Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- From Perugia, there are about 20 trains daily (25-30 min.). From Florence, there are 11 daily Rome-bound trains, from which you transfer at Terontola/Cortona for Assisi (2-3 hr., often with long layovers). Coming from Rome, nine daily trains make the connection through Foligno (2-3 hr. total). The station (tel. 075-804-0272) is in the modern valley town of Santa Maria degli Angeli, about 5km (3 miles) from Assisi, with bus connections to Assisi every 20 minutes, or you can take a taxi for about 10€ to 13€ ($13-$17).

By Car -- Assisi is only 27km (17 miles) from Perugia, but you have to take several roads (most are well signposted). Head south of town to the SS3, which you take in the direction of Umbertide. Get off the SS3 after 3.5km (2 1/4 miles) onto the SS75 toward Foligno. After 9km (5 1/2 miles), you'll come to the exit for Assisi at Santa Maria degli Angeli, its modern suburb. It's another 5km (3 miles) up to town. Assisi is almost entirely closed to traffic except hotel luggage drop-offs and pickups.

You can park (tel. 075-813-707) in the huge lot under Piazza Matteotti ("Parcheggio C") on the town's eastern edge; on Piazza Unità d'Italia outside Porta San Pietro ("Parcheggio A"), the smallest but nearest to the Basilica di San Francesco; or outside the walls' southeastern corner at Porta Moianbo and Porta Nuova ("Parcheggio B," with an elevator up into town). These are all pay-by-the-hour lots that fill up quickly in summer. Rates are 1.15€ ($1.50) per hour, but if you're staying in an Assisi hotel they'll give you an Assisicard that lets you park for 24 hours for 11€ ($14). The card also gets you small discounts in shops and some restaurants around town.

For the best free parking, drive to the north side of town, up along the ridge above the city, where there's plenty of space in the lot near the cemetery off Viale Albornoz behind the walls; even better are the spaces lining Via della Rocca just inside the walls near the Rocca (enter through Porta Perlici off Viale Albornoz and take the first right within the walls). To test your luck, drive all the way to the end of Viale Albornoz where it enters town through Porta San Giacomo; outside this gate are a few free spaces just a 2-minute stroll from San Francesco.

By Bus -- Eight APM buses (tel. 800-512-141 or 075-506-781; www.apmperugia.it) run the route seven times daily between Perugia and Assisi's Piazza Matteotti (50 min.). Most also pass by the lower half of Piazza San Pietro (at the bottom of the big traffic curve) at the other end of town. They also run about five buses from Gubbio (1 3/4 hr.). Sulga (tel. 075-500-9641; www.sulga.it) runs two buses daily from Rome's Tiburtina station, taking about 3 hours, and one daily trip from Piazza Adua in Florence, which takes about 2 1/2 hours. In Assisi, buy tickets in any tabacchi or at the tourist office.

Visitor Information

The tourist office (tel. 075-812-534 or 075-812-450; fax 075-813-727; www.umbria2000.it) is on Piazza del Comune. It's open summer daily from 8am to 6:30pm, winter Monday through Saturday from 8am to 2pm and 3:30 to 6:30pm, Sunday from 9am to 1pm. The private websites www.assisionline.com and www.assisiweb.com also have good info.

Festivals & Markets

In the city of St. Francis, all church holidays are pilgrim-ridden, solemn religious rites. Processions and church ceremonies -- occasionally mixed with some livelier restaurant feasts -- are celebrated throughout Easter Week and on Corpus Domini (early June), Festa del Voto (June 22), Festa del Perdono (Aug 1 and 2), Festa di San Rufino (Aug 11), Festa di Santa Chiara (Aug 12), Ascension Day (around Aug 15), Festa di San Francesco (Oct 3 and 4), and Christmas Eve and Day (Dec 24 and 25).

But for the Calendimaggio spring celebration, the first weekend (starting Thurs) after May 1, Assisi goes totally pagan. The town divides itself into "upper" and "lower" factions that date to the 1300s. The festivities, with processions, medieval contests of strength and skill, and late-night partying -- all in 14th-century costume, of course -- go back much further to the pre-Roman rites of spring. The winner of the contests gets to have the fair damsel of his choice declared Lady Spring. The whole shebang ends with a singing duel on the main piazza. Call tel. 075-812-534 for info.

In May, there's an antiques market. The regular weekly market is Saturday along Via Alessi and Via San Gabriele dell'Addolorata.