It took us the entire afternoon in a coffee shop, but my friend and I planned it all, accounting for walking routes, locations, Mass times––everything. Realizing the prevalence of midday siesta closing times, we reconfigured part of our schedule, nearly mastering the Italian names of all the churches from typing them into Google Maps so much. Yet, a couple of caffeinated drinks later, we finally had our itinerary ready. Our trip was not for another two months, but we knew how we’d fill every single minute of our forty-four hours in Assisi.

Many Catholics pilgrimage through this small town in the Umbria region of central Italy, awed at the peace that pervades it. Cobblestoned streets, captivating architecture, terraced cafes facing beautiful views, savory countryside food specialties—the rustic charm feels newly drawn from a medieval history book. More than that, Assisi is land deeply defined by the Catholic faith.

In honor of the eight-hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Francis, here’s a glance at the holy places, people, and prayers that set this little piece of earth apart from the rest of the world.

The Saints of Assisi

Two are quite well known, but Assisi’s whole heavenly lineup includes: 

• Saint Francis, a patron of Italy whose heart, devoted to poverty and preaching, revived the Church. Many of his first companions are also venerated for their holiness, including Blessed Giles of Assisi, Blessed Bernard of Quintavalle, and Blessed Angelo Tancredi.
• Saint Clare, who left her noble family to follow her contemplative heart into a life consecrated to God, formed a women’s order in Saint Francis’ monastic tradition. Clare’s younger sisters and widowed mother followed her into religious life. Her sister, Saint Agnes of Assisi, is entombed in a side chapel of the Basilica of Saint Clare.  
• Saint Rufinus, the first bishop of Assisi and the town’s true patron Saint, came from Turkey to preach the Gospel in the third century but was persecuted and killed by Roman officials. He shares a feast day with Saint Clare: August 11th.
• Saint Carlo Acutis loved Assisi deeply and requested to be buried there, near his patron, Saint Francis. His body is displayed for veneration in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, while his heart is in a reliquary in the Cathedral of San Rufino.  
• Our Lady of the Angels appeared to Saint Francis with Christ in the Portiuncula chapel in Assisi’s valley. The Lord offered to grant whatever Saint Francis desired for the salvation of souls, and he requested complete forgiveness of sin for all who visited the Portiuncula––a plenary indulgence known as the pardon of Assisi.

Other Saints specially associated with this place: 

• Servant of God Chiara Petrillo and her husband Enrico made walking pilgrimages to Assisi, becoming engaged during one of these and later marrying at the Church of San Pietro in Assisi. 
• Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was born in Assisi in 1838 and baptized with the name Francis at the same font as his patron. He died at age twenty-four as a seminarian in the Passionist order. 

Sanctuaries and Holy Spots

Courtesy of that coffee shop planning session, here’s a comprehensive list of the churches around Assisi that make a true Franciscan journey. 

• The Basilica of Saint Francis is the crown jewel of Assisi, with its stunning frescoes, the tomb of il Poverello himself, and other special relics in the crypt.
• The Basilica of Saint Clare is a graceful example of Italian Gothic design, with a stunning rose window, pink façade, and crypt housing the Saint’s tomb. The Poor Clares sing morning prayer daily at 6:45am in a chapel that houses the original San Damiano crucifix that spoke to Saint Francis.
• The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels is the special Franciscan site of the Portiuncula shrine, miraculous rose garden of Saint Francis, and the chapel where he died.
• Santa Maria Maggiore, where Saint Carlo is buried, is also where Saint Francis publicly renounced his family’s wealth before the bishop. 
• The Cathedral of San Rufino embodies the city’s ancient history, with a thousand-year-old crypt and the baptismal font where both Saint Francis and Saint Clare were baptized. Venerate Saint Carlo Acutis’ heart in its reliquary on the left. 
• The Sanctuary of San Damiano was Saint Clare’s convent and the place of her death. Saint Francis composed his Canticle of the Sun in a garden outside. 
• Chiesa Nuova is a church on the site of Saint Francis’ family home, near the original door to their home and one of their cloth storerooms. It contains the closet where his father imprisoned him for publicly renouncing the family wealth.
  

A Book to Bring You There

These, the main sacred sites in Assisi, are only the start of following Saint Francis through central Italy. There’s also the town where Saint Francis set up the first Nativity scene that we replicate in our crèches. There’s the Eremo delle Carceri, a hermitage in the hills above Assisi, where he contemplated God in holy silence. Or what about the indescribably small hovels where he lived with his first Friars minor? Or the grave of the wolf of Gubbio (yes, you read that correctly), and second-class relics like Saint Francis’ stone bed and pillow?

I learned about all these wonders and more in Teresa Tomeo’s new book Italy’s Shrines and Wonders Volume II – Discovering Sacred Spaces and Fascinating Places in the Life of St. Francis of Assisi. This beautiful guidebook, replete with stunning photos, is an insider’s view into obscure relics, specific spots, notable persons, and special local traditions. It’s a virtual visit in keepsake form, although reading it may give rise to an intense desire to visit central Italy.

The Prayers of Assisi

The piety of Assisi’s Saints is a rich heritage in the Church. Some prayers by which we can honor Saint Francis’ octocentennial jubilee include: 

• Contemplating and praising God for creation through his Canticle of the Sun.
• Reflecting on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.
• Putting your heart in God’s hands with the words of his Peace Prayer or Prayer Given to Brother Leo.
• Spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, following the example of the Saints buried in Assisi—Francis, Clare, and Carlo Acutis.
  

A thousand words in writing do not suffice to put into words the spiritual heritage of this holy place—neither do forty-four hours spent there in person, even when used to the fullest, as I discovered. Whether you, dear reader, experience a sojourn in Assisi in person or make your pilgrimage vicariously through prayer, even the longest stay in such a sacred site can only be a foretaste of the heavenly city where “a day in [His] courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10).