Assisi Pilgrimage

On Feburary 25, 2012, Daniele and I spent the day in Assisi as part of a weekend visiting his family in Umbria.

This write-up and photos are from over a year ago, February 2012, but they never made it up. I'm trying to upload old pictures and the accompanying stories now with back dates so they are archived in order.

Basilica of St Francis

Daniele and I took a trip to Umbria this weekend. I had never been to Assisi, though it had been on my “Italy list” for a while. Nor had I met his mother's family who are from Umbria, but I'll save that story for next time.

Assisi is a beautiful town and it is obvious why it brings in the tourists and pilgrims. Many smaller towns in Italy are dieing as the younger generation moves to the bigger cities for work, but Assisi seems to be doing well and does not have that ghost town feel some hill towns can have.

There are many, many churches in Assisi. I'm not sure if you can stand anywhere in Assisi without having a church in eyesight, maybe two. There are also people who are serious pilgrims, barefooted, robed, looking to tap into the holiness of the place.

We were their bright and early, so we started with the number one tourist spot, Basilica of St Francis and the Sacro Convento. It had only just opened, so there was no crowd, contrary to when we were leaving a bit later it was already getting filled. This church, like others I've seen though never this large and decorative, is two churches built on top of each other. The older church is below, partially underground, and the newer church is above it with lots of light. Both churches are very ornate and stunning.

Upper church

Lower church

The Basilica of St Francis also contained the Sacro Convento. The convent was not much to see, but I did stop in their store to get some souvenirs.

Sacro Convento

It was a bit of a disconnect, knowing this church had been destroyed and standing inside when and it seemed perfect. The restoration work was amazing! Particularly in this cathedral. Some of the other, lesser churches had plain white walls as they must have not received as much restoration love. If you don't remember the damage Assisi underwent in 2009, this 2-minute video includes most of the startling footage from when that was news.

The town itself dated back to the Romans and held some tells of its age. The main square featured a Temple of Minerva and Cistern.

We also hit up a few other churches, including the "Chiesa Nuova" build in 1615 where St. Frances was born and lived until he was 24, The Basilica of St Claire, St. Rufino Cathedral or "Duomo di San Rufino", St Peter's Church "Chiesa di San Pietro", and one that I have a photo of but can't remember of find online what it's called.

Chiesa Nuova


The Basilica of St Claire


St. Rufino Cathedral or "Duomo di San Rufino"


St Peter's Church "Chiesa di San Pietro"


Church in Assisi

Finally we hiked above the town to the "Eremo delle Carceri". This is a convent turned prison turned museum that towers above the town, itself on a hill.

The complete album from Assisi including inside the churches and around the town:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111221349198606775660/albums/5862010840111467969