Rocca Maggiore, the fortress above Assisi

What it is

The Rocca Maggiore is the fortress that crowns Assisi, on the hilltop above the town. There has been a military fortress here since at least 1174, when the Swabians occupied the town for Emperor Frederick Barbarossa; tradition says that the young Frederick II spent part of his childhood within these walls. In 1198 the inhabitants rose up and razed it, and a young Francis took part in that revolt. What you see today is the 14th-century reconstruction by Cardinal Gil de Albornoz, with later additions: the raised keep of Biordo Michelotti and the covered walkway to the polygonal tower, completed under Pope Pius II. It lost its military role in the 16th century and the town council bought it after the unification of Italy.

What you visit

• The outer courtyard and the towers, with the open view over the Umbrian valley, Santa Maria degli Angeli on the plain and, behind you, the slopes of Subasio.
• The keep (mastio), which rises in the centre of the enclosure.
• The large interior halls, with coats of arms, and the small museum, with audio guide.
• The covered walkway, a long, narrow corridor between walls that leads to the polygonal tower, the most curious part of the visit.

Allow an hour to see it at leisure and spend a while at the top.

Opening hours

Open every day, except 25 December, from 10:00. Closing time changes by month:

• November to February: until 17:00.
• March and October: until 18:00.
• April, May and September: until 19:00.
• June to August: until 20:00.

The ticket office closes 45 minutes earlier. If you go in winter, arrive before 16:15.

Tickets

• Standard: €8.
• Reduced: €6, ages 9 to 18, over-65s, students with ID and groups of more than 20 people.
• Free: children up to 8, people with a disability card and residents of Assisi.
• Combined ticket: €14 (€11 reduced), with the Rocca Maggiore, the Roman Forum, the Municipal Picture Gallery and the Torre del Popolo, and a multilingual audio guide. If you plan to see two of those places, it is worth it.

Getting there

The historic centre is closed to traffic except for authorised vehicles. The nearest car park is the paid one at Piazza Matteotti, in the upper part of the town, where the bus also stops; from there it is about 550 m to the fortress, uphill. If you are in the centre, you walk up from anywhere along steep streets and steps.

The most convenient thing is to combine it with the rest of the upper part: the Cathedral of San Rufino is on the way and the Basilica of St Francis is at the other end of the town. If you have the legs for it, the path to the Eremo delle Carceri climbs the slope of Subasio.

With children and accessibility

Children like the covered walkway and the towers, and up to 8 years old they don't pay. Keep an eye on them on the walls and stairs. The fortress is listed as not accessible: there are steps, uneven floors and a steep climb to get there, so it is not feasible with a wheelchair or pushchair.

When to go

At the end of the afternoon the light is softer over the valley. In summer, with closing at 20:00, it is a good time to go up without the heat. On days of fog on the plain, the view is lost: look at the sky before paying.