Return to Italy - Assisi
This fall (September 2017), we returned to Italy for a two week vacation. We were accompanied on this trip by our youngest son Austin who has always had a fascination with medieval and ancient history. He was able to educate us on many aspects of the history of the area – especially the Etruscans and the Roman Empire.
We used our timeshare to rent a condo that was located just outside Assisi. We decided to avoid the more popular Italian destinations like Venice and Florence, opting instead to spend time exploring smaller hilltop towns in the area. We visited a dozen or so towns within an hours drive of Assisi. In taking this approach, we felt like we got a better perspective on Italy’s ambiance and medieval history.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town of Assisi has been an important destination for tourists and pilgrims for many centuries. Even today, one can see many different religious sects with their distictive robes and outfits wandering the town, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this historic area.
Assisi is well known as the birthplace of St. Francis and continues to be the site of many religious pilgrimages. It was settled initially by the Umbrians around 1000 BC and was gradually overtaken by the Etruscans in 450 BC. It was settled by the Romans after the Etruscans were defeated in 295 BC.
Assisi is still surrounded by defensive walls which remain fairly well intact and there are eight gates which provide access for visitors to explore the town. One such gate, the Porta San Giacoma or Saint James Gate, was originally built in the 12th century. This is the closest entry to the Basilica - although there is still a long, uphill walk to get to the Basilica from here.
The main attraction in Assisi is the Basilica of San Franscisco. The Papal Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars.The Basilica is one of the most important destinations of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, Sacro Convento, the Basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi.
The Basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and includes two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of St Francis are interred. The Upper Church was completed in 1230 while the Lower Church was started around 1239 and completed in 1253.
Saint Clare of Assisi (July 16, 1194 – August 11, 1253) is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, and wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the Order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares.
The Basilica of Saint Clare was completed in 1260 and Saint. Clare’s remains were transferred here on October 3, 1260. Her bones are now in the crypt of the Basilica, upon being rediscovered in 1850. A wax effigy of Saint. Clare can be seen on her crypt.
We used our timeshare to rent a condo that was located just outside Assisi. We decided to avoid the more popular Italian destinations like Venice and Florence, opting instead to spend time exploring smaller hilltop towns in the area. We visited a dozen or so towns within an hours drive of Assisi. In taking this approach, we felt like we got a better perspective on Italy’s ambiance and medieval history.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town of Assisi has been an important destination for tourists and pilgrims for many centuries. Even today, one can see many different religious sects with their distictive robes and outfits wandering the town, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this historic area.
Assisi is well known as the birthplace of St. Francis and continues to be the site of many religious pilgrimages. It was settled initially by the Umbrians around 1000 BC and was gradually overtaken by the Etruscans in 450 BC. It was settled by the Romans after the Etruscans were defeated in 295 BC.
Assisi is still surrounded by defensive walls which remain fairly well intact and there are eight gates which provide access for visitors to explore the town. One such gate, the Porta San Giacoma or Saint James Gate, was originally built in the 12th century. This is the closest entry to the Basilica - although there is still a long, uphill walk to get to the Basilica from here.
The main attraction in Assisi is the Basilica of San Franscisco. The Papal Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars.The Basilica is one of the most important destinations of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, Sacro Convento, the Basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi.
The Basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and includes two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of St Francis are interred. The Upper Church was completed in 1230 while the Lower Church was started around 1239 and completed in 1253.
The Basilica of Saint Clare was completed in 1260 and Saint. Clare’s remains were transferred here on October 3, 1260. Her bones are now in the crypt of the Basilica, upon being rediscovered in 1850. A wax effigy of Saint. Clare can be seen on her crypt.
The Basilica of Saint Clare also contains many of St. Francis' relics including his robe and slippers.
Another site in Assisi that we visited is the former Temple of Minerva. The Temple of Minerva (Tempio di Minerva) is an ancient Roman temple initially built in the 1st century BC. It currently houses a church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which was built in 1539 and renovated in the 17th century.
Outside the walls of the medieval town is the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary of the Angels). This basilica was constructed between 1569 and 1679 enclosing a small 9th century church known as the Porziuncola. This is one of the most sacred places for Franciscans. It was here that the young Francis of Assisi understood his vocation and renounced his worldly possessions to live in poverty among the poor. This started the Franciscan movement.
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