Assisi Once Again...

il 28, aprile - il 9 giugno 
Assisi, Italia

Assisi started out as a place of respite for me, but it has become so much more than that. The familiarity of its medieval walls, the majestic sound of its church bells, the local shops where I regularly buy my food, the hilly streets which always give my legs a tough work-out, the favorite spot for mint chocolate chip gelato, but, most of all, the friends who greet me warmly whenever I arrive...

I first came to Assisi almost five years ago after the death of my mother; the healing began here and so did the city also become a part of my very being; a place that I needed to keep returning to. Here was the beginning of my Italian studies and a dear friendship with my first teacher; my love of pasta and wine blossomed in its charming restaurants; my buying of linens and ceramics, all made in Umbria, became a frequent occurrence; my continued delight in exploring the hillside towns nearby; and, most importantly, my relationship with 93 year old Mario Brunacci, a man who has filled many of my hours in Assisi with an abundance of colorful stories about his life and who holds a spot deep in my heart...how does one describe a place that is so much more than that?

I have been privileged to call Assisi my "home away from home" for the past five years. I have cried; I have laughed; I have consumed a lot of wine, and pasta, and gelato; I have spent countless hours studying Italian; I have walked its cobble-stoned streets over and over again; I have made friendships that have sustained and entertained me; I have had glorious adventures...

Assisi is not just a place for me; rather, it is a vibrant, emotion-filled part of my being...and I am grateful.

Calendimaggio Festival