norcia and visiting umbria and driving through umbria and benedict of nursia

We journeyed on from the verdant attractiveness of the Valley of the Sibillini and entered into what the tourist guidebooks call the "barren expanse" between Castelluccio and Norcia. We arrived in Norcia about 2:00 p.m. on a Friday, simply the worst time to come to a smaller Italian town. Why? Because of the two to three hour break in the middle of the day. Just as we neglected to bring water with us on our daily excursions, so we kept forgetting that Italy shuts down during what we Americans would call the peak of the day. Thus, when we saw a sign for a chocolate factory in Norcia (Norcia being famous for its chocolate and its sausage), we eagerly screeched to a stop, only to discover that the factory was closed (you should memorize the word chiuso, since you will see it so often in Italy). Undeterred, we headed into Norcia, where we found almost everything closed, too, except one small convenience store where I got an ice cream cone that tasted much worse than the delectable picture of it would seem to suggest.

Norcia and its environs is also famous for a few other things. Its sausage is a regional hit, and is so noteworthy that even the butchers are called "norcini." I had these thick link sausages twice or three times in Spoleto, and I still can taste and smell the savory fulness of the meat. In addition, the entire Nera River Valley is known for its "truffles," a very expensive sort of mushroom which is usually sprinkled in the pasta dishes. This web site on Umbrian cuisine sings the virtues of the Norcian truffle. But there is seemingly a bit of an irony here. The regional truffles are gathered by the pigs, who seem to have a nose for them. In gratitude, I suppose, to the pigs for finding all these delectable and expensive truffles, the butchers kill the pigs and make them into the most delectable sausage in Italy. See what you get for helping out? Maybe, if I were a pig, I would just keep silent on where to find the truffles. Perhaps I would live longer.

Benedict of Nursia (Norcia)

But the real reason I wanted to stop in Norcia, and not Cascia, for example, was that Norcia was the birthplace of Benedict, who in the twentieth century became the patron saint of Europe. We all know of St. Francis of Assisi, who is now the patron saint of Italy, but few people truly appreciate the nature of Benedict's contribution to the development of medieval monasticism via the Benedictine Rule. While the tourist industry is huge in Assisi, there is very little of it to speak of in Norcia. I couldn't even find an English biography of him in town, though there were a few brief Italian pieces which I didn't have the interest to try to work through. But Benedict (ca. 480-563) is significant because he founded an abbey in the 520s in Monte Cassino south of Rome in the middle of the days when the Goths and Lombards were settling in to a rather long and dark night of management of the Italian peninsula. Thus, in the midst of the prevailing cultural and economic contraction, Benedict began something positive. St. Francis, in contrast, began his movement in the peak of Roman Catholic power and influence in Europe and when the Italian cities were coming alive in economic activity. Maybe it isn't easy to be a saint at any time, but Benedict certainly began to build his movement in a darker time than Francis.

And, in addition, Benedict articulated a monastic philosophy which contrasted strongly with the more eremitical tradition of Egypt and the Holy Land. Even though Pachomius had explored the coenobitic variety of monasticism, Benedict would refine it and develop a rule through which the monks would both labor and pray (ora ed labora), as well as devote themselves to scholarship and service. Here is picture of the statue of Benedict from the town square in Norcia.

Also in the Piazza are a few churches, but the one I found most interesting was the 14th century Church of San Benedetto. It was built on the foundation of an earlier church on the site, which, as tradition has it, was built also on the site of Benedict's birth. I love these traditions, which one can neither confirm or disprove. Benedict also had a twin sister and, instead of beating her up all the time, seemingly got along with her, and both of them became saints (she is Saint Scolastica).

Conclusion

I took this occasion of writing about Benedict to go back and read a little of the Rule of St. Benedict, which is easily available on the web. The three monastic virtues celebrated in the Rule are obedience, silence and humility. Listen to the tone of the chapter on obedience (ch. 5) and see if you think you would make a good Benedictine.

"The first degree of humility is obedience without delay. This becometh those who, on account of the holy subjection which they have promised, or of the fear of hell, or the glory of life everlasting, hold nothing dearer than Christ. As soon as anything hath been commanded by the Superior they permit no delay in the execution, as if the matter had been commanded by God Himself. Of these the Lord saith: "At the hearing of the ear he hath obeyed Me" (Ps 17[18]:45). And again He saith to the teachers: "He that heareth you heareth Me" (Lk 10:16)."

And then, skipping a paragraph, we have this sentence:

"This obedience, however, will be acceptable to God and agreeable to men then only, if what is commanded is done without hesitation, delay, lukewarmness, grumbling or complaint, because the obedience which is rendered to Superiors is rendered to God."

What do you think? I think I would make a terrible Benedictine, even if I kind of like the idea of a rule--because a rule suggests a disciplined way in which life ought to be lived. Ready and cheerful obedience. The hallmark of the Benedictines. I wonder where that ability comes from. I think I will have to get my heavenly reward from other sources.

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