A Medieval Pilgrimage in Modern Assisi

When you go to the hilltop town of Assisi, you’re immediately struck by how medieval it is: narrow alleys, steep streets, stone arches, ancient temples transformed into Christian churches, and everywhere unexpected views of the beautifully preserved Vale of Spoleto, the peaceful agricultural valley full of olives and grapes. But the next thing you notice is how much this town has been ensconced in what Walker Percy, in his essay “The Loss of the Creature,” called the “symbolic complex.” An elaborate system of interpreters and rules and tour guides and ticket offices and gift shops and time schedules and public transportation has grown up around the original object and encrusted the reality of what you came to see and experience.