27 August 2016
It takes about 50 minutes to drive to Assisi. You go down the E45 and then past Perugia and turn right off the E45 to Assisi. I have now visited Assisi more than any other tourist site in the area, and still think the Basilica of San Francesco is wonderful
We have never really discovered the best way to get to Assisi old town. There are in fact two towns called Assisi. One is at the bottom of the hill and one is at the top of the hill and the sat nav did not seem able to work out the difference between the two. You want the one at the top of the hill.
I think that it is best to miss the first turn off to Assisi, and you take the second one but I strongly suspect we have not cracked this yet. Frankly, if you end up in Assisi Modern, at the bottom of the hill, you will eventually find your way up the hill because you can at least see where you are heading. You will find a road largely going up on the left-hand side of the hill, as you are looking up at the hill if you are in Assisi Modern. There is a road that takes you right up to the up to the car parks etc in the town at the top of the hill. It starts to zigzag when you get to the main hill.
We were able to park right of front of the Basilica Di San Francesco in an underground car park next to the bus station. There was still spaces when we left at 3pm or so. For earlier visits we would assume that would be all full up and parked at the far side of Assisi then walked across, which had taken about 15 minutes. On this visit and indeed a number of other visits since we have always been able to get into the car park in front of the Basilica so that is what you should aim for.
The walk up to the entrance from the but station car park takes about 10 minutes. The road winds around and gives great views over the plain and a side view of the main church.
I was originally advised to get there very early and certainly if you do get there (I think it opens about 8am or 8.30am) I had the place practically to myself for the first half an hour or 40 minutes. On this occasion we got there about 10am and there was no queue to get in although there were of course a number of people visiting. We went in downstairs first to look at the lower church and worked our way up to the church on top. I definitely recommend doing it that way.
I am sure there is some psychological test that you can do as to whether you prefer downstairs or upstairs. I love the downstairs part of the Basilica. Upstairs is fine and would be a knock out in any other circumstances. But I think downstairs is fabulous.
When you go in downstairs you turn left and you are looking down the nave of the aisle towards the alter. The most impressive part is the area right next to the alter (the crossing?). There are crowds of people in there, even though there was no queue but the guides now have microphones and earpieces for each tour party which makes life better for everyone including the guard on the door whose job it is to say “silenzio shhhh” every few minutes. On this occasion we had to the leave the lower church to go outside and round on the road up to the main part because they were doing a service for those who had died in the earthquake while we were out there. Usually you can go up through a narrow doorway at the far end of the church from where you entered it, which makes the impact of the differences downstairs and upstairs all the more striking.
I think the upper part is the more famous part but as I say I am less impressed by it. Clearly it is spectacular. Some very famous images e.g Saint Francis supporting the church and another panel showing him preaching to the birds for example. My wife was disappointed that there were not more of him with the animals…My favourite image is on the left hand side of the church as you walk down towards the altar, in the crossing on the left – the colour has almost all disappeared but the remaining image looks a bit like a print but has an energy which the more celebrated pictures do not. IMHO
The cathedral has a lovely mournful knight outside on the hillside, facing it, designed I think by Norbetto. There was a lovely shop with Norbetto things in the window on the left-hand side on the way up to the Piazza Del Commune. From what I can see online, the statue is apparently St Francis returning to Assisi having decided not to fight in the wars but instead serve God. I do not know if it is true or not but whoever was posting online seemed very convinced that it was the right answer.
If you then walk to Santa Chiara, you go via Piazza Del Commune that takes about 20 minutes . It is fairly steadily up hill from the cathedral. The crypt where she is buried is appropriately gloomy (the crypt of Saint Francis has fake flowers in it – Italian penny pinching or respecting his adoration for life – you choose). The chapel itself is pretty bare.
The Temple of Minerva church in the Piazza Del Commune is easily recognisable from the fluted roman columns outside as originally being something other than a church. The clue is in the name – Santa Maria Sopra Minerva which is a pretty good illustration of the composite history of this church which was originally a Roman temple to Minerva and was presumably taken over when the Empire converted. The inside is an unexpected treat, very baroque and completely over the top, totally at odds with the Romanesque exterior.
The Duomo is a short walk from Santa Chiara further away from the Piazza del Commune. It has a lovely façade to it. We stood and watched some street entertainers who persuaded a number of tourists to help out whilst one of the actors intoned the story – but I could not figure out what it was about and I doubt the tourists knew any better than I did.
It is a drive to get Chiesa Santa Maria Degli Angeli.which is a very large church back down the hill in what I think of as Assisi modern. I had read somewhere that it was the sixth largest church worldwide – I do not actually think this is correct – certainly if you worship at the God of Wikipedia there are plenty larger, but it is pretty big however you measure it. You park near some gardens in front of the church then walk up to the very imposing façade.
Inside is very odd. The space impact is lessened by the not very interesting tapestries that are hanging in the nave and which would interfere with the space. Effectively the tapestries screen the nave from the side aisles. The other peculiar thing is the Porziuncola which is the original chapel where Saint Francis used to pray and which is located inside the larger church. The original chapel has a façade facing the congregation in the larger church that makes it look like a child’s tent or a Wendy house. Seen from the side or behind the little chapel is rather more impressive but in front very not impressive. It is worth a visit but there is no doubt that the main attraction is up the hill.
28 June 2017
We visited Assisi again today. We still have not found the best route to it from the E45. On this occasion we took the first sign to Assisi, off the E45 I should say, and we just then followed the road towards the hill on which the cathedral is based and managed to get there. Still don’t think we have it right.
We started at the lower level and found that at 11.30am there was a church service going on in the chapel straight ahead of you as you go into the lower cathedral. There were 100 or so people in attendance. This is more than the chapel could accommodate so people were kneeling in the aisles. Depending on how suspicious you are, singing was either surprisingly good and enthusiastic or there were backing tapes were involved.
The impression downstairs is blue. The ceiling of the downstairs church is divided into four triangles between each arch and is blue with stars in a row or triangles depending on your perspective. The massive mural at the end has a different sky blue colour to it. The circles overhead are each individually patterned (Arabic/geometric patterns prevailing). The arches downstairs have a Romanesque curve whereas those above have a definite point to the arch.
When you enter the church downstairs through the door, the nave runs away to your left with at first little to hint at the splendour and impact awaiting you when you stand close to the alter where the nave reveals the full range of the frescos behind the altar, in the transepts and overhead.
The wooden roof bands (technical term needed?) run from each corner of the arch to the opposite corner to create the four triangles in each space
The cross hanging above he alter is much older in appearance and islit so it really catches your eye from the far end of the church. Perspective is what counts and in the main fresco behind the altar is of the Day of Judgment with three trumpeters waking the saved and the damned alike. Part of the mural incorporates the window in the wall. There is a sloping windowsill below the window, but the cherub on it is painted so to appear to be standing up. Very clever use of perspective. There is also similar trick in one of the side chapels where an arch meets a rounded pillar but the design painted on the arch meshes perfectly into the rounded pillar.
Upstairs is much cooler, less chaos and more cerebral. High ceilings, simple regular panels showing the life of Saint Frances. A fair amount of earthquake damage is still apparent (I had forgotten that Assisi was badly hit and people died in the church). My favourite of the frescos upstairs is straight across past the alter (if you pass the alter to your right) to the far side of the transept. If you turn and face the alter having cross the transept, the picture on your right seems to have lost all of its colour yet there is an energy in the force which I think is lacking in many of the other images in that part of the cathedral. I think it is partly the angle of Christ’s hip on the cross and the dramatic pose of one of the women watching him die and it is the undecipherable contact between a Saint and Jesus on the right-hand side of the picture. It looks Mannerist to me but a way which is wholly out of keeping with the rest of the upstairs.
25 August 2017
Just a few extra thoughts about the Basilica. Over the altar downstairs facing you as you go in (where they held the service last time I was here) I noticed that there are lovely frescoes of curtains painted over the arch of the chapel as if the curtains have been drawn back to let you see. They are a beautiful red colour too.
The Cappello Di Niccolo is on the right-hand side of the alter (as you are facing it) (think transept if the church had them). I would like to know more about what the shipwreck relates to – one of the panels clearly indicates that he had a problem with the shipwreck.
The bus station car park was full by 11am today.