Il Cimitero...

Il 25 ottobre

Assisi

Outside the walls of Assisi is the cemetery; it's a very peaceful place to visit if one is not grieving for the loss of a loved one. There's something about going to an old cemetery that both saddens and fascinates me; the former because I think of lives lost and grief felt and the latter because I am surrounded by the history of times gone by and the lives that lived that history. Walking through a cemetery reminds me of how lucky I am to be alive and of all the blessings that I continue to feel each day and I am always “more centered” after such a visit.

When my dear friend, Mario Brunacci invited me to go to the cemetery with him to visit la tomba of Don Aldo Brunacci, along with the graves of other family members, it was with pleasure that I accepted the invitation. With roses in hand, I met him on the street between our two houses and we set out together; an Assisani who grew up on these very streets and “his student” who learns from him every time I have the pleasure of his company.

Il cimitero is located just after a short walk on a beautiful tree-lined road a few minutes beyond the old city . Outside its locked gate is a shop to buy flowers and plants and this is where Mario and I had our first stop. An interesting custom in Italy is that a body can stay buried for only ten years. After that, whatever remains is dug up and put into a small container which can be reburied or put in a niche in the wall. This way, there will always be room for other family members in the same plot. There are all sorts of tombs nel cimitero...big ones with grand tombstones, smaller ones with tombstones that often have photos of the deceased, niches in the wall for bodies, and small niches for the ten year+ remains.

 After leaving my flowers at the tomb of Don Aldo, we went to visit Signora Weiss and, as is the custom in the Jewish religion, I left a stone on her grave. We also passed the tombs of Luigi and Trento Brizi, the father and son who printed i documenti falsi for the refugees, and that of another "partisan" who also helped the underground movement.

The morning was one of closure for me; after these past few weeks of research, I was able to give thanks to those who saved the lives, not only of the Jewish refugees who were hidden here during the war, but of future generations who are alive today because of the faith and courage of a few brave souls.