Assisi

My pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome along the Via di Francesco has officially begun. I arrived in Rome on April 6th and enjoyed several days of visiting all the most important sites. My grand finale in Rome was the running of the Maratona di Roma, once again seeing all of those famous sites. The run began and ended at the Colosseum.

Today, April 11, I took the train to Assisi. Before heading up the hill to the town, I walked over to the Basilica Papale Santa Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola. When they sent me my pilgrim credential they requested a donation to cover postage. I never found a method to send them money that didn't cost $60! So I planned to stop by and make my donation in person. Such a magnificent church it was too. It took some fumbling and a bit of time to finally figure out where I needed to go, but I eventually ended up at the sacristy where I gave my donation and also received my first stamp signifying the start of the journey.

Then the 2 mile walk up the hill. The weather is beautiful and I hope I find many days like today.