Late Morning
On the train from Assisi to Florence
It's been a very good morning. Right now the train is pulling out of Bastia and I'm getting my last look at Assisi, up on the hill and several miles back.
I checked out of the Vignola, but asked Mandy, the concierge, if I could leave my bags for awhile. I could have caught the 9:39 to Firenze SMN but decided to take the 11:17 so that I could make a last visit to Santa Maria degli Angeli. It was bright and quite warm so the cool of the Basilica was welcomed wholeheartedly.
As soon as I entered the nave I could hear singing. There was a large pack of cub scouts marching down the aisle but the music wasn't coming from them. It was coming from the Porziuncola. Mass was being said in the church-within-a-church. About fifty worshippers were crowded inside, all huddled together and nearly sliding down each other when genuflecting was required. I got there in time for the Eucharist and watched as the crowd seemed to undulate as each made room for the other to move forward and receive the host.
I watched for about ten minutes then followed the signs to the Rose Garden. On the way, at one corner, there is a statue of St. Francis. In his outstretched hands is a bird's nest and in that nest a dove. A live dove. Unfettered by the sight of us, he sat there calmly biding his time.
The Rose Garden can be viewed but not entered. Next to it, though, is another one of the original Francis sites on which the church is built. In this case, it is a cell where he had spent time. In order to see into it you must get down on the floor and peer through a small window. In this dungeon is a statue of Francis praying to a crucifix that lies on the floor.
I took one last long walk through the church then sat outside until 10:20. At that point, it was necessary to go. And I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't. I went back to the hotel, had a final conversation with Mandy then got the taxi to the train station. In true Italian fashion, the driver was the brother of the one who took me to the hotel four days ago.
A few final thoughts on Assisi. Having had no idea of what to expect it would have been easy to be pleased with what I would find. It would also have been just as easy to be disappointed. That I loved it as much as I did is probably some kind of testament to my basic optimism. And love it I did. The ancient city is breathtaking and quiet in a way that I would never have expected. Oddly enough, though, it wasn't what made the visit for me. The two strongest memories that I will take away are of Santa Maria degli Angeli which is well outside the ancient city, and the stay at the Hotel Vignola. While the hotel is a perfectly nice little pensione on a quiet street, it is distinguished by something that I'm no longer used to finding in inexpensive hotels: A friendly atmosphere. Between Mandy's desire to be helpful, her willingness to get into a conversation, and Snoopy's enjoyment in being petted incessantly, there was an almost familial feeling about the place. I honestly hated saying goodbye this morning. To use the Italian expression, all was piacere - pleasant.
Early Afternoon
Florence
The train ride was one of the better ones of this trip. Although the air conditioning was of course not working, the windows on this train opened and stayed open. The breeze was great and we were on a beautiful route that went past Perugia, Lake Trasimeno, Cortona and Terontola.
Getting from Firenze SMN proved to be a little trickier than normal. I took one look at the half-block long line for cabs and decided that the bus was a much better option in spite of a bad back and big bag. In order to do this, I had to cross the street, go to the tourist information booth to find out which bus I had to take then go back to the station to get a biglietti. As I was about to enter the station to do this I saw my bus sitting there. Unfortunately, the man in front of me at the news stand couldn't find the right change. His discovery process took so long that I missed my bus. The next one didn't come for ten minutes. Trust me, in this heat, that's a long time.
When I finally did get to the La Scaletta I was greeted as I was last time. The pretty concierge broke not a big smile and said with mock disappointment, "Mr. Falzone! Not again!" She asked for my passport then apologized for not having the number memorized. When she handed me the paperwork and the key she said, "I'm not going to tell you what to do. You already know. You should be working here."
It's nice to be home.
She gave me the same room as last time (my third time in it). As soon as I threw my suitcase in the corner I called our department chair Bruce Sheridan. He's teaching in town this summer and wants to get together for dinner this evening. I'm pretty sure this will include other teachers in the program, many of whom I already know. If so, there will probably be a lot of shop talk. Sigh.
Late Evening
I went out for a walk and did a little shopping for Bridget along the way. It's ridiculous how much I like doing that, even when it's just for little things. And I know exactly how dorky that sounds. Tough.
Somehow - and not at all surprisingly - the walk ended up at the Loggia of the Uffizi. Taking up my favorite spot, I sat for about an hour and shot the occasional tourist. It is a very hot day. Not as bad as yesterday, but still stifling enough so that lots of water and the occasional granita was necessary to make it through. Today, the Loggia Police, a group of worried little old men who are hired to maintain decorum, we're out in force. They worry, for example, if you're sitting on a bench but lean against the pedestal of one of the statues. Why this would hurt a couple of tons of solid marble is anyone's guess. In any event, I got warned for this infraction.
Afterward I went back to the hotel and made a call to Bridget who was then driving to Fort Worth to work on a client. Just as we hung up the phone, Bruce called to say that he was going to be stuck in meetings for awhile. Since the back brace has been giving me a bad stomach (if it ain't one side, it's the other) I willingly postponed until lunch tomorrow.
Bad stomach or not, I needed dinner and decided to go around the corner to 4 Leoni, a very nice place where I had dinner last year with Gary and Linda. I was hoping for their carciofi appetizer but they were operating off a new menu and this was no longer offered. No matter. The food was good, even if they were clearly unsure of how to handle a single looking for a table.
My original thought was to head back to my room after dinner and go to bed. In truth, this is an idiotic notion where this city is concerned. My feet just started walking and before I knew it I was sitting on the steps of Santa Maria dell' Fiore. The hot day has turned into a cool night and the streets are alive with musicians, dancers, jugglers, you name it. One of the many reasons I love this city so much is that it remains as alive at midnight as it does at noon. Other cities are louder at night (in fact, most other Italian cities are louder at night), but none has the vitality of Florence. It manages to be big and alive yet strangely intimate no matter what time of day it is experienced.
Oh God, I can already tell it will be brutal saying goodbye to it on Wednesday. It always is.
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