I am always impressed by the layers of history in a city like San Gimignano. With walls still intact for centuries and some churches in Italy built in the Romanesque style with Gothic and Renaissance additions, each church could tell quite a story.
Sitting in the piazza of the duomo in San Miniato, I enjoyed simply watching the people, mostly tourists, watching a free concert (keyboard, guitar, bass and drums); later there was a concert with a famous violinist and accompanying pianist at the church across the street from the ostello where I was staying. The latter concert required a paid ticket so u just listened from my window.
The next day from San Gimignano to Abbadia Isola was the first day that it rained. I started the day very early with breakfast with Anna fro Belgium. We walked out of San Gimignao together, but because of our different morning paces, I walked ahead. At a fork in the road as I referenced my GPS app, Stefano came along also wondering which way to take. We walked together for the rest of the days walk until the very end. We took an alternate shorter route through the town of Colle di Val d'Elsa and as we stopped for a morning Cappuccini, he pointed out the thunder clouds in the distance. We hurried along, but still the storm caught up to us just at the edge of town. The lightening was close, but we still had buildings around us. Just as we passed the open doors of an old church the rain came down hard. Later Stefano made a reference to Providence; the church doors were there just when we needed it. How many times do we look to our faith for shelter when the storm comes? A better question is how many times do we, the faithful, have the church doors open when people need them open?
We waited out the storm which did not take long to pass. Earlier we were discussing how we both "left the Church" (or stopped practicing the faith) and later returned back to the faith about the same "age" in the course of our lives - although I have quite a number of years ahead of him at 28 years old. When he and I walk together there is much talk of faith and philosophy and theology and such "light" topics.
Later, as we approach Abbadia, at the side of the road is Anna taking a break and having a bite to eat. She took and even shorter route and arrived there before we did. We stopped and shared our food - to which Stefano said that this was very much like pilgrims.
Unfortunately the stop cost us. About one km before reaching the Ostello hosted by the society of San Jacopo, tank the storm came. It was the firs time I used my blue rain jacket that my wife, Lisa, bought for the Camino since my last day of the Camino walking from Cee to Finisterre. It was almost like reuniting with an old friend - I used to where it most mornings before the hot meseta, but have had no need of it in Italy until this rain storm.
Arrival at Abbadia, since the ostello would not open until later, requires a beer for each of us at the bar across the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment