Its all about Italia
Our second day in Assisi was as wonderful as the first. It is a true place of peace. The people there, locals and pilgrims alike, know this and do not take it for granted. They want to build a peaceful world and believe Assisi itself can be a starting point. A huge hedge announces PAX in front of the Basilica of San Francesco. Modern sculpture engages pilgrims along side the Franciscan architecture. An older shop keeper offered us water and then engaged us in conversation because he believed dialogue was important. My nodding made him think I understood Italian much better than I do. Still, he made his meaning clear.
Our last evening was the real hostel experience. We spoke with other travelers and people took turns playing the piano and ping pong and foosball. We asked a man from Nimes, France to recommend a good place to stay before we went to Paris. He suggested Avignon and we got very excited. Alas, I could not find a place to stay and the train travel would have put us in very late. Disappointed that our only experience of France this trip will be Paris, we "settled" for Torino, Turin.
What a city! Torino will host the winter Olympics this year. It was the capital of Italy until 1945. (I am learning a tremendous amount of history. I could now tell you more than you ever thought you would know about the tiny island republic of Malta, this thanks to some fellow hotel guests we ran into at dinner last night) Anyway, I found a couple of rooms in the Hotel Bologna just across the street from the Torino Porta Nuova train station. The rooms are magnificent. On the one hand, they are in some disrepair, at least one of the floor boards feels like it will collapse with the next step. On the other, they retain their original grandeur. The ceilings must be 15 feet high. The windows are almost as tall with flowing cotton shears and grand shudders. Both rooms have balconies and one room has a terrace that extends over the street. Antique marble top tables grace the room along with a 10 foot tall mirrored wardrobe. Betsy says she feels like a queen. Dave said, "If Elvis came here this would be where he would stay."
So, it wasn't so hard after all to settle for Torino. This trip seems to be all about Italia and that is OK. We did, of course, go to the Cathedral where the shroud is kept. It was an amazing experience. The actual shroud is kept in a glass and aluminum case and covered with a cloth. It may not be shown publicly again for 20 years or so. There is a copy on display and information about its history. Like many other relics, belief in its authenticity is not required, but the copy was wonderful to see and being in the presence of the real one was moving. We went to mass there. I wish I could have a translation of the sermon because the priest was a very good preacher. I was inspired without really understanding Italian at all.
Our last evening was the real hostel experience. We spoke with other travelers and people took turns playing the piano and ping pong and foosball. We asked a man from Nimes, France to recommend a good place to stay before we went to Paris. He suggested Avignon and we got very excited. Alas, I could not find a place to stay and the train travel would have put us in very late. Disappointed that our only experience of France this trip will be Paris, we "settled" for Torino, Turin.
What a city! Torino will host the winter Olympics this year. It was the capital of Italy until 1945. (I am learning a tremendous amount of history. I could now tell you more than you ever thought you would know about the tiny island republic of Malta, this thanks to some fellow hotel guests we ran into at dinner last night) Anyway, I found a couple of rooms in the Hotel Bologna just across the street from the Torino Porta Nuova train station. The rooms are magnificent. On the one hand, they are in some disrepair, at least one of the floor boards feels like it will collapse with the next step. On the other, they retain their original grandeur. The ceilings must be 15 feet high. The windows are almost as tall with flowing cotton shears and grand shudders. Both rooms have balconies and one room has a terrace that extends over the street. Antique marble top tables grace the room along with a 10 foot tall mirrored wardrobe. Betsy says she feels like a queen. Dave said, "If Elvis came here this would be where he would stay."
So, it wasn't so hard after all to settle for Torino. This trip seems to be all about Italia and that is OK. We did, of course, go to the Cathedral where the shroud is kept. It was an amazing experience. The actual shroud is kept in a glass and aluminum case and covered with a cloth. It may not be shown publicly again for 20 years or so. There is a copy on display and information about its history. Like many other relics, belief in its authenticity is not required, but the copy was wonderful to see and being in the presence of the real one was moving. We went to mass there. I wish I could have a translation of the sermon because the priest was a very good preacher. I was inspired without really understanding Italian at all.
posted by Stephan | 7:35 AM
1 Comments:
David's "Elvis" comment is going to leave me smiling for days.
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