The monastery at Assisi.

In November 1999, we took a day trip by train to Assisi from Florence.  In April 2000, we returned to spend several days in medieval Assisi, before heading south to ancient sites in the vicinities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Capri.  

We stayed at the St. Francis Guest House, operated by an American order of Franciscan nuns.  It had been renovated to repair earthquake damage so although the exterior was medieval, the interior furnishings were quite modern.  

Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis.  It is a hilltop city that offers considerable culture.  Walking the same streets that Saints Francis and Clare walked in a city that appears to have changed little in the last several hundred years, provides a sense of continuity with the past.  

Besides the Upper and Lower Basilicas of St. Francis, Assisi offers many picturesque "street shrines," street markets, food markets, and interesting shop windows.  

These photos were all taken with Canon Rebel EOS mostly with available light. 

Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions of the photographs. 

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Gate to the old city.

The entrances to the Upper and Lower Basilicas.

The view from the front of the Upper Basilica

Entrance to the Lower Baslica.

The entrances to the Upper and Lower Basilicas.

On the way back into the city from the Basilicas.

In Late 1999 and early 2000, Assisi was still rebuilding from the major earthquake of 1997.

A steep street with stairs.

Typical street Scene.

Altar at one of the many churches.

The Umbrian countryside.

Well decorated hotel.

One of the many chapels in the city.

One of the many public/private monuments to St. Francis.

Parking seems to require creativity everywhere in Italy.

Many religious goods on display in this store window.

Il treno.