
A glimpse of a beautiful alley in the historic center of the medieval town of Assisi, in Umbria. In the background the beautiful bell tower of the Basilica di Santa Chiara (St Claire Basilica). An ancient Umbrian city built starting from the 9th century BC, Assisi became in 89 BC an important center of social and economic domination of Ancient Rome. After the fall of Rome and countless looting due to the barbarian invasions, in the Middle Ages Assisi was conquered by the Byzantines and the Lombards, finally ending up under the dominion of the emperor Frederick I the Barbarossa. Assisi is world famous for being the city of San Francesco and Santa Chiara (St Francis and St Claire), recognized as a place of spirituality and peace between all peoples and different confessions. The Umbria region, considered the green lung of Italy for its wooded mountains, is characterized by a perfect integration between nature and the presence of man, in a context of environmental sustainability and healthy life. In addition to its immense artistic and historical heritage, Umbria is famous for its food and wine production and for the quality of the olive oil produced in these lands. Since 2000 the Basilica and other Franciscan sites of Assisi have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Image in high definition format.