A Pilgrimage Around Assisi

  Your Travel Guide for Assisi - Neal Winfield

My Assisi …

"Whilst some people are not totally sure of where Umbria is, and some are aware of Perugia with its jazz and chocolate festivals, almost everyone knows Saint Francis of Assisi. Umbria is known as the 'Land of Saints' and here Assisi is the home of two of the big hitters, Saint Francis, the patron saint of Italy and his adoring counterpart, the gentle Saint Clare. These alone make Assisi the third most visited religious location in Italy, outside of Rome’s St. Peters square and Pio’s shrine in Puglia. In fact, Assisi has six saints associated with it.

Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Umbria is 15 km east of Perugia on the shadowy slopes of Mount Subasio. The terraced streets of pink stone and the many churches and museums are interesting for both the pilgrim and secular tourist. There are many exquisite pieces of Renaissance art: Works by Giotto, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti can all be seen here. Assisi still has traces of its Roman past including the amphitheatre, a restored temple to Minerva in the Piazza dei Comune and sections of the town wall.

Visit the upper and lower churches to St Frances and the Basilica of St Clare, both built in white and pink stone of the area. The Porziuncola, a small church, in which St Francis died, is located inside the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli. The small hermitage cell of Eremo delle Carceri, where St Frances would go to seek solace and to pray is 4 km outside of Assisi".

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  Local Events

Assisi's Attractions

Things to See and Do

1. Visit the Basilica of San Francesco to see its wonderful artworks.
2. Relax at San Damiano just outside the town walls amongst its peaceful olive groves and wild flowers.
3. Visit the Cathedral of San Rufino, Assisi’s patron saint.
4. See the Basilica of Santa Chiara, the resting place for Saint Agnes, Saint Clare’s sister
5. Visit Eremo delle Carceri, a small monastery where Frances preached..
6. Go to Chiesa Nuova, a church apparently built over the house of Frances’s parents house.
7. Climb to Rocca Maggiore, large dominant Papal castle which from its high perch dominates the town and offers picturesque views across the Spoleto Valley
8. Explore Rocca Minore, a smaller, older Roman castle partly destroyed but open to tourists.

Festivals
As you would expect there are many religious festivals at which time the town comes alive, particularly around Christmas and Easter; after all Saint Francis did invent the nativity scene and you are always guaranteed a fine example of the living nativity here.

May
Calendimaggio at the beginning of May is when the residents of Assisi dress up in medieval costume and demonstrate their mastery of time honoured skills and trades, with exhibitions of flag waving, dancing and theatrical plays all on display.

  Local Cuisine

Pasta

The typical produce of Assisi, like much of Umbria, is based around simple home cooked fare, fresh pasta all served with olive oil and grated black truffles on top.

One of the prized dishes of the area is the 'strangozzi' pasta with a goose sauce, like many typical Umbrian dishes it is a simple but tasty peasant dish, popular around the harvest time.

  Neal's Spotlight on …The Basilica di San Francesco

The churches of St Francis are a popular pilgrimage point for tourists and include the ground breaking fresco depiction of St Francis’s life painted by Giotto. You can also see numerous paintings in both the upper and lower churches by some of the leading lights of the Renaissance, and colourful, translucent stained glass windows and serene white marble sculptures. The two churches are perched on top of each other and demonstrate an excellent understanding of construction techniques during the 13th century.

Entrance is free and the doors are open between 8:30am to 6:50pm

   How to Get There

By Car: whether travelling from Rome and the south or Florence, Bologna in the north you should head for the E45, when you reach Perugia take the SS75, sign posted for Assisi. It is advisable to park on the outskirts and take one of the many buses into town as Assisi, like many Italian hill towns has narrow, steep streets and little parking.

By Train: Assisi is on the main line between Trentola and Foligno with stops at Ponte San Giovane in Perugia. The train station itself is 4 km from the main centre of Assisi but there are buses into town every half hour.

By Plane: the nearest airport is only 10 km away at San Egidio, just outside of Perugia. However, located in central Italy, Assisi is within easy reach of all the main airports at Rome, Pisa, Bologna and Ancona.