Visit Torre dei Calzolari, Tourism and travel tips

Calendimaggio

Among the folklore events, the Calendimaggio festival is the most famous.

It’s a festival of profane origin, during three days and starting on the first Thursday of May (the second Thursday when the first one is the 1st of May) It’s the celebration of springtime with an explosion of songs, music, and flowers in which all the people of Assisi participate with accurately reproduced medieval period costumes.

May 1 marks the official return of Spring. Dating from the pre-Christian times, this "Calends of May" festival revives the town's folklore and historical traditions. Both the citizens and the town are divided into the "Upper" and the "Lower" city and at this annual festival they commemorate old rivalries in medieval costumes.

The two ancient medieval wards, the "Parte di Sopra" and the "Parte di Sotto", engage in a spectacular challenge which takes the form of theatre shows, concerts, songs and choruses, dances, processions, archery, crossbow and flag-waving displays. The districts compete in a singing contest among the spectacular floral decorations, flags, torches and candle - all accompanied by the proclamation of the "Queen of Spring" and riotous feasting in the taverns.

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How to reach the sacred Assisi

Assisi

Assisi is a small Umbrian town in central Italy, located 12 miles East of Perugia at an elevation of 1,300 feet.
Assisi is best known as the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy, the founder of the Franciscan order, and one of the most popular catholic saints in history. Assisi's main attraction is the 13th century Basilica of San Francesco, which contains the sacred brelics of St. Francis and beautiful frescoes of his life. In Assisi town, there are at least seven other churches well worth visiting for their history, beauty, and connection with St. Francis.
The town of Assisi, with its Roman ruins, winding medieval streets and sacred shrines, has been a major catholic pilgrimage destination for centuries and is today one of the most popular tourist destination in Italy. About four to five million visitors throng the town each year as tourists to see for themselves what Assisi has to offer.
Assisi's great sites has made it worth visiting. Assisi has an interchange of artistic and spiritual message of the Franciscan order and this has significantly contributed to development of art and architecture in the world.
How to arriveArriving in Assisi is as easy as it sounds. Whether you are coming from outside Italy or within Italy but from a different town or city doesn't matter because getting there (at Assisi) one can use all the available means of transport ranging from air, using a train as well as using a car.
When using a car, it depends from which direction one is arriving from. If it is from the north, i.e. Milan or Florence, the best exit for Assisi on the A1 motorway is at Valdichiana, where the superstrada SS75bis branches into Umbria at lake Trasimene and continues towards Perugia-Assisi. If you are from Rome travelling northwards along the A1 motorway, the best exit of reaching Assisi is at Orte, which is connected to the regional capital at first by the SS204n to Terni and then by the E45 from Terni to Perugia-Assisi. If you take the A14 motorway as your preferred route, down the Adriatic coast of Italy has an exit at Cesena for the E45 ''super strada'' to Città di Castello and Perugia-Assisi.
If you prefer using the train to arrive at Assisi, from the north, the main line between Florence and Rome has a station at Terontola ( on the branch line to Lake Trasimene, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, and Folgno),so coming from Florence take one of the dozen daily trains to Terontola/Cortona (about half an hour) that meet up with a connecting train to Assisi/Santa Maria delgi Angeli (about 45-60minutes). Say you are coming from the South, the main line between Rome and Ancona has a station at Foligno (on the branch line to Spello, Assisi, Perugia, and Lake Trasimene), so coming from Rome, take one of the nine daily trains on the line to Ancona, stop at Foligno (approximate time is between 1hr., 40 min-2 hr.),where you can transfer to a Perugia-bound train taking between 10 and 15 minutes.
In the event that you prefer using air as your means of transport destination being Assisi, one has a lot of options to choose from. Assisi being not far from Rome, Pisa and Florence which hosts Italy's major closest airport, and so making Assisi accessible by air. Rome's Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci, also known as Fiuninicino (FCO) which has flights from major international cities of the world as well as connections to Rome and Milan. Pisa's Aeroporto Galileo Galilei (PSA) has flights from major cites in Europe such as Paris, London, Amsterdam and also Brussels amongst other major cities, and also connections as well. Florence's Aeroporto A. Vespucci, known as Perotola (FLR) has connections from major world cities in Europe and America such as Chicago, Dallas and New York, therefore anybody coming from any part of the world can reach Assisi and enjoy what Assisi has to offer..!
Most tour and travel agents often recommend to people coming to Assisi by air to land to Rome and continue for Assisi with bus or train.
Art and culture in Assisi

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Art and culture in Assisi

Assisi essential place of interest include art and monuments such as the Rocca Maggiore,Temple of Minerva, Palazzo Capitano del Popolo as well as Roman Amphitheatre.
At Rocca Maggiore, you will see earliest record of a building dating back to 1174, when it was erected as a German feudal castle and a place where emperor Frederick II of Swabia was baptized in Assisi at the age of three in 1197. The place is rich in history and a lot more will be learnt on the visit to Rocca Maggiore.
Temple of Minerva built in the late republican period in the 1st century BC 'erected by Quatorvirates Gneus Cesius and Titus Cesius Priscu. The monument has a lot to learn.
Palazzo Capitano del Popolo monument built between 1212 and 1305 was the first public building to be erected in Piazza del Comune, with a façade of the building containing measures for silk, linen and wool as well as the outlines of bricks and roof tiles used in the building.
Roman Amphitheatre monument, one notes the remains of the structure of the 1st century A.D, the elliptical form which can still be recognized in the lay-out of the medieval houses.
Art and religion make an important part of Assisi and places to visit.
Pope Gregory IX laid the first stone of the lower basilica the day after the canonization of Francis, on July17th 1228. This and more rich history is to be found at the Basilica of St. Francis when one tours Assisi.
Basilica of Santa Maria built on a grandiose scale, is the seventh largest Christian church. The chapel was given to St. Francis by the Benedictines,and is important because it was the initial nucleus from which the Franciscan order was born. A lot more to be learnt at the visit of the church.
In 1257, construction of St. Clare's Basilica was launched three years after the saint death and a year after she was canonized. The church dedicated to St. Clare's occupied the site of the church of St. Giorgio, where St. Francis had been buried before his remains were removed to the Basilica in 1230.
Abbey of St. Pietro was consecrated by pope Innocent IV in 1254 together with St. Francis and St. Rifunus.
St. Damians convent where St. Francis was ordered to restore the church in decay by the crucifix.
The remaining mentioned religious places are also rich in history that people visiting Assisi can learn a lot from.
Beautiful Museums and galleries are also found in Assisi that include the Porziuncola Museum- which is located within Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and is an integral part of the pilgrim itenary; the Cathedral Museum and Crypt of St. Rufino that was found in 1941 and offers a Secular, Spiritual and Cultural reading of the diocese; Municipal Art Gallery with 14th -17th C. paintings housed in the 17th C. Pallazo Vallemani; Treasure Museum and F.M Perkins Collection with old paintings, ivory amongst other artifacts; and finally the Civic Museum and Roman Forum which exhibits Umbrian and Roman remains mostly tombstones, cinerary urns and inscriptions..
Assisi has more than enough to offer, it has art and tourist attractions such as the Forest of saint Francis-Assisi; along via San Francesco as well as the Park of Mount Subassio.
Tourist visit the Calendimaggio which is the Ides of May Festivity. For visitors who love nature, strolling in the Assisi's forest can be a good idea to feel the blend of enjoying nature at a religious environment that the forest and surrounding places offers.
Walking along via San Francesco will leave one amazed by what it offers in terms of the oldest buildings seen and rich history of the events that took place there relating to Assisi.
The entire historical Centre of Assisi lies within the Park of Mount Subassio. Assisi town was built by rocks that came from the park and over time it (Assisi) has derived all it resources from there.
Festives are held in May at Calendimaggio celebrating the return of spring done by groups of young gaudentes who sing, dance and serenade their way through the city streets and squares. The festivals are also linked to the centuries-old rivalry between the ''Parte di Sotto'' and the ''Parte di Sopra'' areas of the city. The two factions in 1300 engaged in a long and bloody struggle for supremacy that lasted for over two centuries.
In a two days visit at Assisi, for one to maximize on the things to see and places to visit, it is better to plan in advance so that you can save a lot of time and have fun as a tourist in the place.
The first day would work better for one to visit all the artistic monuments that have been discussed above because less time is needed to be spent there. Visiting the religious sights mentioned above, that are considered sacred, would also do well on the first day because less time is needed and taking photos is what most people do.
The second day when spent visiting the museums and galleries of Assisi, that require a little more time because of the richness in art and history that they command. The museums and galleries are also not far from each other and so connecting won't be a problem. Other tourist attractions such as the Park and Forest can be visited on the second day. If it happens that you are visiting Assisi on the month of May, you can join the group celebrating the festive and this will be more enjoyable on the second day of the visit, i.e. after you have had a taste of the monuments as well as the sacred and spiritual places that form the source of Assisi's history, therefore doing this on the second day will work perfectly for the visitor.
Once is Assisi, buses and taxis are many that can connect people to different places to be visited through out the time and this satisfies most visitors who come to Assisi.
How to reach Assisi

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 03/04/2020

Visit Torre dei Calzolari - Tourism and travel tips for your vacation or weekend.

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