Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Carpe Diem #1748 Via Francigena, Umbria, Italy


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This month we are on pilgrimage routes all around the world themed "an act of devotion". Pilgrimages are walking routes for believers of all kind ... it's a walk to a place that's important for them. We have seen several routes already and today I have another wonderful one for you. The pilgrimage we walk today is the "Via Francigena". It is believed that Francis of Assisi walked this route from Spoleto (Italy) to Farfa to offer his order of Franciscanes to the Pope.

Let me tell you a little bit more about this pilgrimage:

This is a seven-night pilgrimage down the spine of Italy that starts from Spoleto, just south of Assisi, and ends at the Abbey of Farfa from where the dome of Saint Peter’s in Rome, 40 miles away, is usually visible. The route follows long stretches of the Via Francigena with its many churches and shrines dedicated to St Francis including Greccio, where he is believed to have invented the first Christmas crib, and his cell near Cortona.


Spoleto Cathedral

I remember that I once made a series about Francis of Assisi with quotes by him back in 2014. I recall the following quote:

[...] "Remember that when you leave this earth you can taken nothing of what you have received, but only what you have a given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage". [...]

And here is the haiku I created inspired on this quote:

on her deathbed
she looks back on her life -
lotus flower blooms

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until September 25th at noon (CEST). I will try to publish our new episode later on.


No comments:

Post a Comment