The medieval village of Assisi

Assisi is a town of 28,000 inhabitants and is in the province of Perugia. It rises on a gentle slope of Mount Subasio and looks below the wonderful Umbrian valley. Just think that the oldest traces of human presence in this territory date back to a few thousand years before Christ and exactly to the Neolithic. It is known for being the city that gave birth to San Francesco and Santa Chiara, patrons of the city. Did you understand what city we are talking about? Just her, Assisi. Since 1200 it has been listed among the first four centers of Christianity after Compostela, Jerusalem and Rome. An ancient town that has its origins since the ninth century by the Umbrians who maintained commercial relations with the Etruscan neighbors, Assisi experienced its greatest development in the eras of Roman domination, when it played a strategic role for the control of commercial exchanges. A nature that will keep for centuries. What comes to ours is the appearance of a medieval city, from which you can enjoy a formidable view, made up of characteristic houses with exposed brick, numerous and famous churches and endless alleys. And it is from these sunny, labyrinthine and suggestive alleys, thanks to the care that the inhabitants have, that the real visit to the town begins. Details do not escape, such as the electric street lamps made from old oil lamp frames or the steep staircase in name and in fact. Visiting the wonders of this city is possible by participating in an Assisi Walking Tour. With a local guide, you can enter the beating heart of the town, live it fully, breathe its calm and sweet atmosphere and visit one of the most important churches in the world, a symbol of Assisi and of the Christian religion in its entirety thanks to a Guided Tour of the Basilica of St. Francis.

What to see in Assisi

Assisi is a fantastic medieval village, where the past is still steeped in the walls, in the houses, inside the churches, along the cobbled streets, a past that is still present, testimony of how time seems never to have passed. Among the most important attractions we find:

• The Rocca Maggiore, built in 1174 is the fortress that dominates the city of Assisi from above;

• The Basilica of St. Francis, dating back to 1228 divided into the newly built Upper Basilica and the Old Lower Basilica;

• The Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo, seat of the commander of the city militias;

• The Museum of the Porziuncola, which houses numerous Franciscan paintings including “Il Crocifisso” by Giunta Pisano.

This is much more in a small city like Assisi but with a big heart and history.

Things to know about Assisi Tours

Among the various tours recommended for a better tour of the city there is certainly the Assisi Walking Tour and a Basilica of St. Francis Guided Tour. With a certified local guide you will travel through history, through the centuries, through the dominations, and into everything that has made this city unique in its kind. The thousand historical and artistic faces among the works of famous painters such as Giotto and Cimabue, its medieval characteristics and its history, gave the city in 2002 the nomination of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Assisi is the spiritual center where St. Francis’ message of peace and tolerance is received and spread from here. So? Come and visit it too and let yourself be enchanted by its charm.