Читать книгу The Way of St Francis. Via di Francesco: From Florence to Assisi and Rome онлайн

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View of the Basilica of St Francis from Porta San Giacomo (Stage 15)

Today, as you walk from Florence to Rome via Assisi it is easy to imagine the Italy of Francis’ time. Still present are the thick, grey-brown walls of medieval hill towns, the quiet mountain pathways, the sweeping vistas of fertile farmland where wheat and herb are grown, and the ancient olive groves where locals know to find the tender stalks of the wild asparagus they gather by hand and toss with the pasta of their evening meal. These Central Apennines contain some of Italy’s most beautiful mountains and valleys, what Italians call il cuor verde d’Italia − the green heart of Italy.

If the mountains of Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio could speak of all that has happened in their shadow, they would tell a rich and colorful story of armies and conquerors, of mysterious Etruscans and crafty Romans, of Christian princes and worldly bishops, of invading hordes and bumbling dictators – all who made marks on the land that today are still visible to the observant pilgrim walker. Every day of this walk brings evidence of another historic episode to see and touch: an Umbrian archway, a Roman road, a papal castle, a monument to soldiers lost in a war, a gleaming new European Union highway.