After the San Francesco Marathon: The Porziuncola

The Route: Piazza Porziuncola → Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli → rose garden → lower-town streets Logistics: Everything is on level ground a short walk from the start and finish area. Check the basilica's opening hours and any services on the day, since this is an active place of pilgrimage. Marathon Month: November Duration: Day trip

Piazza Porziuncola ──> Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
                                │
                    Porziuncola chapel (inside the basilica)
                                │
                  Transito chapel ── rose garden ── café

Santa Maria degli Angeli sits on the plain below Assisi, and its main sight is a little stone chapel the size of a garage inside a basilica the size of a cathedral. The chapel is the Porziuncola, the place where Francis and his first followers gathered, and the church was built over it in the sixteenth century to protect it. The effect is odd and affecting: a very small, very old room under a very large dome.

The district is flat, and it is the part of the Assisi area where the marathon starts and finishes, so you are already here. The day after a race, the short walk to the basilica fits what your legs can do.

November in Santa Maria degli Angeli: the days are cool and often misty, the plain below Assisi fills with fog in the morning, and the hill above shows through it. Pilgrim numbers are low. Many cafés and shops stay open for locals.

Getting around

Walk. The station for Assisi is also in this lower town, and local buses to the hill town leave from the area. The basilica is a few minutes from the square.

The basilica

The building is plain and large, with a big gilded statue of the Virgin on the top of the facade. Inside, the Porziuncola stands under the central dome, with frescoes on its walls and a small door in the side. A queue forms on some feast days, so check the calendar. Silence is expected, and photographs may be restricted.

The Transito chapel and the rose garden

Behind the apse, a small chapel marks the spot where Francis is said to have died in 1226. In the rose garden, the roses are said to grow without thorns, a legend connected to Francis. In November there are few blooms, but the garden is quiet. Check the opening hours.

The lower town

Walk the flat streets around the basilica for a coffee. A small museum nearby holds sacred art from the basilica, with seasonal hours. Shops sell religious goods and local foods, including olive oil, and in November the new oil of the harvest is on sale.

Lunch

Umbrian dishes appear on most menus: strangozzi, a thick hand-rolled pasta, with truffle or sausage; torta al testo, a flatbread served with cured meats and cheese; lentil soup; and roast meats. Book on a Sunday, as places fill after Mass.

Getting back

Walk back to your hotel. If you plan to move on to the upper town, a local bus takes about 15 to 25 minutes. Check the timetable.