Assisi, Italy

We took a day trip from Rome to Assisi today. We went by train, which was pleasant and easy…and very early for us. We wanted to take the direct train which left just before 8am and got us there a little after 10. We then took a taxi from the station up to the old part of town. Helpful hint to anyone coming after us: have the taxi take you all the way up to the fort at the top of the city. We got dropped off at the Basilica of St Francis because we had read in multiple places to start there because it gets crowded as the day goes on. It did get busier and it may be a good recommendation during the high season, but the hike up to the fort was substantial. Seriously. If you’re going to Assisi you are going to climb hills anyways….don’t make it more than you have to. My Garmin, which shorts me flights of stairs at home with regularity, has credited me 50 flights while in Assisi.

Assisi has been known to be inhabited since around 1000 BC. The Romans took over the area in 295 BC and built walls around the city. The town officially became Christian in 238 AD under Bishop Rufino, who was later martyred. He is traditionally considered to be buried in the Assisi Cathedral. At various times the city has been under rule of the Pope. The city has a fort overlooking it and a beautiful view of the countryside below.

The Basilica of St Francis is beautiful inside with lots of frescoes. Unfortunately they don’t allow photography…which means you sneak pictures with your iPhone (big camera makes noise) when the “official people” aren’t looking. The first part of the Basilica was finished in 1230 with the 2nd part completed in 1239. The frescoes were painted by 1330. The crypt has the remains of St Francis, which were interned there in 1230. His burial site had been hidden for centuries to protect it as there was a high demand for relics of St Francis. It was located in 1818 and in 1934 4 of his friends were interned with him. The Basilica is the “mother church” for the Franciscan Friars. It was interesting to see friars who were clearly there as tourists, cameras around their necks and all. In 1997 there were 2 earthquakes that caused considerable damage to the frescoes in the Basilica, leaving empty patches where the plaster fell off the walls. It also collapsed the vault under the church.

We also stopped by the Temple of Minerva. The facade is part of a temple built in 1 BC. It has housed a Catholic church since 1539. The temple is on the main square of Assisi, Piazza del Commune. Inside there are frescoes.

We went into another church known as the Assisi Cathedral or the Cathedral of San Rufino of Assisi. This was mostly interesting because parts of the floor are glass so that you can see the excavations beneath. St Francis and St Clare (more on her below) were baptized there. The construction of the current church on this site was started in 1140 and was finished in 1253. The interior of the church was changed from Romanesque to Renaissance style in 1571. There is a crypt under the church (don’t think you can go down there) that reportedly contains the 3rd century remains of St Rufino.

We had lunch outside at a little cafe near the Assisi Cathedral before heading on up on our hike to the fort.

Rocco Maggiore is the large fort at the top of Assisi. It was originally built in 1174, but the original structure was overtaken shortly thereafter and essentially destroyed by 1198. It was rebuilt in 1367 under the order of Pope Innocent IV. The structure was added to in the 1400s and 1500s.

It took us 2 tries to get in (they close for hours around lunchtime) but we eventually made it into the Basilica of St Clare. This church was built in the 1200s. St Clare was a teenager heard St Francis preach at the Assisi Cathedral in 1209 which led to her to follow St Francis and also establish the Order of Poor Ladies, now known as the Order of St Clare. Apparently her family did not fully support her mission as there was a painting of her family pulling her away from an altar. Reportedly they tried to remove her from the convent she had gone to. It is assumed that as the oldest daughter there were specific plans for her marriage that may have affected her family’s standing when she went into the convent. Her remains are in a crypt of the church, along with some of her relics.

Almost by chance we came across the Chiesa Nuova, or New Church. The inside was covered with scaffolding and the signs said no pictures allowed, but when I walked in an saw a pair of Franciscan friars taking pictures I figured I could join in. This church is reportedly built on the site of St Francis’ childhood home. Construction of the church began in 1615. The high altar was placed over the “room of St Francis” (doubt he actually had a room to himself in the home as that would have been odd for that timeframe) and there is an area where he was reportedly held captive by his father (not sure why). The frescoes that we could see were simple, but nice, and it was an interesting find.

After all of that we did some shopping and had gelato in the Piazza del Commune. We took the train back to Rome in the late afternoon and had dinner in a small restaurant not far from our hotel. According to my Garmin we walked 8.1 miles today