Assisi sits on the sun-baked slopes of Monte Subasio in the green heart of Umbria, a medieval hill town that has drawn pilgrims since the thirteenth century. It is the birthplace of St. Francis (1181 or 1182) and Santa Chiara, and peace remains a defining quality — something you feel in the quiet stone streets and the unhurried rhythm of the place.
The Basilica di San Francesco is the main draw. The upper and lower churches house some of the most important late Gothic painting in Italy, with works by Giotto, Simone Martini, and Ambrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti. The famous Giotto cycle of St. Francis's life in the upper church remains breathtaking despite earthquake damage in 1997. Beyond the basilica, the town is full of Romanesque churches — the Basilica di Santa Chiara, the Cattedrale di San Rufino, the Temple of Minerva facing the Piazza del Comune — and the imposing Rocca Maggiore above. Walk up to the Eremo delle Carceri hermitage in the forest on Monte Subasio for the most atmospheric Franciscan site outside the basilica.
If you are not interested in either religion or art, Assisi still works as a base for hiking on Monte Subasio. The views from the basilica's piazza stretch across the Umbrian plain to Perugia and beyond, and the air is some of the freshest in Italy.