Le Celle In Cortona - St. Francis Cell

On our trip to Italy earlier this summer, we made a journey back to Cortona where we had spent some time a few years back.  It was interesting to be in a place that is so foreign, yet somehow feels familiar.  We hit up some of our old haunts, hung out in the two town squares and even took the kids to see Le Celle - a Franciscan Covenant that was started in 1211 and housed St. Francis of Assisi.  It is a pretty special place and once you arrive there and take it all in, you can quickly realize why people - even a long time ago - thought his place was special and magical.

This place had a big impact on Nat and I when we went the first time and (I think because of that!) St. Francis has a special place in our lives now, so taking everyone back was worth the effort.  If you find yourself in or around Cortona (which....I gotta tell you...just do it!), take the time to go to Le Celle.

The photo above is a Google Photosphere picture that I took of St. Francis' cell (his room) that is a stitched-together view of the room.  Try clicking on it it to see the full thing, but if it isn't working for you to pan around in the photo above, click here to go directly to the Google Photos-hosted version and you can pan around and up/down. It is pretty neat.  Amazing to think that he lived in this room; or that anyone lived in this room frankly.