Assisi, Umbria

Panoramic View of Assisi

Explore the Cities and Towns of Umbria

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Over 20 years of crafting exceptional journeys across Assisi

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Overview

Assisi sits on the western slopes of Mount Subasio and offers sublime views over the valley below.  It is a city of about 5,500 full time citizens with another 25,000 in the hills and valley below.  The city draws millions of tourists each year and is considered to be one of the most important religious sites after Vatican City in Italy and pilgrims, mostly monks from the San Franciscan tradition come every year to visit St. Francesco's tomb which is located in the cathedral here.

Very few visitors who come however ever venture into the town of Assisi itself, which is incredibly intriguing, charming, and very beautiful.

When visiting Assisi you may want to start your visit in the valley below with a visit to the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli, an imposing structure in a setting that affords one to step back and glimpse the entire front of the edifice.  Inside, there are remarkable frescoes, paintings, and sculptures.  Inside, you will also find a small church, called the Porziuncola, where St. Francis and his followers are said to have founded the Frati Minori (Minor Friars) way back in 1209.

Then make your way to Assisi, by foot (about 2km), car or bus.  You might want to orient yourself by starting (or ending) your visit at the Basilica San Francesco, wherein you will find the tomb of Saint Francis (and various other notables), and numerous objects of art, some of which are quite stunning.  Cimabue and Giotto, among others, painted here.

Afterwards, make your way uphill into the city itself along the medieval Via San Francesco (of course).  You will encounter numerous restaurants, cafes, gelaterias and shops, some of them with very artistic - and inviting - window displays.  Eventually, you will come to a small piazza with a water fountain, where you will be confronted with the choice of following one of several streets.  Better have one of the impeccably wonderful gelatos while pondering your choices.

Generally speaking, we advise you to head uphill...probably along Via Brizi until you come to the Piazza del Commune, where you can catch your breath while marveling at the "works of man" made manifest in every cobblestone and building.

From there, keep moving uphill (yes, more uphill) along the Via San Rufino until you come to the Duomo.  It is very cool inside - in all meanings of the word.

The next part of your journey will take you to Piazza Matteoti and then on to the ruins of a Roman Amphitheatre.  You can sit down and rest your weary bones for awhile and then head east or west to take a look at a couple of ancient forts.  The most impressive is the Rocca Maggiore to the west, although the Rocca Minore is worth seeing too.

Once you have achieved the summit of Assisi, and have quite exhausted yourself physically and emotionally, it will be time to head back to the Basilica of San Francesco.  Do yourself a favor - do not reverse your steps.  You really can't get lost, so just head down in the general direction, taking the unheralded streets and alleys of the city.  It is the best way to transform yourself from tourist into traveler.

Enjoy!

 

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Assisi

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Here's what our guests share about their unforgettable journeys

“I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the staff, the guides, the coaches and even the meals we enjoyed we”
[Read More] Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent
“Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we were p”
[Read More] Ron and Deb Crosby
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[Read More] Lucretia Brower
“I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more time and we could not agree more! You need to spend more ti”
[Read More] Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan
“As a travel agent, but also a traveler to Italy, thee is no other company I would recommend than the Italy Vacation Specialists. Not only do they really care about what they are doing, they also really know Italy and try to educate many people about ways they can best see the country and not fall into tourist traps. I have been on 4 trips with the IVS team, firstly when they did my first 2 trips f”
[Read More] Laura Chomiak, Travel Agent
“In September of 2018 I brought a group of 12 from Venice to Sicily and organized all of my services with the Italy Vacation Specialists. Being a travel agent and in the business, I know how complicated organizing travel arrangements can be in Italy and the IVS team took a huge burden off of me! I would like to start of by saying "THANK YOU" both for the amazing job you did on our trip. There was n”
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[Read More] Tammy Joyce, All About Honeymoons
“The trip was great; we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details, in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country.”
[Read More] Leon and Michele
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[Read More] Sean & Veet Chapman, CGA
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