Giotto or No Giotto?... The Assisi Question

This past weekend I spent time in Umbria with my program, CIEE. Umbria a gorgeous region of Italy set partly in the mountains, home of amazing olive oil, Saint Francis and the city Perugia. We started out our weekend in a cold, foggy, snowy Perugia. My question... what is the point of going on a walking tour around a wet city that you can't even see!!! If I could at least have seen to the top of the Cathedral when standing outside of it, maybe I would have seen the point. We did see some neat things though, despite this inconvenience. We saw where the Virgin Mary's wedding ring is kept, we saw ruins from a papal fortress and most importantly we had Perugian chocolate! Yes, Perugia is the Italian capital of chocolate! Later in the evening after a long day when everybody was hungry and tired and cold and cranky... we went to a factory where we learned how they make olive oil and got to taste some of the best olive oil ever! It was so good! I thought about buying a bottle, but I can't afford $15 a liter, thats a lot when I can buy it at the grocery store for $3.
Saturday was Assisi, my new favorite place!!! We started by visiting the two basilicas of Saint Francis. It was so exciting because not only was there St. Francis' tomb and relics, but we had studied all of the frescoes and art work in my class. I thought it was so funny, because our guide was so enthusiastic about the frescoes painted by Giotto in the upper basilica and there is actually a great discrepancy as to whether he painted them or not. But of course, when we asked this to our guide he looked shocked and scandaled that we had such doubts! It was so sad and funny... poor man, just doing his job. Assisi is built on a hill the side of a hill, so when it clears up, you can see for miles! Its gorgeous! You walk up the little streets and pop into shops where little Italian women ask you about your life and what brought you to Italy (an Italian boyfriend?) Or you end up chatting with a Canadian Franciscan monk who is staying at the monastery for two years. He gave us a couple fun things to see and wished us well on our way!
It is little conversations like this that really stick out in my mind. I remember one such Canadian man I ran into in Norway and I still remember our entire conversation... I just think it is so nice to meet and have conversations with people that are not awkward.
After two other little towns (Spello and Cortona), an AMAZING dinner, a hike,a museum on the etruscians and a discussion on the proper way of saying 'grazie' I was ready to head back to Ferrara. In a later post you will hear all about seeing my german friend again and learn how the visit from Kjersta and Dustin goes!