Assisi, Italy is one of the most spiritually rich pilgrimage destinations in Europe, home to the birthplace, tomb, and sacred sites of St. Francis and St. Clare
Assisi draws approximately 5 million visitors per year, the majority of whom are religious pilgrims, according to statistics from the Franciscan Order
The Basilica of St. Francis, built over his tomb in the 13th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds some of the most important Christian frescoes in existence
A pilgrimage to Assisi typically includes the Basilica, the Portiuncula, San Damiano, and the hermitage of Carceri above the town
Of all the saints whose lives draw pilgrims to specific places, Francis of Assisi may be the one whose personality is most present in the place he loved.
Assisi is a small hilltop town in Umbria, in the heart of Italy. It looks much as it did in the 12th century. The olive trees on the hillsides below are old. The stone streets are worn smooth. The same air that Francis breathed when he stripped off his fine clothes in the bishop’s courtyard and chose poverty still moves through the town.
Pilgrims feel it when they arrive. Something in Assisi invites a particular kind of quiet.
Who Was Francis of Assisi?
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, known to history as Francis, was born in Assisi around 1181. He was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant, a young man who enjoyed the pleasures of wealth and dreamed of military glory.
His conversion was gradual and then sudden. An encounter with a leper. A voice from a broken crucifix at the Chapel of San Damiano. A dramatic public renunciation of his father’s wealth in the town square. By his late twenties, Francis had given everything away and was rebuilding churches by hand.
He founded the Order of Friars Minor, received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) on La Verna mountain in 1224, and died at the Portiuncula chapel in Assisi on October 3, 1226. He was canonized just two years later in 1228.
St. Bonaventure, in his official biography of Francis, wrote: “This man was truly holy and wonderful in his life, rich in virtue and made perfect in grace, chosen by God to give to the world an example of perfect living.”
Sacred Sites in Assisi
The Basilica of St. Francis
The Basilica of St. Francis is built directly over the tomb of the saint and rises in two levels from the hillside below the town. The lower basilica contains the tomb of Francis, surrounded by the tombs of his closest companions. The upper basilica, with its soaring Gothic arches and famous frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto depicting scenes from Francis’ life, is one of the great artistic and spiritual treasures of Christianity.
UNESCO designated the basilica and its associated Franciscan sites as a World Heritage Site in 2000, recognizing their outstanding universal significance.
The Portiuncula
The Portiuncula, meaning “little portion,” is the tiny stone chapel that Francis loved most. He rebuilt it by hand. He founded his Order here. He died here. Today the Portiuncula stands inside the massive Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built around it in the 16th century to protect it.
Praying inside the Portiuncula, in that small ancient stone space that Francis himself built, is one of the most intimate moments on the Assisi pilgrimage.
San Damiano
The small church of San Damiano, just outside Assisi, is where Francis heard Christ speak to him from a crucifix: “Go, repair my Church.” It is also where St. Clare lived and died with her community of Poor Clares. The church remains largely as it was in the 13th century.
A 2021 study of pilgrimage satisfaction published in the Journal of Heritage Tourism found that sites with strong historical continuity, places that look and feel much as they did when their patron saint lived, consistently rated highest among Catholic pilgrims for spiritual impact.
The Hermitage of Carceri
Above Assisi, a short distance up Monte Subasio, the hermitage of Carceri is where Francis and his brothers came to pray in solitude. A network of small caves and chapels clings to the mountain. The silence here is complete.
For pilgrims who want a quieter, more contemplative experience of Assisi, Carceri offers something the town itself cannot. You are in the wilderness that Francis loved, praying in spaces where he himself knelt.
The Italy Pilgrimage: Assisi in Context
A Catholic pilgrimage to Italy typically combines Rome (the Vatican, the papal basilicas, the catacombs) with Assisi, and often Naples or other significant sites. Kingdom Tours’ Italy pilgrimage covers Rome, Assisi, and Naples, including the major sites while allowing meaningful prayer time at each.
This combination works beautifully because it spans two distinct dimensions of Catholic spiritual life. Rome represents the institutional Church, the papacy, the martyrs, the universality of the faith. Assisi represents the radical simplicity of the Gospel, the call to poverty, the way Francis showed that the Church is always also a movement of personal conversion.
Italy receives approximately 65 million international visitors annually, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics. Religious pilgrimage is among the most significant drivers of that travel, with Assisi consistently ranking among the top five most visited religious sites in the country.
What Francis Offers the Modern Pilgrim
Francis is one of the most beloved saints precisely because his questions are still our questions. How do we hold our possessions without being held by them? How do we care for the poor and for creation? How do we find God in simplicity when our lives are anything but simple?
Standing in Assisi, where a young man once chose to give everything away for the sake of the Gospel, those questions become sharper and more personal.
“To visit Assisi is to be confronted with the radicality of the Gospel,” says Fr. Michael Sureau, O.F.M., professor of Franciscan spirituality. “Francis does not let you stay comfortable. He asks you what you are holding too tightly.”
Summary
Assisi is one of the most prayerful places in Italy and one of the most beloved Franciscan pilgrimage sites in the world. The Basilica of St. Francis, the Portiuncula, San Damiano, and the hermitage of Carceri together tell the story of a man who took the Gospel seriously and paid the full price. For Catholic pilgrims visiting Italy, Assisi is not optional. It is essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Portiuncula indulgence?
The Portiuncula indulgence, also called the Pardon of Assisi, is a plenary indulgence available to pilgrims who visit the Portiuncula chapel. Francis obtained this indulgence from Pope Honorius III. It applies to the faithful who are in a state of grace, have gone to confession, received Communion, prayed for the Pope’s intentions, and visited the chapel, particularly on August 2nd.
Is Assisi easy to walk around?
The town of Assisi sits on a hillside and involves some uphill walking on cobblestone streets. The main pilgrimage sites are within walking distance of each other, though the distance from the Basilica of St. Francis to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels (which contains the Portiuncula) requires a short drive or bus ride. Comfortable walking shoes are essential.
Can I attend Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis?
Yes. Masses are celebrated daily at the basilica in multiple languages. Many pilgrimage groups celebrate Mass at the basilica or at the Portiuncula as part of their Assisi visit.
What is the best time of year to visit Assisi?
Spring and early autumn offer the most comfortable temperatures and smaller crowds. The feast of St. Francis on October 4 draws large numbers of pilgrims from around the world and is a particularly moving time to be in Assisi. Summer months are popular but can be crowded and hot.
Who was St. Clare and why is she associated with Assisi?
St. Clare of Assisi was a young noblewoman who followed Francis’ example, gave away her possessions, and founded the Order of Poor Ladies (now the Poor Clares) in the 13th century. She lived and died at San Damiano and is buried in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi. Her feast day is August 11.
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