Fourteen

AUSTERITY AND FIG PASTRIES
Matina had actually planned a four day trip to Rome, booked nice rooms and such. Akhila and Ravi had already been to Rome and after seeing a You Tube episode, I thought I knew it all, been there, done that. M was ambivalent and then decided that he could avoid it. And there was all this talk of long walks and minor thugging, so it was a no across the board, Bruno being the happiest. And that is why we landed at Assisi
As per Wiki and more from what we saw, it is situated near the long, undulating hills of Umbria and the forests of Mount Subasio, and Assisi is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the world and one among the many captivating little towns of Italy. 
In fact everywhere and everything in Italy has a picture postcard-like charm, valuable art and historic buildings, and at Assisi  the Basilica di San Francesco. 
Assisi is the birthplace of St Francis, one of the most celebrated figures in Christianity. Numerous churches in town have ties to St. Francis and the Franciscan Order, making this a popular pilgrimage destination. St Francis (1181-1226) is also the patron saint of the environment and animals, because he is said to have preached to animals and birds too. 
Unlike in Sienna where the stone and hence buildings in the old city were a burnt orange, at Assisi all buildings are built using Cartuistic stone. There is a lot of austerity and this comes by the very nature because St Francis believed in simple living. Hence he was not much liked by the then Popes who believed in grandiosity and pomp. 
Very typically, in all of these most picturesque towns, there is parking of the vehicle and walking, up steep steps or ramps and then down by the same. But everything was pretty, awe inspiring and the daytime balms sun made me less crabby and we were in a small open place, when Bruno came all breathless, saying that there was a tourist vehicle leaving another 5 mnts and that we had to walk swiftly. 
This was a surprise for I was bracing for a lot of Neeman's chappal gheesoing. We could have rolled down the slope, it was that steep and we reached a market place and the town with restaurants cheek by jowl and bakeries offering some of the best pastries. All the souvenir shops here sold Assisi memoribilia. Did not pick up many, though Akhila dawdled by some t shirts and a bracelet. It was 18 carat gold and cost the return ticket to India. Well, almost.
We took the charming open to fresh breeze Eco Tour electric car carrying about 12 persons and with an audio book. So you listen, feel the breeze in your hair and listen to history. They stop at large places for photo ops.
We were lucky to get 3 seats for M, Akhila and I got in. There was no place for the other three and so they walked. We sat at a cafe on front of a fountain and I had terrible coffee and then we had an hour and a half to walk around and catch up again. 
We 3 did the touristy things, walked down steep roads, knowing fully well that we had to walk up again. But I was unstoppable. Bought some fig pastries and they were simply delish. 
We then went to a place for lunch, where the meat was being pulled on the ground floor, but with a prayer we received some of the best food ever. 
And then returned to the farm house after stopping at a super market for some onions and roughage. As usual I came alive here, just looks mg at the full shelves and the colourful produce. 
Lots of chatting over tum and dinner was paav bhaji (pre mix) but with Italian hard bread. And then the fig pastries. 

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