Assisi

Overview

In Assisi time seems to stand still. The streets are typical of a medieval town with their alleys, arches and stairs criss-crossing each other and the main roads, which are all protected by the massive city walls. Masons, architects and stone cutters have given Assisi a look that can compare to no other town, in that the locally quarried stone from Mount Subasio turns red in the warm sunshine, seems to come alive after a rainstorm and is pale in the moonlight. The climate is mild and dry, so enjoyable all year round.

Assisi must be best known however, for being the birthplace of St Francis, the apostle of poverty. It's a small town with a large selection of medieval works of art by painters such as Simone Martini, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Cimabue. The famous Basilica of San Francis was built between 1257 and 1265, and is packed full of wonderful frescoes. Eremo delle Carceri was an old Benedictine hermitage, which St Francis made his retreat. It's a good place to stop to catch your breath when walking over Mount Subasio to Spello.

St Francis restored a small Gothic church, La Porziuncola, with his bare hands. It's so tiny that no more than twelve people can fit inside at once. The underground Roman remains are worth a visit, as there is a well-preserved temple (once known as the Temple of Minerva), an amphitheatre, tombs, a Roman cistern and piece of the Forum.

No cars are permitted within the city walls for longer than two hours but there are plenty of buses and taxis to take you to surrounding areas. Accommodation ranges from camping sites, bed and breakfasts to first class hotels.