Assisi and the Basilica of San Francesco: Why Giotto Changed Everything
Five million people a year come to Assisi. Most see the basilica and leave. The Giotto fresco cycle is one of the most important works of art in the world — not for religious reasons, but because it's where Western painting moved from flat Byzantine symbolism toward the three-dimensional naturalism that produced the Renaissance. This guide explains what you're actually looking at.
Assisi and the Basilica of San Francesco: What You're Actually Looking At
Assisi receives approximately 5 million visitors per year for a population of 28,000. Most come to see the Basilica di San Francesco and leave. The basilica alone justifies the trip — Giotto's fresco cycle of the life of St Francis (1297–1300) in the Upper Basilica is one of the founding works of Western art, the moment when Italian painting moved from flat Byzantine gold toward the three-dimensional naturalism that would become the Renaissance. But Assisi has significantly more to offer than one (admittedly extraordinary) building.
Why Giotto's frescoes matter beyond religion: Before Giotto painted the St Francis cycle in Assisi (circa 1297–1300), figures in Italian painting stood in front of gold backgrounds, flat, hieratic, disconnected from space. Giotto placed his figures in landscapes and architectural settings, gave them weight, gave them emotions. The mourning figures at the Lamentation of Christ in the Scrovegni Chapel (Padua, painted slightly after Assisi) show grief on faces in a way that had simply not been done before in Western art. Assisi is where this revolution was practised.
The Basilica di San Francesco: Two Buildings in One
The Basilica is actually two churches stacked vertically — the Lower Basilica (begun 1228, consecrated 1253) and the Upper Basilica (completed 1280). The crypt containing St Francis's tomb is beneath both. They have different characters:
Lower Basilica: Darker, more intimate, Romanesque in feeling. Contains frescoes by Cimabue (the teacher Giotto was said to surpass), Pietro Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini (whose 1317 St Martin cycle in the Chapel of San Martino is among the finest Gothic painting in Italy). The tomb of St Francis is in the crypt below — a simple stone coffin, extremely moving in its austerity.
Upper Basilica: Gothic in structure, flooded with light from high windows. Giotto's 28-panel fresco cycle of the life of St Francis runs around three walls. The scenes are simultaneously religious narrative and genre painting — the Sermon to the Birds, the Christmas Crib at Greccio, the Vision of the Chariot are each a complete picture that tells a story spatially rather than symbolically. Photography is prohibited inside.
Entry is free. Opening hours: Lower Basilica 6am–10pm, Upper Basilica 8:30am–7pm (shorter in winter). The basilica fills with tour groups from 9am–12pm and 2pm–5pm. Arrive at 8am or after 5pm.
Assisi Beyond the Basilica: The Rest of the Town
The old town of Assisi climbs Monte Subasio and contains several things worth seeing beyond San Francesco:
Rocca Maggiore (fortress at the top of the hill, 13th–14th century) — €3.50 entry, 20-minute walk from the centre, the views across the Umbrian plain are extraordinary. On a clear day you can see to the Apennines and Trasimeno lake. Basilica di Santa Chiara — the church of St Clare (Francis's first female disciple), containing the original Crucifix that is said to have spoken to Francis. The 13th-century Gothic interior is less visited than San Francesco. Free entry. Eremo delle Carceri — the forest hermitage where Francis retreated for meditation, 4km above the town on Monte Subasio. Open daily 6:30am–7pm, free. The woodland around the hermitage is extraordinary — ancient oaks, birdsong, no tourists after 11am.
St Francis: The Historical Figure
Francis Bernardone was born in Assisi in 1181–1182, the son of a prosperous cloth merchant. He underwent a conversion around 1204 (after illness and a period of imprisonment in Perugia during a local war) and began living among lepers, repairing ruined churches, and preaching poverty. He founded the Franciscan Order in 1209 and received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet, and side) in 1224. He died in 1226 and was canonised in 1228 — two years after his death, one of the fastest canonisations in Church history.
Francis's specific historical significance: he argued, against the dominant medieval Church theology, that God was present in the natural world — in birds, in poverty, in simple things. His Canticle of the Creatures (circa 1224) is the first literary work written in the Italian vernacular rather than Latin. It predates Dante's Italian by approximately 70 years. Assisi is therefore not only a religious site but a literary origin point.
Assisi: Practical Information
Getting there, where to stay, when to go
Getting there: Assisi station is 4km from the old town (bus every 30 minutes, €1.30, or taxi €10). By train from Perugia: 20 minutes. From Rome (Termini): 2.5 hours, 1–2 changes. From Florence: 2.5 hours direct or via Terontola. From Bologna: 3 hours. Car: SS75 from Perugia, parking at the base of the hill (paid, €8/day).
When to go: May–June and September–October. July–August is extremely crowded and hot (Assisi at 424m altitude is cooler than the plain but still 35°C in August). The Festival of St Francis (October 3–4) brings enormous crowds but extraordinary atmosphere. Winter (November–February) is cold, quiet, and beautiful — the frescoes are visible without crowds.
Where to stay: Staying overnight transforms the experience — Assisi empties of day-trippers by 6pm and becomes entirely different. Hotel Umbra (Via degli Archi 6, €100–160) has a terrace with valley views. Several convents and religious houses offer simple accommodation at €40–80 per person (ask at the Franciscan Tourist Office inside the basilica complex).
How long do you need to visit Assisi?
A day trip from Rome, Florence, or Perugia covers the Basilica di San Francesco (1.5–2 hours minimum), the old town, and Santa Chiara. Staying overnight allows: Eremo delle Carceri in the morning (the forest hermitage, 4km above town), Rocca Maggiore for the panoramic views, and the experience of Assisi without day-trippers in the evening. Two days covers everything meaningfully. If your primary interest is the Giotto frescoes, 3–4 hours is sufficient for the Basilica alone. Assisi and San Francesco are worth the trip from anywhere in central Italy.
Is Assisi worth visiting without religious interest?
Yes — Assisi is worth visiting as an art history destination regardless of religious interest. The Giotto fresco cycle in the Upper Basilica is one of the foundational works of Western art — it's where figurative painting in Italy moved from flat Byzantine symbolism toward the three-dimensional naturalism that produced the Renaissance. Cimabue's frescoes in the Lower Basilica, Simone Martini's St Martin cycle, and Pietro Lorenzetti's Passion scenes are each significant independently. The town itself is a complete medieval urban fabric of extraordinary quality. The religious context gives the art its subject; the art transcends the context.
What is the Eremo delle Carceri in Assisi?
The Eremo delle Carceri (Hermitage of the Prisons) is a forest retreat 4km above Assisi on Monte Subasio, where Francis and his early companions withdrew for meditation and prayer. The caves used by Francis are still visible, integrated into a small medieval monastery. The surrounding woodland — ancient oaks growing from a rocky Monte Subasio hillside — is genuinely unchanged from the 13th century. Open daily 6:30am–7pm (winter hours shorter), free entry. The 4km walk up from Assisi takes 1–1.5 hours and is one of the best walks in Umbria. Few day-trippers make the effort, which means you'll often have it almost to yourself.
Assisi and Umbria: The Broader Context
Assisi anchors a region of exceptional quality. Perugia (25km, the regional capital, home to the Umbrian Jazz Festival and the Perugina chocolate factory) is 25 minutes away by train. Spello (12km, a flower-covered Roman-origin hill town with outstanding Pinturicchio frescoes in the Cappella Baglioni) is 15 minutes. Spoleto (45km, the most complete medieval town in Umbria, the Festival dei Due Mondi in July) is 45 minutes. Orvieto (85km, the cathedral with Lorenzo Maitani's carved facade and the Signorelli frescoes) is 1 hour. Related: Umbria travel guide.
Plan Your Assisi Visit
Private guided tours of the basilica frescoes, Eremo walks, and Umbria itineraries combining Assisi with Perugia, Spello, and Orvieto.