Assisi, the ancient Umbrian village in the province of Perugia, is one of Italy's most important artistic, cultural and religious destinations. The town is famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis, patron saint of Italy, and St. Clare, whose religious deeds have contributed to Assisi's fame as an open-air sanctuary, a pilgrimage destination f...
READ MOREOne of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy, the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi is also a Unesco World Heritage site, welcoming visitors as a distinctive landmark as they approach the Umbrian town, birthplace of Francis. The basilica of Saint Francis was built starting from 1228, just two years after Francis’ death, as a...
READ MORESaturday, January 16th • 10:00am ET Live from Italy!!! Umbria and Valnerina, Cascia, Norcia, Castelluccio and More. With Anne Robichaud. Organized by Casa Belvedere. Register Here. Do you know what a "norcineria" offers? Ever tasted the famous “lost beans” of the Valnerina? Ever heard of Preci and a curiosity that makes it famous? Let’s warm up our...
READ MORETHE TEMPLE OF MINERVA IN the town of Assisi, in Umbria, appears to be a perfectly preserved example of a Roman temple from the outside, but inside is home to a Catholic church. The Roman building was named during the 1st-century BCE, probably as part of the town’s forum. The structure is a typical Roman temple with six tall Corinthians columns supp...
READ MOREOver the Christmas season the Umbrian town of Assisi will project images of Giotto's Nativity frescoes onto the façade of the Basilica of S. Francesco, each evening from 6 December. Titled Il Natale di Francesco (The Christmas of Francis), the project will beam Giotto's Nativity scenes onto the exterior of the basilica dedicated to Italy's patron s...
READ MORELocated in central Italy, in the region of Umbria, Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis, patron saint of Italy. Since Francis was canonized in 1228, only two years after his death, Assisi has been closely associated with the cult and diffusion of the Franciscan movement in the world, and its universal message of peace and tolerance. Assisi has...
READ MOREPeace, universal love, respect for the natural world… Francis of Assisi, the “first environmentalist”, is the sort of saint whose teachings even the most ardent secularist couldn’t object to. His celebration of simplicity and rejection of material possessions also chime with today’s distaste for heedless consumerism. Nearly 800 years after Francis...
READ MORETo celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco and Assisi joining together as Sister Cities, and the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis’s visit to the Holy Land, Maestro Cosimo Prontera will offer two organ concerts, in San Francisco and in San Jose. With the support of the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Fr...
READ MOREAssisi is a comune and town located in the Umbria region in Italy in the province of Perugia. The town is located on the west of Monte Subasio and is mainly famous as the birth place of St. Francis. St. Francis had started the Franciscan religious order in Assisi in 1208. St. Clare was also born in the town. Around 1000BC several Umbrians settled i...
READ MOREFifty years have gone by since Mayor Joseph Alioto got a call from the Consiglio Comunale di Assisi announcing that the proposal to make San Francisco and Assisi Sister Cities had been approved. That decision marked a crucial moment in the history of the two towns: Assisi, the Città della Pace, (as locals always underline) is in fact Sister City wi...
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