What It Was Like On My First Trip To Assisi, Italy: Home of Saint Francis
On my very first trip to Italy, we spent a day in Assisi, Italy: The Home of Saint Francis and the Basilica of Saint Francis....
This is the story of my trip! Please enjoy! (Video Half Way Down Below)
This all started with the first trip I took to Italy. If you are new to the blog...then check out the very first blog post here. ---Or just hang on for the rest of the trip!
We were staying in the little hill top town of Ripatransone, Italy which in in the Le Marche region...this is actually important because the city of Assisi is actually in Umbria Region which is basically next door. --So it is relatively close when sight seeing in Italy.
We had a spend days to kill because we were on tour in Italy and the next performance wasn't until a week later...
Our tour guide/choir leader/professor laid out the entire tour and booked 1 day for us to see Assisi. So early one morning after breakfast with the nuns (Stayed at a convent--again read the earlier blog posts to get the whole picture) we took the charter bus from our little town to Assisi. That's how we actually physically arrived to Assisi...in charter bus style!
The actual town of Assisi is basically just like any other town/city/village in Italy:
Everyday life goes on despite all the visitors and despite the famous buildings in the town...it's really crazy because the people in "Assisi" have had the famous buildings for hundreds of years...time is just different in Italy.
People go about the city and are happy to see you. There are many shops and stores who sell memorabilia or little knickknacks and the people are very friendly to help you with directions.
First, this basilica/church is massive...pictures don't really do it justice.
At the area of the town where we arrived, we had an option to either walk up this massive flight of stairs OR take an elevator. (This is actually a famous elevator because SO MANY people use/have used it) We took the elevator.
At top: the Basilica of Saint Francis a powerful juggernaut who dominants every other building!
This Basilica is in use today but it also dubs as tourist location--almost like a museum. There were very many people along with our group so we all just funneled in the building like a school of wild salmon swimming in the stream.
The inside is really hard to put into words, so I will let the videos do most of the "seeing" inside the Basilica of Saint Francis.
This is actually one of my favorite parts about the entire trip to Assisi: the restaurant experience.
You see, Assisi (I know it rhymes) sits on a large hill/mountain. This entire area is a mountainous region. We found a lively restaurant nearby....if you can image the famous courtyard of Assisi---the one with "PAX" written on the ground with shrubs....that one. Turn a 180 and NOW you can see the area of the restaurant...this place to eat has the most AMAZING view of the town of Assisi AND the opposite hill sides.
We sit down and the waiter speaks English--good for us, but in this highly tourist area for Italy, just about everybody in a hotel or restaurant speaks English. I order a Ravioli with a white cream sauce. STOP right there. I still remember the food on this trip from years ago...THAT should tell you something about this experience...you ever remembered a lunch from years ago?
Eating my cheese ravioli with cream sauce with the unspeakable beauty of Assisi as my background is STILL hard to even put into words! This is one of my best parts of being in Italy.
If you are planning a trip to Assisi, Italy. OR are thinking about "where in Italy should I go and what would I like to see?" This will help you: Rick Steve's Tour Guide to Assisi. He has a very great amount of info about Assisi once you are in the town. You will love it!
This is the story of my trip! Please enjoy! (Video Half Way Down Below)
Assisi, Italy.
 |
| The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Italy |
1. How We Actually Got To Assisi, Italy.
This all started with the first trip I took to Italy. If you are new to the blog...then check out the very first blog post here. ---Or just hang on for the rest of the trip!
We were staying in the little hill top town of Ripatransone, Italy which in in the Le Marche region...this is actually important because the city of Assisi is actually in Umbria Region which is basically next door. --So it is relatively close when sight seeing in Italy.
We had a spend days to kill because we were on tour in Italy and the next performance wasn't until a week later...
Our tour guide/choir leader/professor laid out the entire tour and booked 1 day for us to see Assisi. So early one morning after breakfast with the nuns (Stayed at a convent--again read the earlier blog posts to get the whole picture) we took the charter bus from our little town to Assisi. That's how we actually physically arrived to Assisi...in charter bus style!
2. The Town and the Basilica of Saint Francis.
 |
| Assisi, Italy |
The Town
The actual town of Assisi is basically just like any other town/city/village in Italy:
- The Butcher Store
- The Bread Store
- The Barber Shop
- The Post Office
- Etc
Everyday life goes on despite all the visitors and despite the famous buildings in the town...it's really crazy because the people in "Assisi" have had the famous buildings for hundreds of years...time is just different in Italy.
People go about the city and are happy to see you. There are many shops and stores who sell memorabilia or little knickknacks and the people are very friendly to help you with directions.
The Basilica of Saint Francis
First, this basilica/church is massive...pictures don't really do it justice.
At the area of the town where we arrived, we had an option to either walk up this massive flight of stairs OR take an elevator. (This is actually a famous elevator because SO MANY people use/have used it) We took the elevator.
At top: the Basilica of Saint Francis a powerful juggernaut who dominants every other building!
This Basilica is in use today but it also dubs as tourist location--almost like a museum. There were very many people along with our group so we all just funneled in the building like a school of wild salmon swimming in the stream.
The inside is really hard to put into words, so I will let the videos do most of the "seeing" inside the Basilica of Saint Francis.
3. Where to Eat?
This is actually one of my favorite parts about the entire trip to Assisi: the restaurant experience.
You see, Assisi (I know it rhymes) sits on a large hill/mountain. This entire area is a mountainous region. We found a lively restaurant nearby....if you can image the famous courtyard of Assisi---the one with "PAX" written on the ground with shrubs....that one. Turn a 180 and NOW you can see the area of the restaurant...this place to eat has the most AMAZING view of the town of Assisi AND the opposite hill sides.
We sit down and the waiter speaks English--good for us, but in this highly tourist area for Italy, just about everybody in a hotel or restaurant speaks English. I order a Ravioli with a white cream sauce. STOP right there. I still remember the food on this trip from years ago...THAT should tell you something about this experience...you ever remembered a lunch from years ago?
Eating my cheese ravioli with cream sauce with the unspeakable beauty of Assisi as my background is STILL hard to even put into words! This is one of my best parts of being in Italy.
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If you are planning a trip to Assisi, Italy. OR are thinking about "where in Italy should I go and what would I like to see?" This will help you: Rick Steve's Tour Guide to Assisi. He has a very great amount of info about Assisi once you are in the town. You will love it!
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