Tuesday, September 15, 2009
King Arthur is a copy cat. Today we took a trip to the Abbey of San Galgano, the burial place of an Italian knight who followed a vision of Jesus and Mary up Monte Siepi where God told him to renouce his worldy pleasures. He, in turn, replied that doing so was a nice idea in theory but just about as easy as splitting a stone with his sword. To prove his point, he thrust his sword into a rock and was dumbfounded when it actually penetrated the stone. Galgano renounced his wordly possessions then and there and never left the mountain again.
Situated in one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany I've seen yet, (that's saying a whole lot) the Montesiepi chapel was built to preserve the stone penetrated by Galgano's sword. It has been proven that the sword does date back to 1180, making it the original "sword in the stone." The chapel became such a popular pilgrimage site that an Abbey was built several years later. The Abbey, now used as a concert hall, is breathtaking and one of the most peaceful places on earth. As our professor told us this morning, "it is the most beautiful abbey in the world and a tuly magical place."
After wandering around we headed to the small nearby restaurant for the best meal I've eaten since my arrival in Italy: wine, bruschetta, olive tapenade, a risotto to die for, pork, roasted potatoes, tiramasu, and espresso...how will I ever return to the Fordham caf?
King Arthur is a copy cat. Today we took a trip to the Abbey of San Galgano, the burial place of an Italian knight who followed a vision of Jesus and Mary up Monte Siepi where God told him to renouce his worldy pleasures. He, in turn, replied that doing so was a nice idea in theory but just about as easy as splitting a stone with his sword. To prove his point, he thrust his sword into a rock and was dumbfounded when it actually penetrated the stone. Galgano renounced his wordly possessions then and there and never left the mountain again.
Situated in one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany I've seen yet, (that's saying a whole lot) the Montesiepi chapel was built to preserve the stone penetrated by Galgano's sword. It has been proven that the sword does date back to 1180, making it the original "sword in the stone." The chapel became such a popular pilgrimage site that an Abbey was built several years later. The Abbey, now used as a concert hall, is breathtaking and one of the most peaceful places on earth. As our professor told us this morning, "it is the most beautiful abbey in the world and a tuly magical place."
After wandering around we headed to the small nearby restaurant for the best meal I've eaten since my arrival in Italy: wine, bruschetta, olive tapenade, a risotto to die for, pork, roasted potatoes, tiramasu, and espresso...how will I ever return to the Fordham caf?
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