We had a wonderful walking tour through the city of Assisi which included the Bascilica's of St. Clara and St. Francis, both gorgeous buildings to be in. St. Francis was truely amazing due to having two churches (an upper and a lower, both of which we had the opportunity and pleasure to sing in.) The art work was absolutely phenominal - artists such as Giotto and Cimabue did great murals that included Christ and St. Francis. Random trivia fact: he appears in murals approximately 92 times in the Basilica.
After the tours, we split up for shopping, eating and touring on our own. I, like Ryan, went to vist Rocca Maggiore (see pictures), but did not get lost on our way there. The best part about the castle, being my first time in one, was all of the awesome spiral stair cases that kept going up and down forever and a day and tended to be quite narrow steps. No major casualities occurred on the steps, minus me slipping and scrapping a knee. Like Ryan said, the view was spectacular and the passage ways to get to the views was just as exciting.
To be honest, the best part of my day was singing in St. Francis Basicila. The sound in there was indescribable... it rang off of the ceiling in every direction. We made a few fans during the mass (in the lower church) who came back to hear the full concert. Over 200 people atteneded, which made us feel very special. One unexpected guest that attended the concert was a Monsignore, who gave cross necklaces to the 5 soloists blessed by Pope John Paul II.
Overall, it was a great day. I think we are all tired and ready for a good nights rest. Tomorrow we are off to Rome! We perform at St. Peter's for 5 pm mass... another great experience is awaiting us there.
My love to my family, fiance, and dog. Written by: Christie Schneider-Ness (Sorry Stu... it's a long story) '08
