View from valley below Basilica of St Francis Monastery. On edge of medieval walled town of Assisi in region of Umbria.

This cathedral of two levels is a monument to San Francesco (St Francis), founder of the brown-cloaked Franciscan order, and is one of the most important in Christianity. This is the gothic-style upper church with facade of marble where there is the famous series of twenty-eight frescoes by Renaissance painter Giotto, each depicting scenes of St Francis’s life.

View from Basilica entrance of lawn with medieval wall on left. PAX means “peace” in Italian.

This is the exterior of the Romanesque-style lower church of the Basilica of St Francis, which was built first and is where the tomb of St Francis and four of his most loyal followers are located.

Special monastery (translated literally as “Hermitage of the Prisons”) erected two-and-a-half miles outside Assisi after St Francis's death in area on Mt Subasio. This area is where he gave his famous sermon to the birds, interacted with animals, and spent much time with his followers.