The drive to Assisi from Spello took no more than fifteen minutes. After a parking adventure, we walked towards the Basilica of St. Francis. Looking away from Assisi town, you get a great view of the Umbrian countryside below. If you look carefully at this photo, you can see the dome of the church Santa Maria degli Angeli, which marks the spot where St. Francis lived and died. It's about three miles west of Assisi.

Looking up the hill from the same spot, the gigantic Basilica of St. Francis dominates the view.

Assisi has an entirely medieval feel. It's a walled town, and you have to walk through the town gates to get in.

We approached the Basilica, our primary sightseeing interest for this short trip to Assisi.

Detail over the Basilica entrance.

The Basilica has an upper floor (called the Upper Basilica), a lower floor (called the Lower Basilica), and, underneath that, the tomb where St. Francis and his brother Franciscan friars are buried.

This interior courtyard off of the Lower Basilica provides another way to get upstairs. Taking pactures is prohibited in the Basilica.

After our visit to the Basilica, Jeff posed for a picture in the colonnade just outide.

And so did I.

Another view of the Basilica, taken from the colonnade.

The Basilica and adjacent campanile.

Assisi was struck by a horrendous earthquake six years ago, and construction on town repairs continues.