6 Assisi

Visit Basilica of San Francesco, lower and upper churches, crypt and display of St. Francis’s relics and objects connected with his life. View the frescos of Giotto (1267-1337) depicting the major events in Francis’s life. The architecture of the Upper Church is typical of Franciscan monastic style, with Gothic arches and symbolizing asceticism and spirituality.

Walk along Via S. Francesco to Piazza del Commune (12 min. walk), to view the Roman remains of the Tempio di Minerva (built in the 1st c. BCE), at the Chiesa di S. Maria sopra Minerva.

Visit S. Rufino Cathedral (4 min. walk) where S. Francesco and S. Chiara (and maybe Emperor Frederick II as well) were baptized. View the 12th-century façade and rose windows, as well as the Roman block foundations to be seen outside around the apse and bell tower. Remains of the Roman theater and amphitheater are located nearby.

Visit S. Chiara Church (5 min. walk) where the saint and founder of the Poor Clares is preserved, and where the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis is kept, the Byzantine Crucifix of San Damiano. Christ asked Francis to “Repair my church.”

Meet to walk up to the Rocca Maggiore, first built as a feudal fortification by Frederick Barbarossa and rebuilt in 1356 as a stronghold of the Papal States, which had taken it over. (This is a 10-minute climb, but you are rewarded with a beautiful view at the top.)