Deruta history: the handmade sandals of Saint Francis

Learn the true story of the Jews
saved in Assisi.

Thinking of the last cobbler left in Deruta, our mind goes to another handmade product that you may find in specialized stores in Assisi: the sandals of Saint Francis.

Apparently these sandals are very comfortable, like a glove and there are many variations to select from.

My favorite sandal store is on the way from the Basilica of Saint Francis to the Piazza del Comune on the left side of the street. It is a historical shoe store of Assisi. An original idea besides the traditional souvenirs of the town.

Part of the history of Deruta is Padre Rufino, father Guardian in Assisi in the Convent of San Damiano. He became famous with the movie called "The Assisi Underground" (1984) and the book written by Alexander Ramati carrying the same title. He used these same sandals to walk from Assisi to Deruta, where his family lived.

These are the sandals that
friars wear in Assisi
all year long.

The movie was by Canon films with famous actors such as James Mason and Ben Cross and what is interesting is the careful reproduction of the life in Assisi and Perugia during the Holocaust. Also the character of Padre Rufino is very faithful to his personality.

As a little girl I remember him as a big and strong man but cheerful and witty at the same time. He had a deep voice. Padre Rufino used to pay visits on a regular base to my great grand father Pompeo Niccacci and his family whom I grew up with. It is thanks to Padre Rufino if we have beautiful cypress trees in the garden of our home. He planted them personally in the first half of the 1970s.

When the movie was released in 1984 padre Rufino had passed away. He had a project in mind for Deruta, an ecumenical center as a meeting point of the Catholic and Jewish religions. The project was never accomplished because of his early death.

Padre Rufino has received the honor of being in the Garden of the Righteous in the State of Israel. He is buried in the Cemetery of Deruta in his family's chapel.        


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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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