For most of its long history, dating since the time of the Roman Empire, the town of Assisi – being the birth place of one of Christianity’s most famous saints – was one of Europe’s major pilgrimage destinations. Today it is a major tourist destination, a place where many foreigners stop on the way from Rome to Florence. 

The Cathedral dedicated to Saint Assisi in the early 20th century when it was still a place visited by pilgrims. 

The Cathedral today when most visitors are tourists…and in this respect, it’s easy to understand why Assisi attracts so many visitors – most of them Italian when we were there in March.  It is a veritable gold mine for historic buildings and impressive sights: this is Europe at its best….

We stayed in an apartment close to the old town in what was once, during the Roman times, a coliseum. The above photo was taken some time in the past, probably the 1960s. It has been modernised since then. Still from the outside, the circular walls can still be seen – where once, long ago, the crowds sat and watched the spectacle in the main ring – many of these far from pleasant measured by our humane values. 

Just out of town are good walking trails through the nearby hills. We walked during the day and wandered around town in the evenings….