Assisi is one of the most picture perfect hillside towns I have ever visited, but it does have a downside. It is completely overrun but both tourists and the tourist industry both wanting a piece of the St Francis action. Each day dozens of coaches arrive, releasing into the narrow cobbled stone streets, thousands of religious pilgrims, students and old people who climb over each other like they are at an end of season sale in order to tick all the boxes within their allotted 4 hours. I was unaware of this before I arrived but fortunately I had already decided to stay overnight. At night Assisi is magical. The locals close up their trinket pedalling businesses and fill up the bars and restaurants to spend their daily loot. The preconceived image I had of Assisi being a quiet place where a man could enjoy a cold beer brewed by a Franciscan monk was fulfilled, but that beer wasn’t easy to find. I located it in a little local wine and beer “gallery” by the name of Bibenda.
For things to see and do, Assisi’s headline act is the church of St Francis. Now I am not a church aficionado however it was pretty impressive and St Francis’ tomb is in the church itself. I touched it. There are quite a few other important churches there as well which I walked past. But for me the 14th Century fort, Rocca Maggiore, which offered 360 degree views of the town and surrounds as well as a just-manageable network of narrow tunnels and stairways, was the highlight.
This year, Assisi was the finish point for Stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia. Unfortunately I was early by two days, but preparations for what was labelled the most picturesque stage finish of the 95th running of the grand cycling tour were well underway. I did catch it live on television however, and it didn’t disappoint. My timing was unfortunate, but I don’t believe Assisi could have accommodated me at short notice with the teams and media circus taking over, but alas I saw this beautiful town at its most beautiful – night time.