Assisi
Assisi, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare, it offers many opportunities to tourists who visit it.
It is located on the slopes of Mount Subasio, above the plain where the Topino and the Chiascio flow. Despite boasting an origin of the Roman era, the current appearance of Assisi was certainly determined by the medieval development.
The oldest part of the town is protected by a defensive apparatus consisting of eight fortified access doors and a long wall, still in excellent condition, which is headed by two castles: the Rocca Maggiore and the Rocca Minore.
Very important places of worship are the Basilica of San Francesco, the Basilica of Santa Chiara, the Church of San Pietro and the Duomo.
On the Piazza del Comune of Assisi, located on the ancient area of the forum, we find the Palazzo dei Priori from 1337, the thirteenth-century Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and the temple of Minerva.
The places linked to the life of San Francesco are very suggestive, such as the Eremo delle Carceri, immersed in a dense forest of oaks and holm oaks on the slopes of the Subasio and the Convent of San Damiano, built around the oratory in the tradition that the Crucifix spoke to the Saint.
Finally, in the imposing Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli was built on a project by Alessi between 1569 and 1679 to protect the Chapel of the Porziuncola, the poor meeting place of the first Franciscan friars.
The events, which animate the heart of Assisi throughout the year and allow visitors to get to know its history and tradition better, are many and varied.
In May there is Calendimaggio, a medieval re-enactment complete with competition between the two factions of the city – Parte di Sopra and Parte di Sotto – parades, theatrical performances, music, folk dances and performances by flag-wavers.
On 22 June Feast of the Vow, which commemorates the expulsion of the Saracens from Assisi by Santa Chiara, and at the end of August and disputes the Palio di San Rufino, which instead takes up the time in which Assisi was divided into third parties and proposes parades and shows of flag wavers, drummers and crossbowmen.
In September the Cavalcata di Satriano takes place, with jockeys in period costume, and the International Peace Festival, while the biennial march for peace Perugia-Assisi takes place between September and October.
On the 3rd and 4th of October there is the Feast of San Francesco, celebrated on the 3rd and 4th of October, with solemn religious and civil ceremonies in honor of the patron saint of Italy.