Assisi (Perugia), is worldwide known for being the birthplace of St. Francis (San Francesco d'Assisi), the Patron Saint of Italy, and St. Clare (Santa Clara), the founder of the Poor Sisters (after her death the Order of Poor Clares), the ancient origins of the city bring back to the 9th century B.C.
Built by the Romans and known as Asisium, it became a flourishing municipium but after their fall it was destroyed by the barbarian invasions, conquered by the Byzantine Empire and then the Lombards; in the next years Assisi underwent a series of vicissitudes concerning the papal dominion and the dispute of Guelphs and Ghibellines, moreover it was constantly involved in a series of battles and conflicts, only from the 16th century it knew a period of peace under Pope Paul III. As 'hospital city' during World War II the city was spared from bombing, so a quantity of disguised Jewish refugees moved to Assisi where, thanks to the support of priests and nuns, were hidden in monasteries and churches and so saved from the Holocaust.
From the 17th century Assisi became an extremely lively cultural center due to a variery of academies and artistic activities taking place even today; it has been a popular Catholic pilgrimage destination for centuries and still today one of the most beautiful places of peace, millions of people, inspired by the life of the Poverello, make pilgrimage every year to the tomb of St. Francis and the 13th-century St. Francis Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the strength of the spirituality struck even Pope John Paul II who strongly delegated to it the role of Capital of Peace and Dialogue.
The historical center of Assisi is relatively small but very lively, the most beautiful meeting places are found around the central Town Square (Piazza del Comune), really a source of pride for its citizens; located on the ancient area of the Roman forum, today it is the heart of the social, cultural and political life still well preserved and entirely surrounded by medieval masterpieces of extraordinary beauty, splendid monuments and stone houses that have witnessed the historic evolution of the city from its most remote origins, in detail: the Roman Forum (Foro Romano), dating back to the Ist century B.C., lays beneath the Town Square, through the Vaulted Hall (Sala delle Volte) the visitor will have the opportunity to admire the whole structure enriched by unique archaeological remains from the Roman period included the original paving; the Prior's Palace (Palazzo dei Priori), overlooking the square, was built in 1337, originally it hosted the old Magistracy, provided residential space for the Priors and its ground floor was used for shops while today houses the Town Hall and the Municipal Art Gallery; destroyed and rebuild more than one time today it appears as the union of pre-existing buildings dating back to different ages, the beautiful facade is decorated by emblems while the interior is embellished with impressive Giotto's frescoes, the palace also includes the Painted Vault (Volta Pinta), a splendid passageway enriched by Raffaelino del Colle's decorations (16th century); the Captain Palace or Palace of the Captain of the People (Palazzo del Capitano), dating back to the 18th century, represented the heart of the medieval life in Assisi, originally built to be the office of the Commander of the City Army and later become the residence of the Pope's Vicar, hosts today the International Society of Franciscan Studies; the clock on the facade and the Bell of Lauds engraved with the Canticle of the Creatures are magnificent elements decorating the stunning People's Tower (Campanile Civico la Torre del Popolo, 1305); the beautiful Lion Fountain by Giovanni Martinucci (1762); the Palace of the Post (Palazzo delle Poste) built in 1926 in a medieval style and the famous Temple of Minerva (Tempio di Minerva) dating back to the 1st century B.C., the most perfectly preserved facade in Italy still surviving after over 2000 years; this temple was also used as residence for monks and municipal jail to be later transformed into the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva during the 16th century, with its six splendid Corinthian columns it proudly dominates the whole square.
Comments
Today you see the full moon, moon night.
18feb19--Yes. What a pity. Talk about character as this Piazza del Comune in Assisi has plenty. EnJoy EnJoy
What a pity, this new view of the town square compared to the old one is without character, three quarters of the square are no longer visible, but on the other hand we can see the clouds during the day.
it is great to see a camera working on the Piazza Del Comune,again,would it be possible to lower it slightly,so we see a little more Piazza and a little less sky! thankyou
❤ Italy , the view now is from the other end of Piazza del Comune and looking the other direction, right? From the photo library views the columns then clock on the right, now it is the clock then columns on the left.
Among the upcoming events of Calendimaggio Assisi 2018, Sunday, April 29 at 21.30 in the Vicoli di Parte de Sopra open scenes in costume. Monday, April 30th at 10 am the Lottery draw combined with Madonna Primavera: the 10 girls will be presented, as mentioned, at 18 in the Piazzetta della Chiesa Nuova, also with the tribute song of the "Cantori di Assisi"; at 8.30 pm, the propitiatory dinners in the Parts' Districts. Finally, Tuesday, May 1 at 15.30 in Piazza Santa Chiara, the show of the "Sbandieratori Group of Assisi" and of the "Compagnia Balestrieri di Assisi" and, at 21.30 in the alleys of Parte de Sotto, the scenes open in costume. EnJoy EnJoy
29apr18-- A Thank You to our host, Farmacia Rossi - Assisi , for sponsoring this 'live cam' view of the Torre del Popolo, Temple of Minerva in Piazza del Comune in Assisi, splendid. Welcome back to SkylineWebcams.
I also think the old position was better.
I am delighted the Assisi cam is working again. I love to visit the piazza several times weekly (via the cam) as a wonderful reminder of my personal visits there. It seems the cam has shifted slightly, and unfortunately, I see more of the sky and less of the foreground. I wonder if the wind was that strong or if the cam was intentionally or accidentally moved.
Where are all the Umbria cams Spello, Bastia Umbria etc.
Thank you all at Skylines...Happy Christmas and Blessings ! x
Thanks Elq! That seems like a reasonable explanation. The Christmas decorations look nice but that new blinking neon sign above the entrance to the restaurant to the right of the fountain looks a bit tacky.
Erratum: It is Unto Assisi, an annual event that the celebrates the first crushing of olives for that year, which includes foods which compliment olive oil, and show cases the local artisans, craftsmen, and farmers. (Punto means point, as in il punto, so punto Assisi means point Assisi)
Edward
I tried as best I could to figure out what that sign said but gave up. Thank you for solving this mystery for me. I knew it wasn't there for All Saints Day since it had been up for quite a while prior to then. I was sure it must have been some kind of festival. Oddly though, there were people moving around in that tent as late as 4am some days. Oh well, thanks to both you and C.A. Lidgley for responding to my question.
Bill Smith
Look again on the web and search for the word that was pinned to the tent. Add the name of the town and you will have 'punto Assisi'.
I believe it was a festival of petit point.
I may be wrong!!!!!
It is the 1 November - All Saint's Day, and I found this link:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/italy/all-saints-day
It is a public holiday. Hope this helps.