Day 8, our last day of the tour, started with breakfast and packing. We needed to have our luggage packed and sitting outside of the room by 9:30 and then meet in front of the hotel by 9:45, so I had plenty of time to enjoy one last breakfast on the terrace with its breathtaking views of the Italian countryside. After gathering in front of the hotel we walked a short distance to the nearby Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Trinity. This is an 11th century abbey (consecrated in 1092) built into the side of the mountain on which our hotel sits. The walk was not very long, and the views were amazing. After winding our way through some steep switchbacks, the abbey came into view before us:
The interior, like many churches in Italy, has some incredible artwork on the ceilings:
I did not take pictures inside the more sacred spaces, but if you are ever in the area be sure to stop for a tour! The interior is beautiful and the architecture is very impressive.
The pulpit was very tall and elaborate, with a long staircase. Our guide told us that it was given to the abbey in 1120 by the King of Sicily. From there we went back to the sacristy, past the altar which dates to the year 1000. In the chapel behind it was a collection of relics from several saints, including St Francis of Assisi. The other guests were very impressed by the extensive collection, and our guide explained that the world’s largest collection of relics is in Rome and the second largest is in a place called Carey, Ohio. Upon hearing this the rest of the group immediately turned to look at me, and I was glad to be able to say, “Yes, I know that place. I’ve been there!”
An alcove nearby held several sarcophagi, some dating from the 2nd and 3rd century AD. One of them, we were told, used to hold the body of the King of Naples.
Below the church we entered a series of tunnels with several burials in the walls. This one had Greek writing on it:
Excavations down here have revealed some old Roman columns hidden inside the walls. This is not uncommon in Italy, because the Romans built things so well that it generally made more sense to build over-and-around an ancient structure than it did to tear it down and start over:
There are also fragments of frescoes down here, including this one which was painted on top of an earlier fresco:
There is also a nearby museum with some interesting artifacts and displays. Here is a very old songbook, the text and images still perfectly clear after so many centuries:
Another display shows the seals of several famous Popes and Kings. These two are from Pope Urban II, who christened this abbey in 1092:
Giovanni Orsini:
And of course, there is also the seal of King Ferdinand of Aragon. Our hotel was actually built into the ruins of an Aragonese fortress (the coat of arms on the outside says 1496). This is the same King Ferdinand who was married to Isabella of Castile, uniting the early Spanish Empire:
Some years after their marriage King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella would receive a visit from an ambitious and somewhat eccentric explorer with a far-fetched plan to find a new route to Asia. Having been turned away by Portugal, Genoa, England, Venice, and then by Portugal again, he now asked Ferdinand and Isabella to fund his expedition. He presented them with the radical idea that it was possible to reach India by sailing West instead of East. The royal couple’s advisors strongly recommended against supporting the idea, on the grounds that the explorer had underestimated the distance from Spain to Asia by thousands of miles, and thus the expedition was highly likely to fail. Isabella was particularly hesitant and doubtful. Nevertheless, after much time and thought, Ferdinand and Isabella agreed to give him the money and supplies he required. The explorer’s name, of course, was Christopher Columbus. This painting shows Columbus pleading his far-fetched case before the royal court, with Ferdinand gazing off into the distance and Isabella hanging her head in disbelief: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The museum also had a painting of St Jerome, my patron Saint. Jerome is famous for having translated the New Testament from Greek into Latin. The painting shows him working at his desk, with the ancient texts all around him:
Nearby was an elaborate wooden chair with an inscription at the top which read, “You are the Light of the World:”
Several antique maps were here as well. On this one the outline of Italy is easy to identify:
So is the outline of Spain and the Iberian Peninsula:
The last place we went was to an elaborate meeting room, with woodwork dating to 1500 and frescoes that were restored in 1900:
After hiking back up the trail to the hotel we enjoyed one last lunch together in the dining room. With our luggage already packed and loaded, the only thing we had to do then was head to the bus for our short ride to the airport. I was sad to be leaving, but glad to have been on the tour. It was an incredible trip, with wonderful companions, and one that I would be thrilled to be able to do all over again!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures and stories as much as I did. The trip was truly wonderful and I am so glad to have been able to share it with all of you. I may use this blog again someday to document more of my travels. Thank you again, truly, for reading my blog, and best wishes to all of you!
-Kyle