Assisi and Spello Full Day Private Walking Tour

Our tour begins in Assisi, an example of a sanctuary city, being first a pilgrimage destination and then an immense artistic, historical and cultural heritage. We will meet each other and start our walking tour of Assisi, exploring its old Roman Ruins. We will see remains of the local Roman Amphitheatre and the beautiful Minerva temple, whose facade is one of the best preserved in Italy. The temple stands in Piazza del Comune, built in 30 BC and probably dedicated to Hercules. Only in the 16th century it was transformed into the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, with its bell tower, “Torre del Popolo”. During our tour, you will also experience the atmosphere of a medieval Italian hill town by visiting local handicraft shops (pottery, carvings, embroidery) and having a walk through typical little alleys. The focus of our tour there will be the Basilica of Saint Francis with its magnificent frescoes by Giotto (13th—14th C.), one of the most important artists of Italy in the Middle Ages. The frescoes you will see inside Saint Francis Basilica were designed to illustrate episodes from the Bible to the people, in the most effective way and to tell them about the life of St Francis, ignoring the Cistercian controversy about church decoration. In fact, in their artistic vision, the frescoes had to have a didactic role rather than an aesthetic one. The greatest painters of the time were involved in their creation: Cimabue, Cavallini and Giotto. After a lunch break (not included) we will move to Spello which is another really authentic hill town of Umbria famous for its by flowers that decorate little streets. Its size is compact, being a village, but its beauty is no less. It is an old tradition in the village to embellish balconies with floral decorations. This tradition reaches its peak with the 'Infiorata', a historical-religious event in which the Body of Christ is honoured on the occasion of Corpus Domini. In June and July, the inhabitants compete for the prize "Finestre, Balconi e Vicoli fioriti" (Windows, balconies and alleys in bloom) for the most beautiful and original compositions. In Spello, you will also enjoy Renaissance art by Pinturicchio a 15th Century painter who has also worked in the Vatican in Rome.