Assisi is the home of St. Francis. Located in Umbria, we took a day trip there to see the spring festival. It's a competition of games between the lower part of the town (sotto) and the upper part (sopray). The entire village participates, it was quite entertaining!
The Basilica of St. Francis
St. Francis lived in the 13th century. He was born into a wealthy family, yet heard a calling to serve the poor and become a friar, much to his families' chagrin. He became a saint after death, as he suffered the stigma.
Beautiful details on the church exterior
View into the town from the gardens outside of the church
Beautiful view of the Umbria valley below
The church was built to house St. Francis' body, which is entombed under the nave of the lower basilica today. Fun fact: there is also an upper basilica, where the pope and the elite would have their church services, so they didn't have to mix with the commoners. This place is huge!
Exploring the city, love the old pathways and brickwork
If you no longer need that door or window, just brick it over! Very funny to see the transition of space in these ancient homes
We had a delicious lunch served in an outdoor patio, it felt like we were in a garden.
Old city gate, with the original Roman wall in the archway. Crazy how old it is, and yet still intact!
A beautiful day for our visit
The Temple of Minerva, where the games were held for the festival
The Temple of Minerva is an ancient Roman building, built in the 1st century B.C.
Local youth and city officials participate in the festival. It is kicked off by a parade, where each side (lower is red, upper is blue) show off the decorations and floats they have made specifically for that year's events.
Each archer is assigned to a princess, and the winning archer unrolls his scroll to see the name of the princess who will reign over that year's festival.
Ladies in waiting
City map of Assisi
After the parade, there are three events. Archery, a cart pull, and a rope tow.
Quite a crowd!
After the games, there is a large celebration that continues on into the night. We had food and drinks in an underground tavern that is only open once a year for the games.
