Assisi was a city I knew very little about, even though it is a sister city of our very own San Francisco! I felt awkward the whole time because this was in the beginning phases of me discovering I had an interest in one of the boys on the trip with me (who would later become my boyfriend for a year and a half), and I had nothing to wrap around my waist to cover my exposed knees (which you do in respect for the Italian churches, in addition to covering your naughty exposed shoulders) except for my mother’s bulky fleece jacket. I looked ridiculous and less alluring than was optimal at the time. But in all likelihood he was distracted by this beautiful, hilly city, so my frump was probably not at the forefront of his mind (as a feminist, though, I firmly believe in my right to look unappealing in front of men without them even batting an eye, and with them still wanting me anyway).
Where It Is
Assisi is in central Italy: two hours north of Rome and two hours southeast of Florence. This means that you can make a stop here either on the way between some of the bigger Italian cities, or you can take a day trip. We drove down from Venice to Rome and stopped in Assisi for a few hours on the way south.
Why It’s Worth a Visit
Considered a commune of Italy, Assisi is a more relaxed look into Italian culture without having the stress of a hugely crowded city. Assisi actually has a very rich religious history, being the birthplace of both St. Francis and St. Clare themselves, and the town (most notably the stunning Basilica of San Francesco) earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2000.
We walked through the basilica and got the opportunity to marvel in its beauty as well as LEARN all about its history (learning history is by far one of my favorite parts of traveling…likely because I was so oblivious to any world history before I took an interest in traveling and spent history class in high school doing my math homework). Assisi is also home to the San Damiano church, Santa Maria degli Angeli church, Piazza del Comune, the beautiful main square, and a plethora of other historic sites.
Additionally…THESE LANDSCAPES. It’s like the town was built in its place specifically to give people a perfect view. Standing right outside the basilica we were able to capture this lovely scenery – and how lucky that Italian summers go hand in hand with weather like this!
I bought a scarf to replace my makeshift skirt for future church visits after exploring the sites at one of the many vendors, and also got some gelato (because never, ever miss an opportunity for Italian gelato). And don’t miss an opportunity to explore this medieval town amongst Umbria’s rolling green hills on your trip to Italy – it is a deLIGHTful little surprise.
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