Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites

Pilgrims have climbed the slopes of Monte Subasio to Assisi for eight centuries, drawn by the town where Saint Francis was born and where his double basilica rose after his death in 1226. Frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue inside the Basilica of San Francesco helped turn Italian painting toward naturalism, making the hill town a wellspring of European art. UNESCO inscribed Assisi and its Franciscan sites in 2000, binding medieval streets, basilica and sanctuaries into one World Heritage ensemble.