Assisi

Assisi is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region. Situated on the western flank of Monte Subasio, and is the birthplace of St Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St Clare of Assisi (Chiara d’Offreducci), the founder of the Church of Poor Sisters. Assisi was hit by two devasting heartquakes, that shook Umbria in September 1997. But the recovery and restoration have been remarkable, although much remains to be done. Massive damage was caused to many historical sites, but the major attraction, the Church of St Francis, reopened less than 2 years later. Another important attraction of Assisi is the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels a Papal minor Basilica situated in the plain at the foot of the hill, constructed in the Mannerist style between 1569 and 1679, where the Saint understood his vocation and renounced the world in order to live in poverty among the poor.