ASSISI
The territory of the Assisi Tourism District, which also includes the towns of Bastia Umbra, Bettona and Cannara, occupies the northern parte of the Umbrian valley. Its naturale boundaries are Mount Subasio to the North East and a chian of the hills to the South East that separate the aerea from the Tiber Valley . It possesses various rivers (the Chiascio, a tributary of the Tiber , the Topino, the Ose, the Sambro), whose waters render the beautiful countryside very fertile. In the heart of Umbria , halfway up slopes of Mt. Subasio at 424metres above sea level, lies Assisi , a town extraordinarily rich in tourism attractions. The town faces South, with its terraces unfolding towards the enchanting Valle Umbra. A visit to Assisi is a must form international tourists for a variety of reasons: the personalities of Saint Francis (1182-1226) and Saint Claire (1193-1253) who continue to fascinate believers of all relmigions and non-believers alike for their message which is still relevant to modern life; the marvellous Basilicas dedicated to them, with their art works of the greatest painter of the time, in which the fresco of Giotto considered as the beginning of modern painting was born; the typical medieval urban structure of the citu; which in great part follows that of the original Roman settlement (with important remmants such as the “pronaos” (colonnade) of the Temple of Minerva); the green of the woods of the Mount Subasio and of the surrounding countryside, which reach up to us ancient walls, its fortunate position on a hillside, from which in one can embrace the entire Umbrian valley.
Although Umbran in origin, Assisi was influenced byt the nearby Etruscan settlements. Under the name Asisium, it became a flourishing Roman municipality. At the beginning of the 3 rd century A.D., the martyr Rufino, the first bishop of Assisi , introduced by Christian faith. After the fall of the Roman Empire , Assisi was totally destroyed by Totila and his Goths ( 545 A .D.), later occupied by the Byzantines andconquered by the Lombards . Ruled for a considerable period by the Duchy of Spoleto, it flourished again during the 11 th and 12 th centuries, with the first experiments as an independent city state, but soon found itself involved in various wars. Defeated by Barbarossa, it was here that Federico II was educated. St. Francis and St. Claire were born during this period (the former in 1181 or 1182, the latter in 1193 or 1194). Besides imperial and papal domination, Assisi was repeatelly became a victim of violence originating in Perugia . The Viscontis, the Montefeltros, the condottiere Braccio Fortebraccio, and the Sforzas all attached the city. It was also torn by feuds between the Upper and Lower parts of the town (Parte de Sopra and Parte de Sotto). From the 16 th century until 1860, except for the brief Napoleonic period, it was part of the Papal State .