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Assisi trip planner
A vacation guide to Assisi and its gloriously frescoed Basilica of St. Francis
• iExplore: Umbria Unveiled (self guided walking tour) (8 days; Spoleto, walk on Monteluco, walk the Alberina, Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, Marmore waterfalls, Poreta, walk the "Olive Trail," Clitunno River, Trevi, Spello, Assisi)
• Intrepid: Umbrian Discovery
• Intrepid: Italy Uncovered
• Intrepid: Classic Italy
Assisi would a great little place to visit even if it were just another, run-of-the-mill, lovely Umbrian hilltown—but it's much more than that. Assisi is also a Mecca for religious pilgrims, art fans, and tour buses all because of one man, a medieval mystic, monk, and all-around nice guy named Francesco (AD 1181–1226), who gave up the good life as son of a wealthy merchant to find his spiritual side and eventually became known to the world as St. Francis of Assisi.
The 13th century 
Basilica di San Francesco—the massive, two-level church built to honor this hometown saint—was decorated by some of the greatest artists of Italy's proto-Renaissance Gothic period, including world-famous frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini, and Pietro Lorenzetti. It ranks as one of the top sights in all of Italy, and people go out of their way just to visit it (rightfully so).
St. Francis in a nutshell
Though his personal narrative was perhaps more aligned with those of Moses or the Buddha (a child of relative privilege who renounced the cushy life to pursue a purer, spiritual one), St. Francis has often been called the most Christ-like of the medieval saints.
He was patient, peace-loving, and kind to all (including, famously, animals), a teacher and modest man who nonetheless gathered a flock of ardent followers. This led to the founding of the world's first monastic order, the Franciscans—easily spottable, both around town and throughout Italy, in their brown robes and rope belt dangling three knots.
St. Francis would probably be the last person to suggest erecting a gargantuan church around his tomb, but one of his disciples, St. Elias, was a marketing man at heart and was largely responsible for taking the the holy man's followers and turning them into a full-fledged movement (if you want to keep up the Jesus-like analogy, Elias was Francesco's St. Paul).The flocks of faithful that this church has attracted over the centuries has also led to the embellishment of many other fine churches in town, including the rich Duomo (San Ruffino), the lovely Santa Chiara, and the tiny frescoed
Orotorio dei Pellegrini.
One of them— Santa Maria della Minerva on the central square—is basically just an ancient Roman Temple of Minerva from the 1st century BC that happens to have a baroque church interior. (You can also tour some of the remains of the Roman Forum underneath the piazza.)
Add to this a trek just outside town to the idyllic Eremo delle Carceri monastery farther up the hill in the woodsy countryside, and an exploration of the long, dark, fantastically spooky tunnels of the crumbling 13th–16th century Rocca Maggiore (aka Fortezza Albernoz) castle glowering above town, and you have all the best of Italy—ancient ruins, medieval fortress, peaceful monastery, frescoed churches—in one tidy little hilltown.
I promise to write more about Assisi soon. For now, you can search for hotels in Assisi.
Tips
- Planning your day: You can see the Basilica of Assisi in about 2 hours, though the town deserves at least 4 hours. Since it's not really near another major destination, and it has so many hotel rooms to sop up all the tourists and pilgrims (and therefore competitive prices), it makes a lot of sense to spend the night here.
- How to get to Assisi: TK.
- Book a tour: Prefer to leave the driving and touring arrangements to someone else? Take a tour of Assisi that leaves from Florence with our partners at Viator.com.
• Private Tour: Perugia and Assisi (from Florence; 11 hr.)
• 5-Day Best of Italy Trip (5 days/4 nights our of Rome; also hits Florence, Venice, Siena, Bologna, Montepulciano, and Padua) - Near Assisi: Perugia (40–50 min. by car or train); Orvieto (1.5–2 hr. by car; 2–3 hr. by train); Siena (2–3 hr. by car; 3.5–4.5 hr. by train); Pienza (1.5–2 hr. by car; train impractical), San Gimignano (2.5–3 hr. by car; train impractical); Florence (2–2.5 hr. by car or train); Rome (2.5–3 hr. by car; 2–3 hr. by train).
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This material was last updated December 2010. All information was accurate at the time.
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