I told him we should step out in front of a bus, because we would go straight to heaven! :-)

But wait......still more.....
That night (after a nap!!) we took the bus to Assisi and roamed around for a few hours. I was NOT up to climbing the hill/stairs (ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in Umbria is up a hill or up stairs or down a hill or down stairs......even the bathrooms!!!!!!!) to S. Francesco's church, but we went into a little

church on only a SMALL hill called S. Pietro d'Assisi.There we saw a most charming  creche/town of Bethlehem, a tradition begun by St. Francis.

portion of the precepio

I love the little cloud of putti over the stable

 Then we came home and wrestled with the computer until bed!