For The Birds.

The cold wind and spitting rain caught Stacy and I as we stepped off the 2 1/2 hour ride on a local train.



A walk through the city gate, and up the hill took us to the Basilica of Saint Frances of Assisi where the artist Giotto painted important frescoes.



Giotto is not as familiar an artist as, say, Michelangelo or Leonardo, but he is a towering figure not only in the history of art, but in the history of western culture. He turned the fixed conventions of medieval pictures into the art of observation, creating more natural representations of people in the world. These important Giotto's tell the story of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. To see them click Giotto.

The purpose of so many frescoes in churches is to teach about important Christian ideals (not brought up a Catholic, please read my remarks in the spirit of respectfulness with which I write). These frescoes are an inspiring tribute to St. Francis who offers a universal lesson in humility and respect for man's relationship to nature. Click St. Francis of Assisi to learn more. Perhaps Saint Francis was an inspiration to Giotto, for a saint who had the humility to speak with birds might have inspired Giotto to respect the world as it is and represent it more faithfully.



Though Giotto's pictures may still seem too primitive, and the life of Saint Francis too ascetic for contemporary tastes, they both helped build a bridge from the medieval world to the modern. They gave us modern eyes.

My pilgrimage to see Giotto was also an a eye opening encounter with Saint Frances of Assisi. As we left the Basilica and walked back towards the main gate, the sun was breaking through the grey March clouds.