Assisi is a small town in Umbria made famous especially by St Francis who was born there. But not only is it replete with churches; the view is absolutely breathtaking and the food divine.

The train ride from Rome was two hours 15 minutes long yet the difference between Rome and Assisi makes one think it is in a different country.

I could not have chosen a better day to visit: it was a beautiful Sunday – the cold was at first biting my skin but after some walking, I warmed up; there were frequent bursts of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. The smell of burning firewood was heavy in the air reminding me that winter is really in now and that Christmas is just round the corner.

Although one would expect the world and its neighbour to visit on a Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that although there was a sizeable amount of visitors, the town was not swarming with people. The best thing though is that the place inspires peacefulness – made especially visible thanks to the pax carved out of the bushes close to the Basilica Papale di San Francesco – so even though there was a considerable amount of people present, one feels one has to speak in a low voice and respect the quietness that prevails. The town is also delightfully clean and once more, its beauty inspires that it be kept that way.

Assisi does not have many shops apart from small souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes. Yet much to my delight, the prices at all of these three were very reasonable. As can be expected – most of the wares revolved around St Francis of Assisi. This included the traditional sweets which may be bought from the cafes or bakeries peppering the town; a number of the traditional sweets – mainly chocolate coated or filled with candied fruit – in fact bear St Francis’s name; a tourist gimmick if there ever was one.

Assisi was built on part of the Monte Subasio and is very clearly a hill-town. Thus climbing is the word of the day, especially to visit the Rocca Maggiore, a definite must-see. Yet the smallness of Assisi makes it a perfect day trip and also means that the climbing, although tough, is done in very short spurts, with various prizes along the way in the forms of sightseeing, pastries and beautiful views.

Similarly to Perugia – also in Umbria – architecture is a delightful blend of Medieval and Etruscan, with the same narrow alleyways and winding vie. Also similarly, traditional food consists mainly in hunting fare like cervo and cingiale cooked in rich sauces and served with polenta or roast potatoes.

St Francis of Assisi

St Francis was born in Assisi in 1182 or 1183 – the exact year is uncertain – and died there in 1226. His father, Pietro Bernardone, was a wealthy businessman, yet St Francis renounced his father’s wealth at an early age to pursue a life of chastity and poverty. In fact he became known as San Francesco il Poverello.

St Francis founded the Order of the Friars Minor which, after his death took on his own name to become better known as the Order of the Franciscans.

He also became known as the patron saint of animals and the environment after the great devotion he showed in his lifetime for both these two. In fact he is often depicted surrounded by animals of all kinds, in particular birds.

With one of his disciples, St Clare, born in 1194, he co-founded the Franciscans’ female Ordine delle Clarisse (Order of the Poor Clares, also called Order of Poor Ladies).

St Clare of Assisi

It is said that St Clare was devoted to prayer from when she was a child. Yet it was when she heard St Francis preach in Assisi that she was truly moved and decided to leave her riches to lead a life in poverty and chastity just like St Francis.

In time, St Clare moved to the chapel of San Damiano where she founded the Order of the Poor Clares whose members, unlike those of St Francis’ order who moved around the country to preach, lead a life of seclusion, most of which is spent in prayer and labour.

Basilica Papale di

San Francesco

This Basilica consists of two churches on top of each other which were built between 1228 and 1253 – a very short time. The upper church was built on what was then known as the “hill of hell” since death sentences used to be carried out there. After the church was built, the hill was aptly renamed the “hill of paradise”.

The Basilica is rich in its frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue and others: the series in the upper church depict the life of St Francis while the frescoes in the lower church show the life of St Martin and St Sebastian, scenes from the Crucifixion as well as the life of St Francis.

The Basilica of St Francis of Assisi is also widely linked with the earthquake which shook it in 1997, causing four fatalities, infrastructural damage and the destruction of some beautiful works in the Basilica. The lower church however was not as badly damaged as the upper one. It took two years of work for the Basilica to be properly restored so that now it may be enjoyed in its splendour. Of course, some works perished forever due to the earthquake.

Rocca Maggiore

The Rocca Maggiore was built on the summit of a hill as a military fortress; a strategic defence point which offered – and still does – an unimpeded view of most of Assisi. Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, documentation regarding it dates back to 1174.

It was the scene of many a bloody encounter and while walking around it, one can easily let oneself be transported to times gone by and imagine the people who must have inhabited it, fought and died in it.

The climb to get to the Rocca is vertiginous to say the least and, the Rocca itself contains a number of staircases – some of them spiral – for one to reach its top from where the view of Umbria is simply spectacular. The Rocca also contains a particularly long tunnel which leads to the Polygonal Tower.

Walking through the tunnel is highly unadvisable for those who, like me, suffer from claustrophobia.

However, having been told that the view from the tower is absolutely not one to miss, I decided to take the bull by its horns and walk through the tunnel, of course with haste being the name of the game.

Once at the top of the tower, I was more than awarded for my efforts for the view was absolutely enchanting.

After taking numerous photos, I had to approach the tunnel once more as it was the only way of leaving the tower short of jumping down the many storeys.

Billboards at the Rocca provide interesting information on some of the most notable characters who are linked in history with the Rocca. Braccio di Montone is one of such striking characters; he was at a time Lord of Perugia. He died in L’Aquila and his tombstone apparently read: “Visitors, read and cry. Born in Perugia, Montone welcomed me in exile. Mars gave me Umbria and Capua, Rome obeyed me, Italy was my theatre, the world my spectator. L’Aquila laughed at my fallen self. Goodbye.”

Fonte Marcella

On the way back to the bus station I came across Fonte Marcella – a simple but elegant fountain; it is named after Marcello Tuto, governor of Assisi and is also commonly known as Fonte Bella on account of its elegance. But what struck me more than anything else is the inscription it bears – Pena un scudo e perdita de panni per chi lava in queste fonti.

From holy Assisi to eternal Rome

Assisi is a perfect escape from Rome. The vibrancy of Rome is one of its most attractive features but it also means that every now and then one needs to get away and seek quiet somewhere else.

This allows one to return to Rome with fresher eyes. For this purpose, Assisi is the ideal day trip – a train ride lasting just over two hours away but which opens up a whole new world.