Assisi is a town in the province of Perugia on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It was the birthplace of St Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St Clare (Chiara d’Offreducci), the founder of the Poor Sisters, which later became the Order of Poor Clares after her death. The 19th century Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was also born in Assisi.

Main sights

  • Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi (St Francis) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery (il Sacro Convento) and the lower and upper church (Basilica inferiore e superiore) of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253. The lower church has frescos by renowned late-medieval artists Cimabue and Giotto; in the upper church are frescos of scenes in the life of St Francis previously ascribed to Giotto and now thought to be by artists of the circle of Pietro Cavallini of Rome.
  • Santa Maria Maggiore, the earliest extant church in Assisi.
  • Cathedral of San Rufino (St Rufinus), with a Romanesque façade with three rose windows and a 16th century interior; part of it is built on a Roman cistern.
  • Basilica of Santa Chiara (St Clare) with its massive lateral buttresses, rose window, and simple Gothic interior, begun in 1257, contains the tomb of the saint and 13th century frescoes and paintings.
  • Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (St Mary of the Angels), which houses the Porziuncola.
  • Chiesa Nuova, built over the presumed parental home of St Francis.
  • Santo Stefano (Assisi), one of the oldest churches of Assisi.
  • Eremo delle Carceri, a small monastery with church at a canyon above Assisi, where St Francis retreated and preached to birds
Map: Assisi
Map: Assisi