43.08° N · 12.61° E · Assisi
The lower church, dark and covered in frescoes; the upper one, bright, with the cycle of the saint's life; and beneath both, the crypt with the tomb of Francis. It opens from six in the morning and can be seen in an hour and a half without rushing.
Part of Assisi
Step by step
You enter from the square below. Low vaults, side chapels and frescoes by Cimabue, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti. Opens at 6:00.
You go down from the nave of the lower church. It is a place of prayer: silence.
You go up outside to the upper square. Here is the cycle of 28 scenes from the life of Francis, attributed to Giotto. Opens at 8:30.
From the upper square, via San Francesco takes you on foot to the Piazza del Comune.
It is the reason almost everyone comes to Assisi, and it is best seen early or late in the day, when the groups have gone. The two churches are visited separately: start below, which opens earlier.
Francis died in 1226 and was declared a saint two years later. In 1228 Pope Gregory IX decided to build a special church for him, and in 1230 his body was moved here. The basilica was dedicated in 1253 and has been the mother house of the Franciscan order ever since, looked after by the friars of the Sacro Convento. In 2000 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site together with other Franciscan sites in Assisi.
They are in fact two churches, one on top of the other. The lower one, the first to be built, is Romanesque, low and dimly lit, designed for contemplation beside the tomb. The upper one is Gothic, tall and bright, and its walls tell the life of Francis. Between them they hold frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti: one of the greatest concentrations of medieval painting in Italy.
Anyone: pilgrims, art travellers and families. There is no entrance fee. It is a church in use, with Masses throughout the day, so the visit calls for silence and respect, especially in the crypt. If you are going with children, tell them a story of Francis beforehand, such as the wolf of Gubbio or the sermon to the birds: they will then find it in the frescoes.
Assisi railway station is on the plain, in Santa Maria degli Angeli, on the line from Florence and Terontola to Perugia and Foligno, about 3 km from the historic centre. From the station forecourt buses leave every half hour and take about ten minutes to climb up. Perugia airport is 12 km away and has a bus or taxi.
By car, take the E45 to the Assisi exit. The historic centre has restricted traffic: park in the car parks on the outskirts of the old town and walk up.
The lower church is open from 6:00 to 18:30 (on Wednesdays it closes at 17:30); the upper church from 8:30 to 18:00; the crypt from 6:00 to 18:15. On public holidays there are Masses in the lower church at 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 17:00 and 18:30; during services, avoid walking through the nave.
The first hour of the morning and the last of the afternoon are the quietest. In mid-morning the organised groups arrive and the upper church fills up. If you can, avoid 4 October, the feast of St Francis, and the big pilgrimage days if you want calm; go if what you want is to experience the festival.
Entry to the churches and the tomb is free. Guided tours, the treasury museum and other activities are booked separately at the basilica's information office, at prenotazioni.sanfrancesco.org.
Everything is indoors, so it is the ideal visit for a rainy day in Assisi. Complete the day with the Basilica of Santa Chiara, at the other end of the town, or with Santa Maria degli Angeli, next to the station, which holds the Porziuncola.
Who it's for
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
Guided tours are booked on the basilica's own booking website (prenotazioni.sanfrancesco.org).
At eight in the morning the lower church is almost empty and it is when the frescoes are best seen.
The lower church closes earlier that day, at 17:30.
The lower church opens at 6:00 and the upper at 8:30: that way you don't wait.
The frescoes on the vaults are high up and some details can be appreciated much better.
Questions
The lower church, from 6:00 to 18:30 (Wednesdays until 17:30); the upper church, from 8:30 to 18:00; the crypt, from 6:00 to 18:15.
An hour and a half for the two churches and the tomb. With a guided tour, a little more.
Ask at the entrance: it is a church in use and there are areas where silence is requested and photography is not allowed.
Yes. It works to tell children the story of the wolf and the birds before seeing the frescoes in the upper church.
No. The churches and the tomb are free to enter.
On the bus that leaves every half hour from the station forecourt; it takes about ten minutes.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/umbria/assisi/things-to-do/st-francis-basilica-assisi
