click highlighted hoovered text for more info

Assisi UNESCO world heritage sites ( Italy )

Center

Basilica of Saint Clare at Piazza Santa Chiara, 1
It is dedicated to and contains the remains of Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, known today as the Order of Saint Clare.

Cathedral of San Rufino at Piazza San Rufino, 3
This stately church in Umbrian Romanesque style was the third church built on the same site to contain the remains of bishop Rufinus of Assisi, martyred in the 3rd century. The construction was started in 1140 to the designs by Giovanni da Gubbio, as attested by the wall inscription visible inside the apse.

Rennaisance fort of Rocca Maggiore on Via della Rocca
The fortress stands on a hill that overlooks Assisi: above its walls stands out the ‘Maschio’ tower, from where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the city and of the Umbrian Valley, from Perugia to Spoleto.

Basilica of St Francis at Piazza Inferiore di S. Francesco, 2
The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.

Outskirts

Eremo delle Carceri at Via Eremo delle Carceri, 38
In the 13th century, Saint Francis of Assisi would often come to this place to pray and contemplate, as did other hermits before him. When he first came in 1205, the only building here was a tiny 12th-century oratory. Soon, other men followed him to the mountain, finding their own isolated caves nearby in which to pray. The oratory became known as Santa Maria delle Carceri after the small "prisons" occupied by friars in the area.

San Damiano Church at Via San Damiano, 85
Built in the 12th century, it was the first monastery of the Order of Saint Clare, where Saint Clare built her community.

Sanctuary of the Sacred Hovel of Rivotorto at Via della Regola di S. Francesco, 2
St. Francis of Assisi started his life of austerity in a stone hovel in Rivotorto where he lived during 1209-1211. In 1455, a chapel, the Sanctuary, was built around the hovel.

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli at Piazza Porziuncola, 1
The interior is simple and yet elegant, with only a few decorations, in stark contrast with the decorations of the side chapels.