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Interrail throughout Italy

Milan - Padua - Verona - Venice - Florence - Saint Gimignano - Sienna - Pisa - Naples - Pompei - Amalfi Coast - Capri - Assisi - Rome - Tivoli - Monaco
 
ASSISI
Dispensable Worthwhile Very recommendable Marvel
 
 
 
The village of Assisi is located in the province of Umbria, in the centre of Italy, near Perugia. We travelled in the morning from Naples to Rome by train, we left our backpacks in the Bed and Breakfast nearby the station of Termini and we made an excursion to Assisi to avoid seeing Rome yet, as a friend of us was coming this night. Assisi is 3 h. and a half far away from Rome. These train hours for an interrailer at the end of the trip means sleeping. You reach a point that you fall asleep deeply and nothing wakes you up, not even tow strangers in front of you looking when you nod off or you dribble. Other interrail on next year (that you can read about in this web) left us absolutely exhausted and we needed a second in a train to be in dreams.

We arrived in the train station and we hold up looking the return timetables. When we went out towards the bus stop we realized that it had left and the next one was coming in one hour. We decided that it was better to go on foot, and we walked for half an hour. If you come ever here, rush from the train station for the bus. The wonderful views of the village and the Basilica on the top of the hill made our walk lighter.

Asís y la Basílica de San Francisco de Asís

We first went to the Basilica of Saint Francisco of Assisi , a pilgrimage spot of world-wide importance and a World Heritage monument. Saint Francisco founded in Assisi the Franciscan order at the end of 1208 or beginning of 1209. In 1210 the Pope Innocence III approved the order that saint Francisco wrote. He died in 1226 and in 1228, then the brother Elias started to build this Basilica to keep the rests of his master, formed by two superposed churches and consecrated in 1253.

The painting activity developed in Assisi exerted a key influence on the Italian painting of 14th century.

Basílica de San Francisco de Asís

We find works of painters such as Cimabue or Giotto and their disciples, that covered in frescoes most of the Basilica to show the story of the saint.
Giotto's frescoes are considered as his masterwork. The more accurate representation of the saint's face is attributed to Cimabue in the lower church frescoes.
It is an entertaining visit, the Basilica is beautiful both at the outside and in the marvellous interior. The frescoes tell you the story, something that was very habitual during Middle Ages as the religious and the educated men had to explain the things to the current people through figures and paintings, as they didn't know to read. This way the people could understand the message that the church wanted to transmit to them.

The village is nice, with a medieval air, many tourist shops and it is worth a walk.