heel to toe

Subiaco is the town where the monk Romanus brought the young man Benedict to as he was seeking solitude. a beautiful church is built over the cave where Benedict lived for three years. Alive with frescos and little chapels, it’s a peaceful sanctuary that feels, well, holy. One thing is clear about St. Benedict after seeing both Monte Cassino and Subiaco. He liked to live life clinging to precarious cliff sides. I theorize that this lifestyle cemented his pray and work ethos as praying for one’s safety would be ingrained in the day to day of cliffside digs and hauling one’s daily necessities would be hard physical labour.

We often opt for the back roads because coolness. And it’s important for Albert to upgrade his Italian driving skills. So, nearing dusk we headed for our out of the way (waaaay) accommodation for one night so we can visit Subiaco in the morning. We meandered in the dark up the side of a steep hill. The town is Fiuggi, and old Roman town where thermals baths existed, now a Banff-esque spa hotel town. Completely different than any other place we’ve ever been to in Italy. As we made our way to Subiaco in the light of day this morning, there were several thermal bath towns. So it’s a thing. As are sheep and cows.

From Naples we drove, via coast and mountain, to Montecassino where, atop a massive cliff, sits St. Benedict and Scholastica’s bones. And that’s not all. On top of those bones is a spectacular church, both the exterior and interior were worth the hairy switchback drive up the mountainside. As it was Sunday, we attended a sung Mass with stellar acoustics, the loveliest Mass we’ve had here in Italy. Three weeks of Italian Masses has not improved my Italian, but talking to locals helps. we had a lunch on the hillside in historic Roccasecca. Then climbed through the village and ruins of the Castello d’Aquino sits, where the saint nearest and dearest to me spent his young childhood before being sent to Monte Cassino for his formal education.

Naples is big and loud and crazy and fun. They love their city. So many churches. So many pastries. There’s a lot to do in and around Naples historically but we focussed on the historic center and spent, essentially, every waking moment exploring the streets, churches, alleyways and shops of Centro Storico. We went to the archeological museum and attempted to scratch the surface there, and also to the tiny museum of the chapel of Sansevero where, my pre-chosen deep desire of this trip was the statue of the veiled Christ. No pictures as we weren’t allowed , but here is a link for the interested.