Assisi : walkabout

These pictures were taken during the town walkabout. We started from  Basilica di Santa Chiara  in the east to Basilica di San Francesco in the west. This has the advantage of walking down hill instead of up.

Portable receiver and earphone

Piazza del Comune (Town Hall Square)

This is the centre of the town

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

The Temple of Minerva was built in the 1st century BC by the Romans. When paganism lost favour in the 4th to 5th centuries the temple was abandoned and this church was built over it.

The six splendid Corinthian columns and the entire Roman façade are still intact after over 2,000 years. 

Basilica di Santa Chiara

This 13th Century church houses the relics of St Clare. She was a follower of St Francis and the founder of The Poor Clares.

The giant flying buttress

A replica of the crucifix that spoke to St Francis

Photography is prohibited in the church. (I refer to my post in Westminster Abbey)

Assisi

Assisi is a small Umbrian town in central Italy and is best known as the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. UNESCO collectively designated the Franciscan structures of Assisi as a World Heritage Site in 2000.

Lunch

We had a three-course lunch.

Penne Bolognese

(first course)

Roast Pork with vegetables

(main course)

Gelato

(desert)

Orvieto walkabout

We walked the cobbled stones streets of this medieval town before leaving.

Torre del Moro

The clock Tower

At the edge of the town

Duomo of Orvieto

This Gothic and Romanesque styled black and white striped church was constructed in 1290. The magnificent three-gable façade is decorated with detailed mosaics in stunning colours and pure gold.

One of Italy's greatest cathedrals

No photography is allowed inside the church

The bronze door

Carvings depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments including Hell and Damnation