Assisi, Italy

Housing the tomb of St. Francis and filled with spectacular medieval frescoes by Giotto, this church is Assisi's crowning glory. It is a major place of pilgrimage for St. Francis devotees and art lovers alike.

Assisi's cathedral is dedicated to San Rufino, the bishop who first brought Christianity to the city. St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized here.

This 13th-century church is the final resting place of St. Clare, the beloved friend of St. Francis and founder-abbess of the Order of the Poor Clares. It also contains important Franciscan relics.

This grand Baroque basilica houses the small Porziuncola, a chapel restored by St. Francis and the place where St. Clare took her vows, as well as the humble cell in which St. Francis died.

A peacefully isolated church and monastery in the wooded slopes outside Assisi's walls, this was the first monastic home of St. Francis and his followers.

This church and convent outside the city walls is where the crucifix spoke to St. Francis, prompting him to repair it and begin his ministry. Later, his friend St. Clare lived and died here.

This Baroque church incorporates the original classical facade of the Temple of Minerva, dating from the time of Christ.