Assisi Diary - Ponte San Giovanni and the Carceri

All kinds of weather - on the road going up Mt Subasio - on the way to the Carceri

The Ponte San Giovanni, on the plains below Assisi and in the direction of Perugia, was the site of a violent battle in 1202. Assisians (including the young Francis) fought Perugians and Francis was taken prisoner.
Today it's the site of a shopping centre where everyone can peacefully shop together; except perhaps for fighting over the bargains and empty parking spaces.

The Carceri, rather quaintly described in one of my guide books as a "sacred palace of retirement", is a hermitage built on the caves where Francis and his early companions used to go to for prayer and retreat. On a cold and windy winter's day it's almost free of visitors. There's the chapel built by Bernardine of Siena; below that is the cave used by Francis. In the grounds are other caves also used by the early friars. It's a beautiful place, nestled on the slopes of Mt Subasio, full of the spirit of prayer.

The Carceri hermitage
The chapel of St Bernardine

The cave of St Francis
Br Leo's cave
Part of a group of statues of Francis and his companions

The forest below the Carceri - one of the few moments the sun was shining