Unusual and secret Assisi beneath our steps
Unusual and secret Assisi beneath our steps
Ancient cities hidden beneath well-known cities, communal squares covering Roman forums, Etruscan memories emerging from oblivion. All this happens in Umbria. Umbria is not just the great peace of St. Francis or the sublime painting of Giotto. It is a way of life that coexists with history, with masterpieces. Even in everyday rituals. We suggest a journey to discover the places hidden beneath our steps: Roman and underground Assisi. Some places are well-known, others less so, but equally evocative. An itinerary to experience the history of these places firsthand! The starting point for this immersion into the depths of Assisi is Via Portica at number 2, in Piazza del Comune. From here, descending four meters, you can access the underground area that crosses the Romanesque crypt of the former Church of San Nicolò “de platea,” adorned with artifacts such as capitals, sarcophagi, and inscriptions from the Roman era, originating from Assisi or the immediate vicinity. You then continue through a narrow passage along the retaining wall of the Temple of Minerva, from the first century BC, which dominates the space above with its elegant colonnade. Before your eyes, in all its extension, will unfold the Roman Forum, the pulsating heart of Roman Assisi, where political, administrative, and economic affairs concerning the community were conducted and citizens could attend. The itinerary continues to the Roman House or House of Properzio, discovered beneath the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore: here, accompanied by a guide from the Museum System, you can admire the original mosaic floor and, in the covered portico, the beautiful painted decorations, such as the niche (viridarium) painted with delicate green tendrils and small red flowers, upon which various little birds perch (from the first century AD). You then proceed with the visit to the house of Palazzo Giampé, with magnificent mosaics and the bridal chamber. Beneath the Piazza del Comune, dominated by the Temple of Minerva, you can visit the Roman Forum, the ancient imperial agora, once open-air. About two meters underground, along a long corridor, you can distinguish the most important buildings: the courthouse, the temple of the Dioscuri, the temple dedicated to Castor and Pollux, the cistern, and the tabernae.
After this journey through time, we await you for a multisensory immersion that combines history and flavors in a perfect blend: a tasting of our wines accompanied by local specialties.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.