Discover Assisi

Assisi is a town of about 27,900 people on the western flank of Monte Subasio, and it is one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations in Europe. In 2000 UNESCO inscribed it as Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites under five cultural criteria — i, ii, iii, iv and vi — which is an unusually broad listing and reflects that the place is important as architecture, as art, as a religious phenomenon and as a surviving medieval town all at once.

The reason is one man. Francis of Assisi founded his order here in 1208, and Clare founded the Poor Clares alongside him. Within two years of his death the town began building the Basilica of San Francesco, which went up between 1228 and 1253 and became one of the most influential buildings in European art.

How the basilica actually works

This is the thing to understand before arriving, because it is not a single church and it does not keep single hours. It is built on two levels against the hillside, with the saint's tomb below both:

• The Lower Church opens 6:00 to 19:00, closing at 18:00 on Wednesdays.
• The Upper Church opens 8:30 to 18:45.
• The Tomb of Saint Francis opens 6:00 to 18:15, and on Fridays and Saturdays reopens from 21:00 to 22:00 for personal prayer.

Admission is free. It is a working friary — the Sacro Convento — with mass said several times daily, so silence inside is expected rather than requested, and covered shoulders and knees are the rule.

The town beyond the basilica

Assisi is a complete medieval hill town and not merely a setting. The Basilica di Santa Chiara holds Clare's tomb and the crucifix that Francis is said to have prayed before; San Rufino, the cathedral, is named for the bishop who converted the town in 238 and is where both Francis and Clare were baptised; the Temple of Minerva on the main square is a Roman portico still standing in a working piazza; and the Rocca Maggiore above gives the view of the Umbrian plain that explains the site.

1997 is still visible

On 26 September 1997 an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 brought down part of the Upper Church vault, killing four people and destroying a fresco by Cimabue. Restoration took two years. Knowing it happened changes how the building reads: some of what a visitor sees is reconstruction, and the loss was permanent rather than repaired.

Does the Basilica cost anything? No. Admission to the Basilica of San Francesco is free, as it is to Santa Chiara and San Rufino. The Sacro Convento maintains the building, its library and archive and the Museo del Tesoro without charging, which is worth knowing when deciding what to give.

What are the opening hours? Three different sets, and this is the thing that catches people out. The Lower Church is open 6:00–19:00, closing at 18:00 on Wednesdays. The Upper Church — the one with the great fresco cycle — is open 8:30–18:45, so it opens two and a half hours later than the Lower Church and shuts first. The Tomb of Saint Francis is open 6:00–18:15, and on Fridays and Saturdays it reopens 21:00–22:00 for personal prayer.

Is there a dress code? Yes, and it is enforced: shoulders and knees covered, in the Basilica and in the other churches. Silence inside is expected rather than requested — this is a working friary with mass said through the day.

Can I take photographs? Treat the basilica as a place of worship first and check the posted rules at the door; restrictions apply inside and they are not uniform across the three levels.

Where is the station? Not in Assisi. It is down on the plain at Santa Maria degli Angeli, roughly four kilometres below the town, with a bus up. Plan for that if you are arriving with luggage — the historic centre is steep and largely car-free.

Is a few hours enough? For the Basilica, just about. For the UNESCO site, no — the inscription covers the Franciscan sites as a group, and San Damiano, the Eremo delle Carceri on the mountain and the Porziuncola at Santa Maria degli Angeli are all part of what makes Assisi significant.