It is impossible to think of Assisi without St. Francis, and St. Francis without Assisi. Both are bounded together. When you walk through the small streets between the walls made of the oldest rocks, and the balconies holding small red flowers, it is very easy to let your mind go back to the early 13th century and see him walking, giving testimony of simplicity.

        Yes! Simplicity is the exact word to describe Assisi. It holds its beauty on its the small details that, together, create the most spiritual atmosphere that you can ever imagine. Maybe, that's why St. Francis had a life as special as his hometown is.

        From my perspective, Assisi is the most beautiful place on earth. I know that you might be thinking that I am overdoing it, but you will change your mind once you are there. If you are looking for nightlife this is not the place to go. Assisi will give you a complete break on your trip, it will invite you to stay at least two days to explore it entirely. Don't go in one of those packed tourist busses that only stay a few hours in town and force you to leave when you are just starting to like it. In Assisi you must go at your own pace, stay in one of the many small hotels in town, they are cheap and offer excellent service. If you don't do so, you might regret it for your life. My personal recommendation is La Rocca.

        Assisi is just recovering from an earthquake that in 1997 damaged most of the buildings and treasures. The St. Francis Basilica has just been reopened on November 1999 and is ready to welcome all the visitors and share with them the frescos of El Giotto that were restored with computer techniques piece by piece in one of the most complicated puzzles ever.

        Spite of this earthquake, Assisi is still very enjoyable and full of spirituality. Every spot in town can be reached in five or ten minutes walking, unless you want to go to S. María deli Angeli to see La Porcincula. In this case you have to take a bus (the only bus in town) that departs every half an hour from several points of the town (one of them is close to the Basilica) and they drop you right outside of the church that hosts La Porcincula. Or perhaps you might want to go to other small places close to Assisi where St. Francis used to go to pray, like St. Damian.