Umbria trip, Day 1 - Assisi

San Francesco (Saint Francis) is considered one of the most important figures in Catholicism. He is the patron saint of Italy and, of course, the founder of the Franciscan order. He was sort of a reformer, calling for more virtue and service and for fewer worldly goods and pleasures, but, obviously, not a dissident: he was careful not to put the popes and the church on the spot. Assisi is his place of birth and the center of his life. San Francesco died in 1226, and the famous basilica was begun immediately after his canonization in 1228. It has the lower church and the upper chucrh; the latter is decorated by the famous Giotto frescoes.



A traditional school picture on the steps of the basilica.



Around the corner, a couple of Franciscan friars can't resist worldly pleasures...