The Wall

I visited Assisi for the first time in 2007 with my then partner, Daniel, traveling by motorcycle from the island of Elba off the Tuscan coast where we were staying for the summer in a friend's apartment. My body as yet unburdened by disability, we walked around the city impressed by everything---store fronts, wine shops, old stone buildings with carved wooden doors--- until we arrived at the Saint Francis Basilica to gaze at the famed Giotto frescoes high above the pews depicting the life of the saint in various shades of pastel blues, pinks and greens. Leaving the church, there is a low wall to the right where you can see the undulating hills of Umbria and Santa Maria degli Angeli (where I now live!} and beyond. I remember feeling tranquil, at peace in the land of peace. While Daniel and I stood there taking a few photographs I turned to him and said, "One day I'm going to live here."