Small Group Tour of Assisi and St. Francis Basilica
Description
Join a walking tour of Assisi to see the wonderful Basilica of Saint Francis, Saint Rufino’s Cathedral, and Saint Claire's Basilica as well as the lively main city square – Piazza del Comune.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet the guide at 10:30am and visit the old Roman ruins of the local amphitheater, which was reused in the Middle Ages as a quarry for stones to build local houses. You will see how the amphitheater was turned into a private neighborhood. From there, the view toward the Rocca Maggiore medieval castle is one of the best in the city. Through narrow alleys and medieval squares you will reach Saint Rufino’s Cathedral and Saint Claire's Basilica. From there, you will get to the main city square, Piazza del Comune. At the square you will see one of the best-preserved Roman temples in Italy – Minerva's temple – which is surrounded by imposing medieval government buildings. The tour will then head down to the Basilica of Saint Francis which is world-famous for its 13th-14th century frescoes by the best painters of Italy at that time. Among those, the most famous is Giotto.
The Basilica of St. Clare of Assisi, realized with the typical pink stone extracted from the quarry of the Subasio mountain, contains precious frescos dating back to the period from the XIIth to the XIVth century. In the chapel on the right, along the unique nave of St. Clare of Assisi, finishing in transept and polygonal apse, you can admire the Crucifix which, according to tradition, would have invited St. Francesco in the church of St. Damiano in order to "reset up the Church"
Chiesa Nuova. The Chiesa Nuova is a church in Assisi, Italy, built in 1615 on the site of the presumed birthplace of St. Francis, the house of Pietro di Bernardone. It was then called Chiesa Nuova because it was the last church to be built in Assisi at that time.
Assisi Cathedral, dedicated to San Rufino (Rufinus of Assisi) is a major church in Assisi.
The Temple of Minerva is an ancient Roman building in Assisi, Umbria, central Italy. It currently houses a church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, built in 1539 and renovated in Baroque style in the 17th century.
Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the basilica of St. Francis was built under the direction of Brother Elias, vicar general and architect of the order, starting in 1228, just two years after the saint's death, as a place designed to receive his remains.
If the solemn and dark lower basilica invites penance and silence, the upper church soars into the sky, airy and bright. In a Gothic style with French influences, the nave has four bays, cross vaulting, and a polygonal transept and apse.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- On Sundays, major Catholic holidays, national holidays, and on October 3rd and 4th, guided tours inside the Basilica of St. Francis are not permitted. On these dates, your guide will provide an explanation from outside the church, after which you will enter independently and in silence.
- On October 4th, the Basilica of St. Francis is closed to visitors.
Reviews(211)
This tour would have benefited from headsets. Lots of walking which was expected but also a lot of time lost where more information could have been given. The guide was fine but for me I wish there had been more explication.
Antonella was a fabulous tour guide who spoke with enthusiastic energy on the religious history of Assisi. She taught use a things we did not know from this quaint charming and very clean town. She knew the history of St Francis and Churches that influenced the names of American cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco and the early life of hospitals as a not just medical but wear travelers would stop on their travels for meals which derives the term “hospitality”!
Very knowledgeable guide who captivated our attention and kept an easy pace.
For my family of six, we booked a private tour of Assisi, with our delightful guide Marica, taking us through the spectacular town of Assisi and the amazing sights, including visiting St Clare and St Francis’ Basilica and visiting St Carlo too. We had the best experience and our guide Marica was truly inspiring, filled with passion and love for Assisi, St Francis and St Clare and was so incredibly knowledgeable. My family enjoyed every minute of the tour with her. She was warm and took such good care of our whole group. I highly recommend the tour.
The 2.5 Small Group Tour of Assisi was very informative. We loved learning about the saints and the stories of their lives. The tour guide did a fabulous job in letting us experience how the saints lived as real people during those times. The only criticism we have is that the day was extremely hot, and the tour guide never took that into consideration—never asking us to sit in the shade or consider that people could get heat stroke. It was somewhat insensitive. Overall the tour was very informative.
Tour went for almost 3 hours and our guide (Alessandra) was fantastic and really knew her history but was great in her explanation and was very engaging. Definitely recommend this tour
Alessandra, our guide, was terrific. She is very knowledgeable and personable. We learned a lot about the churches, St. Francis (of course), Santa Chiara, architecture, history, arts and the culture of Assisi. She showed us wonderful frescos of Giotto and explained the artist’s biography. The 2.5 hours went by too quickly!
We had a wonderful time walking through Assisi. We started at the top of the hill and made our way to the bottom where the San Franceso Basilica is located, so it was an easy way down. Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us of the upcoming Calendemaggio festival, and where to secure tickets. We went and had a great time there, too.
Our guide was wonderful. She is a professor and clearly loves the place. She was very knowledgeable about Assisi. She gave an amazing history of Saint Francis and the churches and town. Wonderful morning.
Our tour guide, Werner, was knowledgeable and we enjoyed our tour through the town as well as the locations we visited. Be choosy about where you stop for food, the sandwich and gelato shop in the Vatican section was very expensive and lousy. Make your way back to the upper area of Assisi before stopping for food.
