The Carceri--the hermitage of St. Francis on Mt. Subasio
Yesterday Nina and I decided to make a true pilgrimage walk up the side of Mount Subasio to the Carceri, a series of caves where St. Francis and his brothers used to go to be alone to pray. The switchback road led from an upper gate in the wall of Assisi into the countryside where people were picking olives. As we puffed our way up the steep climb, the wind got stronger until, one and a half hours later at the top, it was quite cold and blustery. Fall has definitely come to Assisi. There were no other pilgrims at the site since the high season for visitors ended this last weekend.
A monastery has been built on the side of the mountain and Religious Sisters live there. We squeezed ourselves through the small stone openings in the ancient part of the building to see the place where St. Francis prayed and I prayed especially for all Religious Sisters and Brothers at St. Francis' own cave. As usual, we were not permitted to take photos inside the site. Outside we found a bronze statue made to represent St. Francis lying on the ground looking up at the stars.