Roy enjoys sharing his home with visitors, and showing them the beautiful city of Assisi. He likes to invite guests to his home for a meal or glass of wine, where he tells them the story of the life of St Francis and shows them his art collection.

Traveling while in Assisi:

For traveling during your visit, we will have a large air-conditioned taxi with a charming English speaking Italian driver, who will be in attendance throughout. Private cars are not permitted to stop within the old city of Assisi (or in other hill towns) but taxis can go anywhere. The old city of Assisi is small – one can walk from one end to the other in 20 minutes – but is it hilly and walking the steep streets can be strenuous. The city is charmingly picturesque, therefore some walking along the ancient cobbled streets is desirable, but for those unused to walking it will be useful to have a taxi to call upon. In the evening after these trips, as we shall have had a good restaurant meal at lunchtime, guests may prefer a simple cold supper at my house of local produce and wine, otherwise we will have an aperitif at my home before going out to a restaurant.

This is the day to discover Assisi and St. Francis. I will meet you at your hotel at 9.30, or later if you wish. Before setting out, I will tell the story of St Francis, and then accompany you through the city to the places connected with the Saint. We shall visit the little church of San Damiano, set among olive trees outside the city walls, and then drive down to the valley to see the Porziuncola chapel within the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels. Afterwards we drive back to the old city and sit in the main square beside a Roman Temple for an aperitif before lunching at a restaurant close by.

After lunch, we visit the beautiful Basilica built in honor of St Francis’ companion St Clare and then on to the Basilica of St Francis, whose interior is painted from top to bottom with wonderful frescoes by the great artists of the 13th and 14th century, Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini.

At about 4 o’clock you will be returned to your hotel to rest, and in the evening I will collect you to bring you to my home for a light supper, or it you prefer, for an aperitif before we go out to a restaurant.

AROUND ASSISI

Roy suggests for your second day six alternative programs for visits to delightful places around, all in scenic countryside, each of which has its own distinctive character. Choices may be restricted by weather conditions. These are day trips by air conditioned taxi, leaving around 9 or 9.30 in the morning and returning by 5 in the afternoon, enabling guests to rest before supper. Check it out… there is plenty to do and plenty to see!

Spello

We drive over Monte Subasio, the mountain overlooking Assisi. This is a scenic trip with spectacular views from the summit. We shall stop at the foot of the mountain to visit the little hermitage of the Eremo delle Carceri, among woods which encloses a cave where St Francis used to pray. We drive over the mountain to the charming little town of Spello on the other side. After an excellent lunch, we visit the church of Santa Maria Maggiore which has the most beautiful frescoes by Pinturicchio. Spello was an important Roman city from which survived two city gates.

Itinerary 2:

Perugia

We drive to Perugia, the capital of Umbria, a city with many medieval buildings. We first visit medieval streets, now underground, below the site of the Rocca Paolina, and then walk down the elegant Corso Vannuci. For art lovers, in the Corso at the National gallery of Umbria there is a wonderful collection of medieval and Renaissance pictures. At the end of the Corso in the Piazza IV Novembre is the magnificent Palazzo Dei Priori and below it the beautiful sculptured fountain the Fonte Maggiore by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. We have lunch and then, traversing streets which the Perugini have walked down for 2500 years, we come to the Etruscan Arch of Augustus. Finally we visit the 5th century church of Saint’ Angelo, built on the site of a Roman temple, reusing its columns inside to form a beautiful round church.

Bevagna & Montefalco

Drive to Bevagna, a charming little town only half an hour from Assisi. On either side of the main square are two wonderful 12th century Romanesque churches and at the corner of the square we look inside a pretty 19th century opera house – tiny, it only holds about 100 – with painted ceiling and gilded boxes. Then we see a 2nd century Roman mosaic bath house floor depicting fish and aquatic creatures.

After a splendid lunch we drive on to Montefalco, a delightful hill town. Here we visit the 14th century church of San Francesco to see the fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli and paintings by Perugino. Montefalco is famous for its wine. We can have a wine tasting and select a bottle to take home for supper.

Todi & Orvieto

A long drive but a spectacular one. We visit Todi, a delightful little hill town one hour from Assisi and have coffee in it s main square, one of the loveliest medieval piazzas in Italy with its cathedral rising above steps at one end. We drive on through lovely countryside to Orvieto, one hour further on. Orvieto, one of the star hill towns of Umbria, rises majestically on its tufa rock mountain. Its glory is its cathedral which a pope called “the golden lily of Italian cathedrals”. Lofty but quite small as cathedrals go, it seems perfect in every way. Its magnificent mosaic facade, glittering in the sunlight, is a wonderful sight and the green and white interior illuminated by soft light from its alabaster windows is magical. There are fine frescoes, most notable the last judgment by Luca Signorelli. Orvieto has a famous white wine and we shall bring back a bottle to drink at supper.

Lake Trasimeno & Gubbio

A trip to Lago Trasimeno, the 4th largest lake in Italy, which is famous historically for the battle, fought on its shores in 217 BC when Hannibal defeated the Romans. We drive to Passignano, an hour from Assisi, and take the ferry boat over the lake to a tiny island for a fish lunch.

After lunch we drive to Gubbio, an hour away. Strong and invincible on its mountain slopes, Gubbio is a formidable medieval town, quite unlike the gentleness of Assisi. In the main square, at the top of the town, is the 14th century Palazzo dei Console in which the museum has the famous Eugubine bronze tablets bearing inscriptions in the ancient Umbrian language.

Itinerary 3:

Spoleto & Norcia

Half an hour from Assisi are the sacred springs of Clitunno, extolling which both Virgil and Lord Byron wrote sonnets. This is a pleasant spot of lakes and willow trees and we shall stop here briefly for coffee. Nearby is a 6th century Christian chapel. Then an hour further on to Spoleto, a graceful hill town, important in Roman times and still preserving Roman city walls, arches and a small amphitheater. It has a lovely cathedral with frescos by Filippo Lippi and, beside it, is the wonderful 12th century Romanesque church of Saint’ Eufemia. We shall walk up to the castle and part way along the spectacular Ponte delle Torri. This is a bridge and aqueduct built on 10 towering arches spanning a 250 ft ravine, a magnificent feat of engineering, built by a 14th century architect on Roman foundations,

After a splendid lunch we drive on (45 minutes) to Norcia, the highest town in Umbria, noted for its hams (including wild boar and cheeses), from which we can select food to take home for supper. Below the cathedral is the Roman house where St. Benedict was born in 480, but besides giving birth to the father of western monasticism, Norcia has been famous throughout history for witches, especially in the Middle Ages.

Each of the Umbrian hill towns has its own celebration and, should they coincide with a guests visit, they can be incorporated into the program

Assisi’s May festival the Calendimaggio, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the first week in May (this year May 4,5 6) is unbelievably beautiful with processions and pageants in medieval costume.

Gubbio’s Corso dei Ceri on 15 May, when three teams of 15 men race to the top of a mountain, each team carrying an enormous platform on which is mounted a lofty totem pole with the figure of a saint on top, with relay runners taking over on the hoof. The atmosphere is like a football cup final and all the inhabitants wear favors of the colors of the team they support.

For the religious or devout Roman Catholics, Holy Week and Easter in Assisi has magnificent services in the Basilica of St Francis and Good Friday processions through the street in which penitents walk barefoot bearing heavy wooden crosses. On the Feast of St Francis, 4 October, a procession through the streets of banners from cities all over Italy, with their mayors, and trumpets, walk to the Basilica for a splendid Mass and, in the afternoon, a cardinal climbs onto the roof to bless the crowds with a relic of St Francis.

Corpus Christi, especially at Spello, where carpets of flowers in beautiful patterns, some so elaborate they resemble tapestries, are laid along the streets which the procession bearing the Blessed Sacrament will pass along.

Above Norcia, at the highest point in Umbria, is a flat plain on top of a mountain, which in Springtime is a riot of wild flowers, swathes of color and unbelievably beautiful.