Wednesday we had an early start, everyone had their bags packed and in the coach before breakfast and they themselves were sitting in their seats well before the departure time. This was the first of the hard ones for Murray as he is probably not returning to Italy again, so he had some sad Goodbyes to say to the staff at Tra Noi since over the years they have become friends and concerns. This is quite a long coach ride up into the hills around Rome, into another regin, the Abruzzi. We climbed a lot or the coach did and gradually we came into wooded hill country. The trees are already beginning to turn colour but it was still hot, though thunderstorms are forecast for Thursday. Finally we reached Tagliacozzo where Francis' first biographer Thomas of Celano is buried, and climbed up through the town to the friary church where he lies in state behind glass. Attilio the Guardian was waiting to greet us and the. Produced another version of himself, his twin. Clearly they are identical and the second one is called Carmine. He gave us a presentation about Thomas which I translated but the whole thing was jovial and informal because that is what they are like! When they had finished, they went off, Andre went off to vest for Mass and I filled the pilgrims in-on the very end of Thomas' life because it is so sad. He wrote two biographies of Francis, one at the request of the pope Gregory IX in 1228 or so, and another in1243 to incorporate the bits the friars felt he had left out. Then in 1258 or so the friars, who were very divided on their image of Francis, asked the new General Bonaventure to writ e life presenting a Francis they could all subscribe to, which he did, two versions, the Legenda Maior and the Legenda Minor, the long and the short! As part of subscribing to this, the chapter decided all other texts should be destroyed, so Thomas' life's work went up in flames. We only have it today because the Cistercians felt no obligation to burn theirs and kept the manuscripts! For Thomas however this was fairly traumatic and he retired to his home country, the Abbruzzi and became chaplain to the Poor Clares nearby. When he died he was buried there in Val di Varri and it was not until 1500 and something that his remains were moved to the friary he had founded in Taglicozzo.The sources say, rather sadly that he died 'in mistica solitudine', in mystic solitude.
During the Mass we took time at the Offertory to pray for writers, naming any we knew or liked or had been helped by etc etc, that took a while! Then a short time to look around and we had to make our way to the Hotel Marina where Marcello, our host, was waiting at the door to greet and welcome us. Then we sat down to a beautiful banquet starting with prosciutto, several kinds of salami and for the two vegetarians a tomato and mozarella salad with basil. Then Came fagioli wich are kidney beans ina nice sauce cooked with chunks of lamb's heart and various inner bits, like haggis Andre said though I am not sure I agreed. Again something for the non meat eaters though I cant remember what sorry. Finally though not last we had another regional dish Scarmorza which is a local cheese wrapped in paper and cooked retaining all its juices, very tasty again but very filling. Finally we arrived at the pasta dish which Marcello said was flavoured with orange. It was ordinary tagliatelle with a tomato sauce and this amazing orange aroma. When I asked him how it was made, he laughed and said it was a secret! It was stupendously nice! We had a beautiful local wine, bottles kept getting opened, and at the end we had a dish with a slice of eater melon, a slice of pineapple and two small very light dumplings which he said they call a Bomba, a bomb, drizzled with a rich fruit and wine sauce. Certainly an introduction to the region. The bus driver who came from there said everything was cooked to perfection. It certainly tasted so. Then, at the very end, Marcello came up and made a farewell speech to we three because it was our last time, and gave us each-a gift! We were so touched. The gift was a plate with a picture of Taglicozzo in the snow, each wrapped carefully.
After all that food and emotion and fond farewells and many embraces, we tottered back to the bus because we were now heading for our second hospice in the Rieti Valley and Greccio. The drive was nearly two hours through numerous tunnels under the mountains and so to Oasi, the Franciscan Oasis of Greccio. I think we stayed there during the Poor Clare pilgrimage but am in a bit of a muddle so if nobody remembers it, then maybe we didnt! Although it still belongs to the friars, it is now managed by a married couple, Orlando and Simona with a charming five year old called Francesco who tells me he can count up to ten!
More anon and as soon as the wifi is better I will send some pics too. Love to all ft
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