Assisi and Bethlehem

Country: Italy
Date of Agreement: 14 December 1989
Name of Mayor: Glorio Bartolini
Tel: 0039 75 81381
Fax: 0039 075 8138264
Address: Assisi, Italy

Assisi, is a town, in central Italy, in Umbria Region, near Perugia. Assisi is a tourist and religious center, famous as the home of St. Francis of Assisi. One of its chief attractions is the Basilica of San Francesco, consisting of two churches built one above the other; it was begun in 1228 and completed in 1253. Inside are frescoes by the Florentine artist Giotto and others. The tomb of St. Francis is in the crypt of the basilica. Another landmark is the Basilica of Santa Chiara, or St. Clare, built between 1257 and 1265. St. Clare, who with St. Francis founded the Order of Poor Clares, is buried in the church, a massive Gothic structure. The Cathedral of San Rufino, a 9th-century Romanesque edifice, is noted for its handsome facade.