So here we are, standing in the Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco (Lower Plaza of Saint Francis) looking toward the entrance to the Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi (Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi). Although this was nominally the prime target of the visit, photographically this was as close as I got to it.

I got a distinctly negative vibe from the place. First there is the "no photography" sign when you enter the building. As a general principle I'm usually okay with this if it is a question of respect and not disrupting people's worship. (As opposed to a commercial arrangement -I'm looking at you, Sistine Chapel - and don't get me started on the archaeological museum in Verona.) However when you later see a Rick Steves episode where he, a cameraman and a sound recordist are not merely photographing inside the church, but doing a face to camera piece, one does have to wonder how much of the policy is based on genuine respect for the sanctity of a place and how flexible those rules can be if there is a little bit of promotional contra to be had.

There are many works of art inside the churches by artists such as Giotto and Ciambue, but there are a couple of problems here. The first is of course that this is not an art gallery, and I got a sense that people who were there to look rather than pray were seen as intruders. There was nothing overt; glances, frowns, the sort of things that many people might not even notice, but I did, and it gave me an unwelcoming vibe. (Not that I can entirely blame pilgrims for this since I'm sure that the place receives more than its fair share of loud, ignorant tourists.)

The second is that by this point we were starting to be overwhelmed by the artwork. I'm not an art historian. I know who (for example) Giotto and Cimabue were. I know when they lived. (Giotto di Bondone, born Firenze 1267, died same place 1337, Cimabue (alias Cenni di Pepo), also born in Firenze circa 1240, died in Pisa 1302, and I first heard of him when I attended an after hours class at the Art Gallery of NSW... more years ago than I want to think about.) I know why their work is important. Could I point to a work of theirs that I've never seen before and say "yes, they painted that"? No. Probably. I'd recognise the general post-medieval style, but couldn't say with any certainty who had done it. And so even had I felt that the atmosphere was more welcoming, it would have been sensory overload.

Then there's the fact that there is a several hundred year old corpse lying in the basement. Not that I have a problem being around dead bodies as such, but my experiences in that respect have not involved ones which are reputed to have mystical powers. Or perhaps I just had a bad vibe from something that I did not consciously remember at the time, but which was much more modern. In September of 1997, two major earthquakes hit the area causing extensive damage to ancient buildings. After the earthquake, a group of specialists and friars were inspecting the damage to this building when an after-shock caused the vault to collapse, killing two of the friars and two of the specialists. Although I didn't consciously remember it, I'm sure it was buried away deep in my unconscious and that probably contributed to my sense of discomfort about being there.

Until I read some notes that I had written at the time, I had forgotten that we had lost contact with our tour guide who was supposed to take us to the upper basilica... not that it mattered because I wanted out anyway.

As a result, although I did look at part of the interior of the church (of which, 6 to 7 years on, I remember very little unfortunately), I decided that I didn't really want to stay around there and went to take a wander through the township instead.