Assisi - Walk III
From Piazza del Comune to San Francesco and the Pinacoteca |
Piazza del Comune
This walk begins in the Piazza del Comune, which stands on one of the Roman terraces that runs along the hillside from west to east. This central terrace was probably built in the 2nd century BC as the site of the forum.
 Impression of the temple above its terrace along the north side of the forum After P. Gros and D. Theodorescu "Le mur nord du forum d' Assise" Mélanges de l' Ecole Française d' Athéne et Rome 97 (1985) 879-897 |
The so-called Temple of Minerva,
which still dominates the north side of the piazza, stands on a second,
now subterranean terrace some 5 metres high that can be explored from
the Museo Civico.
Openings in this terrace led to two flights of stairs that converged in
the pronaus, providing access to the temple from the forum.
White lines in the present paving of the Piazza outline the position of the tribune that stood against this terrace and the tetrastyle in front of it that housed statues of Castor and Pollux. Both of these structures were built in the 1st century AD.
The forum was paved in ca. 25 AD. Its north side originally extended as far as [name ???] to the left of the temple and as far as Vicolo della Fortezza to the right of it. An open loggia with shops extended along its other three sides. The remains of the terrace that sustained the buildings on the south side can be seen in Via Macelli Vecchi, a block to the south of the current Piazza.
The Piazza was known as the Platea Mercati (the site of the market) by 1093. Many of the noble palaces that adorned it in the following century were torn down during the uprising of 1198. From 1212, when the church of San Donato (which had been installed in the Temple) was transferred to the Commune, the Piazza became known as the Platea Comunis (the seat of the municipal government).
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In 1228, further demolitions allowed the opening up of the Piazza to the west as far as the side wall of San Nicolò (now the Palazzo delle Poste), perhaps to make way for the crowds expected for the canonisation of St Francis. This extension and further acquisitions and demolitions in 1274 made way for the Torre del Popolo to the left of the Temple and the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo beyond it.
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Walk to the Fonte di Piazza (1762) at the other end of the Piazza. The palaces on your right are the Palazzi dei Priori (the three palaces to the left in this illustration), the Palazzo del Governatore (the palace to the left in this illustration) and Palazzo Bonacquisti (at number 6).
Palazzo Bonacquisti (16th century)Filippo Pomponio Bonacquisti, Count of Panzo (outside Assisi) built this palace. The architraves of the second floor windows bear the inscription: BONA ACQUISTA: MUNDANA TRANSITORIA: MOMENTA VANA (Do good, life is short, influence is vain). |
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Towards San Francesco
Leave the Piazza del Comune along Via San Paolo. The church of San Paolo is on the left at number 5 and the associated canonica is at number 7.
Continue along Via San Paolo, passing a curtain wall of pink stone on the right (opposite number 15), with a Roman substructure. The ex-Ospedale di Santo Stefano at number 19 (now a restaurant) and the ex-Oratorio di Santo Stefano is at number 21.
Oratorio and Ospedale di Santo Stefano (1325)Bishop Teobaldo Pontano gave permission to the Confraternita di Santo Stefano to build the oratory, with the confraternity's meeting room above. The papal insignia dated 1664 on the façade suggests that the building was restored at that date: it was remodelled in 1845. [An inscription "HOSPITALIS FRATERNITAS S STEFANI" over the confraternity's emblem can be seen on the exterior wall of the ex-Ospedale.] |
Turn left along Vicolo Santo Stefano to Santo Stefano (on the left). The damaged frescoes (1363) in the tabernacle on the left, which are documented as works of Pace di Bartolo, depict the Redeemer with prophets, SS John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria.
Continue to the end of Vicolo Santo Stefano and turn right along Via Aluigi to Piazzetta Aluigi:
the historian Sigismondo Spagnoli built Palazzo Spagnoli (1925), which dominates the square:
Palazzo Aluigi (16th century) to the right of it (at number 36 Via San Paolo) was once the home of the artist Andrea d' Assisi (Andrea Aluigi, known as l' Ingegno).
Continue a little way along Via Metastasio, which runs along the line of the Roman wall: the land to the left was ouside the Roman city. (Metastasio was the pseudonym of the poet and librettist Pietro Trapassi (1698-1782), whose father came from Assisi. Marcantonio Aluigi was Metastasio's biographer).
Turn right at the side of Palazzo Spagnoli up the stepped Vicolo della Croce. Take a short detour to the right to walk along the palace garden as far as the point at which the wall deceases in height. Look back into the garden to see the apse (all that survives) of the Sant' Antonino.
Sant' Antonino (12th century)This church, which was dedicated to St Antoniunus of "Pamia" (perhaps Pamiers, France or Apamea, Syria), was first documented in the late 12th century. It became the seat of the Confraternita di Sant' Antonino, which was formed in ca. 1362. |
Retrace your steps along Via della Croce, passing the ex-Oratorio di San Rufinuccio on the right and continue to the Monastero di Santa Croce.
Ex-Oratorio di San Rufinuccio (14th century)The oratory, which was dedicated to St Rufinus d' Arce, belonged to the Confraternita di San Rufinuccio. It was first documented in 1348. A number of frescoes that were detached from the oratory are now in the Museo della Cattedrale. A fresco (14th century) by Cola Petruccioli [subject ???] survives in a brick shrine above the portal. |
Monastero di Santa Croce (1901)A Benedictine community of nuns had a convent here dedicated to Santa Croce from 1382 until its suppression in 1810. The complex passed to a community of German Capuchin sisters in 1878: they rebuilt the convent and built the neo-Gothic church. |
Continue along Vicolo di Santa Croce and turn right at the end along Via Metastasio. The ex-church and monastery of San Giacomo di Murorupto is on the right at number 18.
Continue along Via Metastasio (which still runs along the line of the Roman walls), past the house at number 22c that has ancient fragments incorporated in its wall. The road swings to the right, becoming Via San Giacomo, and leads to Porta San Giacomo.
Porta San Giacomo (12th century)The two-storey, square-section brick gate probably stands on the site of a gate that was opened in Roman times. It bears the arms of Cardinal Albornoz, who restored it in 1354-67. |
Take a short detour through the gate and to the right, to see the remains of the Roman wall embedded in the medieval circuit. This wall runs uphill to the Rocca Maggiore.
Retrace your steps through Porta San Giacomo and fork right along Via Cardinale Merry del Val (which is named for Cardinal Raphael Merry del Val (died 1930), who was in Assisi during the celebration of the 700th anniversary of the death of St Francis). Take the next left along Vicolo Santa Margherita to the church of Santa Margherita. There is a lovely view of the façade of the upper church of San Francesco from the terrace here.
Santa Margherita (13th century)This small parish church was first documented in 1246. Its interior has been completely remodelled. |
Continue along what is now Vicolo Sant' Andrea past the Monasterio di Sant' Andrea at number 5.
Monasterio di Sant' Andrea (13th century)The church here was first documented in 1231, when it belonged to San Giacomo di Murorupto. It passed to the Abbazia di San Pietro in 1316, and to a female community of Franciscan Tertiaries from the Monastero delle Lucrezie of Todi in the late 15th century. It now belongs to the Suore Francescane di Gesù Bambino. A damaged fresco (16th century) of the Madonna and Child is in a shrine above the entrance to the convent. The church is inside the walled convent. [Visits possible]. It contains frescoes (17th century) by Giacomo Giorgetti that depict: the calling of SS Peter and Andrew; busts of the Apostles; and allegorical figures. |
Continue along Vicolo Sant' Andrea and turn right toalong Via San Francesco to visit San Francesco.
Return to Piazza del Comune
The Oratorio di San Bernardino is in Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco, opposite the entrance to the lower church.
Oratorio di San Bernardino (1459 - 72)This Renaissance oratory belongs to the Franciscan Third Order. The relief (dated 1488) above the double portal depicts St Bernardino of Siena holding the IHS monogram between two angels. |
Walk back to the centre along Via San Francesco. The second building on the right, with a short flight of steps leading to the entrance, is the Oratorio dell' Immacolata Concezione. Palazzo Sperelli-Bernabei is at number 19A on the right and the Casa dei Maestri Comacini is at number 14 on the left.
Oratorio dell' Immacolata Concezione (1927)This site passed to the Capuchins in 1881 after they were forced to leave Sant' Antonio Abate (see Walk I). Their Museo degli Indios dell' Amazzonia, which derives from their missionary work in South America, is temporarily housed at number 19, on what was previously the site of the hospital of the Confraternita di San Gregorio. |
Palazzo Sperelli-Bernabei (1646)Giacomo Giorgetti designed this palace for the heirs of Bishop Francesco Sperelli of Gubbio, Bishop of San Severino. |
Casa dei Maestri Comacini
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The long expanse of Palazzo Giacobetti now extends along the left of Via San Francesco, with the Oratorio dei Pellegrini is opposite. The Portico del Monte Frumentario is at number 5a on the right, with the Fonte Oliviera next to it.
Palazzo Giacobetti (or Vallemani)(17th century)The palace is attributed to Giacomo Giorgetti
and is recognised by the motto "IN DOMINO CONFIDO" (Trust in God),
which is engraved on the architraves of the windows. It temporarily houses the Pinacoteca. |
Portico del Monte Frumentario (1267)The Merchants' Guild built one of the first Italian hospitals here in 1267, which was managed by the Ospedale della Misercordia, Perugia. In 1633, Cardinal Antonio Barberini established the Monte Frumentario near San Rufino (see Walk I) to lend wheat to farmers on generous terms. The establishment moved here in 1746. The fine Romanesque portico
is made up of six arches whose columns have capitals of different
designs. The frescoes (early 14th century) on the rear wall are now very damaged. The Barberini arms appear over the entrance to the huge building, which is bounded by Via degli Esposti to the right and Via Fontebella (see Walk II) behind. |
Fonte Oliviera (1570)The noble Oliviero Ludovici commissioned this fountain to supply water to the local people. It is sometimes attributed to Galeazzo Alessi. The inscription warns that anyone washing in the fountain risks a fine and the confiscation of the offending laundry. |
Via San Francesco ends at the Arco dei Seminario, which was inserted into the Roman walls in the 13th century to allow access to San Francesco. The road continues as Via Fortini (previously Via del Seminario). The building behind the impressive loggia (1911) high up on the right is the Franciscan Theological College.
The wall of pink and white stone immediately on the right was part of the Monastero di Sant' Angelo in Panzo, which subsequently became part of the Seminario Vescovile.
Monastero di Sant' Angelo in Panzo (1270)A community of female penitents was established at Panzo on Mount Subiaso by 1211, when St Francis moved St Clare there from San Paolo delle Abbadesse. St Clare's sister, St Agnes joined here there after a few days, much to the irritation of their family, before their final move to San Damiano. Pope Gregory IX assigned the new Rule of San Damiano to the community at Panzo in 1239, and it moved to this location just inside the city walls in 1270. This community was subordinated to that of Santa Chiara in 1476. |
Seminario Vescovile (late 16th century)Bishop Filippo Geri
instituted the seminary of Assisi in 1574, in response to the criticisms of the
Apostolic Visitation a year earlier. However, the project proceeded
slowly until the 1690s, when Bishop Marcello Crescenzi acquired the
complex of Sant' Angelo in Panzo and the palace beyond to provide
premises. His arms can be seen over the portal of this palace. The church at number 7, which had belonged to Sant' Angelo in Panzo, was re-dedicated as San Carlo Borromeo at this time. |
Continue past Palazzo Rossi (16th century) at number 5 on the right. (The traditional attribution of its design to Galeazzzo Alessi has no firm foundation). Piazza Verdi extends from the side of Palazzo Rossi to the Teatro Comunale Metastasio opposite. This building is in the process of being restored to its original function.
The road then changes its name to Via Portica, and signs dated 1542 mark the end of the Terziero di San Francesco. The arch immediately on the left was part of a public fountain that was first documented in 1204. The shop at number 9 on the right, which used to be an apothecary's shop, has an interesting portal (ca. 1470), with the relief of a "Moor" in profile above.
Continue past the entrance to the Museo Civico and into the Piazza del Comune, where the walk ends.
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