Assisi is famous for its hometown boy, St. Francis, and his “slow down and smell God’s roses” lifestyle. With its hillside setting and medieval charm, Assisi is a slice of quintessential Italy.
Francis’ message of love, simplicity, and sensitivity to the environment has a broad and timeless appeal. And mementos of his life in Assisi are everywhere. We’ll see the church where he was baptized, the town square where he hung out, and the wooden crucifix that changed his life. We’ll also visit places associated with his spiritual soulmate, St. Clare.
But there’s much more to Assisi than Francis. The town is beautifully preserved and rich in history, form Roman ruins to medieval towers. We’ll enjoy peaceful views of the Umbrian countryside, and wander the back lanes of this picturesque town.
Sure it’s a bit touristy… but with the right attitude, you can actually have a rewarding, “travel on purpose” kind of experience in the inspiring hill town of Assisi.
Piazza Matteotti – This is the sprawling, modern square at the uphill part of town. It’s not particularly atmospheric – in fact – it’s butt ugly. But it is a transportation hub, where many visitors first arrive in town.
The town of Assisi spills downhill from Piazza Mazzeotti, sprawling across a ridge. Above the town is a ruined castle, and rising above that -Mount Subasio. Our wander goes from here to the town’s main square (Piazza del Comune), and from there to the Basilica of St. Francis at the far end of town. If we walked directly downhill, you could get from one end to the other in as little as 15 minutes.
Although it’s best known as the medieval town of St. Francis, Assisi has been continuously inhabited for more than 2,000 years.
The Roman Amphitheater– You can easily make out the elliptical shape of what was once the old Roman amphitheater. Assisi was an important Roman town, with all the traditional Roman trappings: city walls, a water system, temples, government buildings, and – an amphitheater. The Romans’ main square, or forum, is today’s Piazza del Comune, which we’ll visit later. This amphitheater was likely used by the Romans as a kind of mini-Colosseum, for sporting contests between men and animals.
Here is the laundry basin just across the road from the amphitheater. Imagine how colorful this palce must have been in previous generations, when the women of Assisi gathered here to do their wash.
Adjacent to the basin is a small rectangular pool filled with water. Above it are the coat of arms of Assisi’s leading families.
As you can see, the Roman stones have long been absorbed into the medieval architecture. It was Roman tradition to locate the amphitheater outside of town, which this used to be. While the amphitheater dates from around the time of Christ (the early first century), the buildings filing it today were built in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Porta Perlici – an Umbrian View – Umbria, called the “green heart of Italy,” is the country’s geographical center. It’s also its only landlocked region. Enjoy the various shades of green; silver green on the valley floor – those are olive trees.
The emerald green grapevines. And the deep green on the hillsides from evergreen oak trees.
The ruined castle above the city is called Rocca Maggiore, or “big fortress.” The current structure, built in 1367, provided townsfolk a refuge in times of attack. The quarry – which is visible, outside of town, under the castle, was a handy source for Assisi’s characteristic pink limestone.
Assisi’s Back Lanes – from Porta Perlici to the Cathedral of San Rufino – The neighborhood has some of the most photogenic back lanes in town. enjoy the higgledy-piggledy architecture. Each generation build on the ruins of the previous one, as the city has grown over the centuries.
The old Roman aqueduct still runs along this lane. Built 2000 years ago, the aqueduct still bring water from a mountain spring into the city. Locals actually come here for the best tasting water in town.
In late Roman times, Assisi, like all of Italy, was converted to Christianity. Its heyday came around the year 1200. The town sat on the busy trade route between the city of Rome and northern Europe. Medieval Assisi grew rich. This was the world of St. Francis was born into – and rebelled against.
The Cathedral of San Rufino
This church is Assisi’s cathedral – that is, the headquarters of the local bishop. It’s for St. Rufino, the town’s first bishop and Assisi’s patron saint. In the 3rd century, Rufino converted the pagan Roman city of Assisi to Christianity. After he was martyred, he was buried here.
The structure you see today was built in the 11th century. The facade is heavy, with Roman-style columns and arches, and a squat belltower. The big triangular false front atop the facade was added later. Aside from that Gothic feature, the church has one of the best and purest Romanesque facades in all of Italy.
The interior is an unremarkable mix of 17th-century Baroque and 18th-century Neoclassical.
Notice the two fine statues: one of St. Francis and the other of St. Claire. They date from 1888. In Francis’s day, this cathedral was the main church in town, and it played a role throughout his remarkable life.
The old baptismal font has – for 10 centuries – greeted the children of Assisi as they have been baptized here. In about the year 1181, a baby boy was baptized in this font. His dad was an upwardly mobile cloth salesman named Pietro Bernardone. His mom was from France. Both parents were avid Francophiles, so they called their young son Francesco – “Frenchy” – or, as we know him, Francis. When Francis was 13, another baby was baptized in this church – the daughter of a nobleman. Her name was Clare. Eighteen years later, the paths of these two crossed again in this church. Clare attended a class here and became mesmerized by the teacher – Francis. These two went on to make spiritual history together.
In the nave, you can look down through the glass panels in the floor. These reveal foundations preserved from the ninth-century church that stood here before this one. Beneath that – but not visible from here – are remains of what may be a Roman temple. Christian churches were often built upon pagan temples.
This is a old Roman cistern. Marvel at the cistern’s fine stonework and Roman engineering. In the Middle Ages, this was the town’s emergency water source when under attack.
In the church’s crypt is the Diocesan museum. When it’s open (it was not for us… 🙁 ), you can see the ruins from earlier structures and cathedral art from centuries past. The highlights is a Roman-style sarcophagus, located directly under the church’s main altar. This contains the remains of a man who made Assisi Christian and founded this church – Saint Rufino.
Medieval Architecture – In the back streets you can get a small taste of Assisi during its golden age – from around the year 1200. One can notice the original pink limestone of the pavement.
Notice also the medieval arches built over the doorways. They indicate that the buildings date from the time when Assisi was booming. Assisi thrived on the north-south trade between northern Europe and Rome. Cities like Assisi were in the process of inventing free-market capitalism, dabbling in democratic self-rule, and creating the modern urban lifestyle. And Assisi was growing in population, while hemmed in by its medieval walls.
Notice the vaults that turn lanes into tunnels – creating living space above. As the population grew, people still wanted to live within the town’s protective walls. Medieval Assisi had several times the population density of modern Assisi. Also notice the beautiful blooming balconies: Assisi holds a flower competition each June. The town is so well-preserved because, after its golden age, it declined rapidly. In the 1300s, it suffered a devastating Black Death, or bubonic plague. Neighboring cities like Perugia came to dominate. Trade dried up and new construction was halted. Fortunately for we tourists, Assisi never really recovered, leaving us a well-preserved medieval gem.
As we stand here amid this medieval architecture, it’s easy to get into a medieval mindset. It’s the year 1200, business is booming, and everybody in town wants to make money. Everyone that is, except for a couple of troublesome young idealists – a girl named Clare and a guy they called Frenchy.
Viewpoint at the Basilica of St. Claire – Gazing out over the valley, we consider the next phase in the story of St. Francis and St. Claire.
In 1202, young Francesco Bernardone – Francis – donned armor and rode out to battle the Perugians. Francis was captured and imprisoned for a year. He returned from Perugia a changed man. He avoided friends and his father’s lucrative cloth business. He spend more and more time outside the city walls fasting, praying, and searching for something.
He finally found refuge at the humble Church of San Damiano – it’s in the valley below, where the olive grove is today. In 1206 a vision changed his life, culminating in a dramatic confrontation. Francis stood before the town leaders, stripped naked, and threw his clothes at his father. Turning his back on the comfortable materials life, he declared his loyalty to God alone.
Idealistic young men flocked to Francis. Like Jesus, Francis taught by example, living without worldly goods and aiming to love all creation. He and his followers wandered Italy like troubadours, spreading the joy of the Gospel to rich and poor alike. Francis became a cult figure, attracting huge crowds. They’d never seen anything like it – sermons preached outdoors, in everyday Italian rather than church Latin. Francis made God accessible to all.
In the year 1212, Francis met up once again with Clare. Remember, when Clare was 18, she’d taken a class from Francis at the cathedral. Though she was born rich and noble, she fell in love with Francis’ non-materialist message. She made secret arrangements to meet him. The night of Palm Sunday, Clare slipped out of her father’s mansion in town and escaped to the valley below. There, a procession of friars with torches met her and took her to meet Francis. Francis cut her hair, clothed her in a simple brown tunic, and welcomed her into a life of voluntary poverty. Though Clare’s father begged, ordered, and physically threatened her to return, she would not budge. Soon Clare was joined by other women who banded together under the name “the Poor Clares.”
The order lived in the valley below, in the Church of San Damiano. They planted an olive grove near it – the grove we see today. It’s said that Francis himself lived for a time in that same olive grove, in a simple reed hut. It was there that he wrote his poem, The Canticle of the Sun.
It goes:
Praise for Brother Sun, who brings the day. His radiance reminds us of you!
Praise for Sister Moon and the stars, precious and beautiful…
Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks, and with humility, serve him.
The church is dedicated to Assisi’s own favorite daughter, who lived from 1194 to 1253. After Clare’s death, the Poor Clares needed a more glorious building than their humble church in the valley. In 1265, they built the Basilica of St. Clare, though the huge buttresses you see today were added in the next century.
The style – Umbrian Gothic – is simple, in keeping with the nun’s dedication to a life of contemplation. The attached convent still houses the community of the Poor Clares, which has flourished now for 700 years. It acts as the global headquarters of all the Poor Clares.
Today’s whitewashed interior – done in the 1700s – covers the older original frescoes.
When we look at the battered remains of one of the old frescoes, we can see how the fresco surface was hacked up so whitewash would stick.
Imagine all the pristine Frecoes hiding behind Neoclassical and Baroque whitewash, here and all over Europe.
The Chapel of the Crucifix of San Damiano displays the wooden crucifix that changed Francis’ life. In 1206, an emaciated, soul-searching, stark-raving Francis knelt before this very crucifix. Back then, the crucifix was located in the Church of San Damiano, down in the valley. Francis begged God for guidance.
The crucifix spoke to him: “Go and rebuild my Church,” it said. “Rebuild my church, which you can see has fallen into ruin.” Francis followed the call.
He physically rebuilt that rundown church, and metaphorically revitalized the Christian church, which had lost touch with the common people.
From the nave, a set of stairs leads down to a crypt. Here we find the tomb of St. Clare. Her tomb is on the far end. The image we see of Clare’s body is actually just wax – her bones lie underneath. The paintings on the walls depict spiritual lessons from Clare’s life and death.
After conversion to Francis’s way of life, Claire spend the next 40 years living within the confines of the convent of San Damiano. Her routine was simple – living barefoot, vegetarian, and largely silent. Her days were spent in prayer, meditation, and simple manual labor – especially knitting.
Her lifestyle impressed commoners and popes alike, and she was canonized almost immediately after her death. St. Clare is often depicted carrying a monstrance, a little temple holding the Eucharist water.
Back at the stairs, in a large glassed-in area. Here are Saint Clare’s robes. The silver box holds some of her hair. The enormous tunic was made by Clare herself.
You’ll also see relics of St. Francis, including a stocking. The blood stain came from the stigmata, the wounds of Christ that Francis supposedly received in a miracle.
Back outside, we paused to take in this grand Umbrian view again. Assisi overlooks the richest and biggest valley in otherwise hilly and mountainous Umbria. While the municipality of Assisi has a population of 25,000, only 3,500 people actually live in the old town. The lower town grew up with the coming of the railway in the 19th century. In the distance haze, you can perhaps make out the blue-domed church. This is the huge St. Mary of the Angels, or Santa Maria degli Angeli. It marks the place where St. Francis lived, worked, and died. In his day, it was a humble church. Today it’s a major pilgrimage spot, dear to the hearts of all Franciscans.
As we keep heading downhill and tear ourselves from this view, consider this: Spanish speaking Franciscans settled in California. Three of their missions grew into major cities: San Francisco was named after St. Francis. Santa Clara after St. Clare. And the third was named after the church of St. Maria degli Angeli – we know it as the city of angels, Los Angeles.
From St. Clare to Piazza del Commune – Arches and Artisans – Standing in the street called Via Santa Chaira, looking left and right we can see the old town gates. Uphill on Via Santa Chiara, the high road finds this first arch – which marks the site of the original Roman wall. In Roman days, this was the extent of Assisi.
Back past the church, this old gate over the road dates from 1265, as the town expanded during the boom years, and the city wall was pushed outward.
Farther on, we find the Porta Nuova. Built in 1316, this “New Gate” marks the final expansion of Assisi, before its centuries of slow decline.
Walking uphill along Via Santa Chiara, we remember that in ancient times, this was the main drag into town, leading to the main square. When we pass through the old Roman gate, the street’s name changes to Corso Mazzini. These days the street is lined with interesting shops selling local crafts.
Piazza del Comune and the Temple of Minerva – This square has been the center of Assisi for over 2,000 years. It’s a hodge-podge of buildings from the 100-or-so generations that have inhabited this spot.
In Roman days, Piazza del Comune was an important square, with government buildings, a marketplace, and a temple. The six flutted Corinthian columns mark the entrance to what was the Temple of Minerva. Assisi has always been a spiritual center.
The Romans went to great lengths to make this first century BC. Temple of Minerva a centerpiece of their city. Notice the columns that cut into the stairway. It was a tight fit here on the hilltop. In ancient times, the street level was much lower. In fact, the temple stairs originally went down about twice as far as they do now, to the main drag, which has gradually been filled in over time. In the 9th century, the pagan temple became a Christian church – the Church of Santa Maria sopra (“or over”) Minerva. The bell tower is from the 13th century.
Today’s interior is 17th-century Baroque.
At the altar are the original Roman temple floor stones.
You can even see the drains for the bloody sacrifices that took place here.
Behind the statues of Peter and Paul, the original Roman embankment peeks through.
Back outside, immediately across the square are some 16th century frescoed vaults of the old market. Notice the Italian flair for design. Even this smelly market was once finely decorated. The art style is called “grotto-esque”.
The name comes from the fanciful Roman paintings found on the walls of excavated Roman ruins. This scene was indisputably painted after 1492. Indisputably? How do I know? Because it features turkeys. Turkeys were first seen in Europe after Columbus returned from the Americas with his load of exotic souvenirs. The turkeys painted here may have been that bird’s European debut.
We enjoyed the bustle of Piazza del Comune. Just as St. Farncis probably did. He grew up just a block south of here, in the family home, where the Chiesa Nouva stands today. It’s easy to imagine young Francis before his conversion, hanging out here – handsome, popular, sitting at the fountain, chatting up al the cute ragazzi.
Think about young Francis after his dramatic conversion. He confronted his rich father. Some say it took place right in the Piazza del Comune, though no one knows for sure. In front of the whole town, he rejected his dad, and stripped off his fancy clothes. Dedicating his life to God alone, he bolted out of town. He wandered the hillsides, seeking direction from his maker. It was here, away from the hubbub of the city, that Francis eventually found peace. He forged his message of simple living and poverty, where a person could find God in the beauty of nature.
The Church of Santo Stefano – The church is surrounded by cypress, fig and walnut trees. Santo Stafano used to be outside the town walls in the days of St. Francis. Today, while well within the walls. It still offers a delightful bit of offbeat Assisi.
We were not able to go inside… nor actually see much of it at all. It was under renovation. So I don’t have a lot to share with you all…
But the church plays a small role in the legends surrounding St. Francis. On October 3, 1226, Francis lay dying in a small church down in the valley where the massive St. Mary of the Angels stands today. Surrounded by his fellow monks, he passed away, at the age of 45. Legend has it that, at the moment he died, the bells of Santo Stefano miraculously rang out.
Via San Francesco – This main drag leads from the town to the grand basilica that houses the body of St. Francis. Francis was a big deal even in his own day. He was made a saint in 1228, that is, just two years after his death. The same year he became a saint, the basilica’s foundations were laid. In 1230, his body was moved there. Before long, Assisi was a big-time pilgrimage center, and this street was its booming hub.
The arch you pass through marks the end of what was Assisi in St. Francis’ day. Notice the fine medieval balcony in the building to the right of the arch.
Next to a fountain that has cooled pilgrims since medieval times, the hospice next door was built in 1237 to house pilgrims. Notice the three surviving faces of its fresco: There’s Jesus, and along with him are his dedicated followers, Francis and Clare.
A bit farther down is the Oratorio dei Pellegrini, or pilgrims’ oratory. This dates from the 1450s. A brotherhood ran a hostel here for travelers passing through to pay homage to St. Francis. The chapel offers a richly frescoed space in which to contemplate the saint’s message.
Ahead stands the grand facade of the Basilica of St. Francis. As we approach, we pass other people – pilgrims, tourists in shorts, and Franciscans in robes. The Franciscans wear brown robes with a hood, tied with a rope, and sandals. They aspire to live a simple life, like the first Christian himself – Jesus. Franciscans are not necessarily priests. Most are just ordinary people like us, who’ve been touched by the message of Francis. They’ve all taken Francis’s vow of obedience, chastity, and poverty. They see themselves as brothers, or friars, part of the human family. For many of these Franciscans, a journey here is the pilgrimage of a lifetime, as they visit their spiritual mecca – the town of Assisi.
Assisi is still warmed by the spirit of St. Francis. During our wander, we’ve traveled from Roman times, through the town’s medieval heyday, to the very place where St. Francis rests. The town still bears his mark. When Francis passed away, he left a legacy of humanism, equality, and love of nature that lives to this day.