Assisi Sights and Activities

The city itself is officially a sight—in 2000 Assisi was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. There's no real need to point out any one street or piazza when they're all enchantingly beautiful, but we do anyway.

Basilica di San Francesco, V. San Francesco (☎075 81 90 01; www.sanfrancescoassisi.org), Outside the basilica, you can pick up a free audio tour to learn about more adventures in basilica-building politics. When reconstruction on the sections of the building that were damaged in the 1997 earthquake is going on, visitors are sometimes allowed to put on hardhats and check out the work. It's also worth noting that the Franciscans, despite their sackcloth, are more fashion-conscious than their counterparts in the region: inappropriately clad visitors are given not the usual Kimono of Shame, but a far more tasteful Pashmina of Shame. Most roads in town lead here. Head west. Free. Basilica Superiore open daily in summer 8:30am-6:45pm; in fall, winter, and spring 8:30am-6pm. Basilica Inferiore open daily in summer 6am-6:45pm; in fall, winter, and spring 6am-6pm. Wheelchair access.
Rocca Maggiore, At the top of V. della Rocca (☎075 81 55 234), Best rocca in central Italy! Come with a group of friends, and you will have a funny photo-op field day. Trek uphill past a weird shrine to abandoned chewing gum and reach the entrance—it's worth the hike even on a hot day, because the fort's thick stone walls provide the best sort of A/C. This old garrison is on the whole a bit “museified,” but in the most haphazard of ways. Oh hey, giant crossbow in the middle of a room. What up, stack of parade banners in the corner. Hold up, scary faceless mannequins! Seriously, it's like the place is begging you to amass a year's worth of Facebook profile pictures. If you need more props, the fortress gift shop sells toy crossbows and rifles alongside the rosaries. Be sure to venture down the long, dark, low-ceilinged passage inside the wall to reach the incredible lookout point. You could probably pace through the whole thing in 1hr., but it's far more fun to bring a picnic, a camera, and perhaps some chainmail and m There are signs from P. San Rufino and from P. Matteotti, but in general, from those areas, head uphill. You can see it: it's the big castle thing. €5, students and over 65 and under 17 €3.50. Open daily June-Aug 9am-8pm; Sept-Oct 9am-7pm; Nov-Feb 10am-4:30pm; Mar 10am-5:30pm; Apr-May 9am-7pm. Closed in bad weather. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access.
Cattedrale di San Rufino (Duomo), P. di San Rufino (☎075 81 22 83), Though the big-name church in town, St. Francis's Basilica isn't actually Assisi's Duomo. A church dedicated to San Rufino has stood in Assisi since 1028 and became its cathedral in 1305. The Duomo's current Neoclassical appearance is the result of a 1571 refurbishment which gave it a beautifully sculptured facade. All the same, it's a relatively modest cathedral as far as these things go. From P. del Comune, V. San Rufino heading northeast will lead you to the church. Free. Open in summer M-F 7am-12:30pm and 2:30-7pm, Sa-Su 7am-7pm; in fall, winter, and spring daily 7am-12:30pm and 2:30-6pm. Wheelchair access.
Abazia di San Pietro, P. San Pietro (☎075 81 23 11), An unadorned but soaring stone space, Abazia di San Pietro is austere thanks to a radical reconstruction in 1954 that removed some offending Baroque altars. The elaborate creche and diorama to the left of the altar is of interest—it's like one of those miniature holiday train displays but with less trains and more cattle. Just off Porta San Pietro, in the southwest of the city. Free. Open daily 7:30am-7pm. Wheelchair access.

BASILICA DI SANTA CHIARA. St. Claire (1194-1253) was one of the first followers of St. Francis. Since the Franciscan Order already took care of the pious men, St. Claire opened the door to women bent on poverty and celibacy by establishing the Order of Poor Ladies. The Basilica di Santa Chiara’s pink-and-white stone flying buttresses seen on the left side of the basilica are notable, but it is the surrounding courtyard with fountains and views that make it dazzling. Standing on the site where St. Francis attended school, the church shelters the tomb and relics of St. Claire, as well as the crucifix that supposedly spoke to St. Francis, instigating his conversion. Nuns in the convent are sworn to seclusion. (☎075 81 22 82. Open daily 6:30am-noon and 2-6pm. Modest dress required. Free.)

OTHER SIGHTS. From Basilica di San Francesco, V. S. Francesco passes medieval buildings and their 16th-century additions on its path toward the center of town. Not far from the basilica, the pink facade of the Palazzo Vallemani houses the Pinacoteca, a museum containing works by important Umbrian artists like Dono Doni, as well as a collection of Renaissance frescoes retrieved from city gates and various shrines. (Pinacoteca ☎075 81 20 33. Open daily Mar.-May and Sept.-Oct. 10am-1pm and 2:30-6pm; July-Aug. 10am-1pm and 2:30-7pm; Nov.-Feb. 10:30am-1pm and 2-5pm. Admission to each €3.50, students €3. Cash only.) Up the street, the one-room Oratorio dei Pellegrini (Pilgrim’s Oratory) holds colorful frescoes. Built in 1457, the oratory was used to care for poor pilgrims who came to visit the tomb of St. Francis. At the end of the street, P. del Comune sits on the Foro Romano. Enter from the crypt of St. Nicholas on V. Portica, and walk among the columns and statues of the old Roman forum. The area that stretches the length of the piazza above was the original ground level of the town, and in Roman times, stairs led from this area to the Tempio di Minerva in P. del Comune. (Forum ☎075 81 30 53. Open daily Mar.-May and Sept.-Oct. 10am-1pm and 2-6pm; July-Aug. 10am-1pm and 2:30-7pm; Nov.-Feb. 10:30am-1pm and 2-5pm. €3.50 each, students €3. Cash only.)