16 April, 2009

Sky Watch - Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi, Italy



The Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi (Saint Francis) is located in Assisi Italy in the province of Perugia. It is the birthplace of St. Francis who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208. The construction of the Basilica was begun in 1228 and completed in 1253.

An earthquake in 1997 caused some major damage to the Basilica when part of the vault collapsed, killing four people inside. Restoration and repairs took over two years to complete during which time the Basilica was closed.

Assisi is located some 186 kilometers from Rome and is reached easily by train. The main train 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 (trip to this point takes approximately 2 hours), where you can transfer to a Perugia-bound train that stops in Assisi(this portion of the trip takes 10-15 minutes). Once disembarking the train, head for the Piazza in front of the Station where you can catch a public bus up the hill (cost 1 euro) and it will drop you at a designated point. It is approximately 3 miles up the hill. Bus tickets can be purchased at the newsstand inside the Station.


Please take time to stop by SKY WATCH today and take a peek at other's submissions from all over the world. You will find a great variety of photos. Last week we had over 350 participants from near and far.


66 comments:

Ebie said...

What beautiful blue skies, so bright, makes the Basilica more beautiful.

Louise said...

What a fabulous sky! And the building is great, too. I've read a bit hre and there about Assisi, so I especially like it.

Rune Eide said...

They knew how to build - a glorious setting in every way.

DeniseinVA said...

What a gorgeous photo Erin, and very interesting post.

Dewdrop said...

What an incredible shot, wonderfully composed, and the sky is so alive with that blue and the wispy cirrus! Awesome!

Reader Wil said...

Such a pity that the Basilica was destroyed, but fortunately it is restored now. Thanks for sharing this interesting piece of history!
Thanks for your kind words on my Sky Watch. I appreciate it very much.

Laurieluc said...

what a great shot! That sky is sooo blue!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

very nice Erin,
Happy weekend and skywatch.

Greetings JoAnn/Holland

Eve said...

Very interesting info. Wow - that is a B-L-U-E sky! Beautiful photo.

VALKYRIEN said...

It is always so beautiful with a white building against such a BLUE sky!

Pearl Maple said...

That is a wonderful building full of history, thanks for sharing with us all or taking us on tour with you!

Anonymous said...

How Beautiful! So Blue!!!

Photo Cache said...

They have glorious churches. Oh the sky is sooo blue.

Arija said...

A beautiful photo with the stark beauty of clear light accentuating the sharp lines of the basilica.

dianasfaria.com said...

such a lovely structure. Thanks for the bit of history too.

Tammie Lee said...

wonderful to see this Basilica.
Lovely image and sky you have captured it with.

Esther Garvi said...

That sky is AMAZING!!!!

kden said...

Wonderful shot all the way around. Such a beautiful blue sky to show off the Basilica.

earthtoholly.com said...

Oh my gosh what a beautiful blue sky---it almost out-shines the Basilica...almost. Thanks for sharing some background too.

Unknown said...

What a fabulous sky capture!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

This may be one of my favorites you've shared so far, Erin!
The sky is...ALIVE! So vibrant. And everything is composed perfectly in the photo. I enjoyed the little bit of history and info, too.

Happy Skywatch Friday!
~Lisa
New Mexico, USA

Jane Hards Photography said...

This is not just a skywatch, it's got bonus my world info. Beautiful place and so historic.

ms426d said...

Amazing blue sky, thanks for sharing, it's the only way I will ever admire an Italian sky!

vincibene said...

Wonderful composed!

Unknown said...

Impressive church and what a beautiful blue sky.

Jim said...

Great shot. I featured a church today too.
Sydney City and Suburbs

Sunshinelene said...

That is a great shot! Interesting building and ohhhh a lovely crisp blue sky. :)

One of the best shots i saw today!

Mine's here - http://www.midlifedancing.com/2009/04/top-floor-sky-view.html

Happy Week-end!

Lew said...

reat sky over the grand old church!

The Write Girl said...

I love this shot. The Basilica is beautiful and the sky is a brilliant color of blue. Thanks for sharing.

The Explorer said...

the lively blue sky adds more to the beauty of the church...great shot

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Great depth!

rhoen said...

lovely series of shots! wow! watta nice place to do HDR and DRIs! hahaha! wonderful!

Martha said...

Beautiful. I so want to visit Italy!

Mariz said...

Loved that deep blue sky, the church works perfectly as foreground, nice!

MedaM said...

The sky above that old and beautiful basilica is just amazingly blue. The photo is just great!

Nova said...

very intriguing and mysterious... good job and thanks for sharing...


Happy Weekend. Check out mine here:
HISTORY of SUPERNOVA and SWEETPAINANGELS IN MY LIFE SPICES OF LIFE

Daryl said...

Erin, I am so envious of your travel and the amazing photos ... keep 'em coming who knows when I will get back to Italy in person .. but I know I can get a taste right here! Thanks.

Diane AZ said...

Really enjoyed your fabulous picture and post of the old basilica. Beautiful sky too!

ninja said...

I've been there before the 1997 earthquake but don't remember much:/ Thanks for the reminder.

Deborah Godin said...

A brilliant backdrop for that wonderful old building!

Indrani said...

Such deep blue sky!
Perfect clear weather for sight seeing. :)

duopastorale said...

Love the wispy blue sky and the soft effect on the building. Great image!

indicaspecies said...

Great post, with a brilliant shot. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you also for dropping by my blog and leaving behind encouraging words.

Carver said...

That's a fantastic photograph of the beautiful Basilica against the magnificent sky.

 gmirage said...

The basilica with that sky simply looks stunning!

This photo is postcard perfect! (Hey join us there http://postcardperfect.blogspot.com/

;)

Jane said...

What a lovely and beautiful cathedral and a lovely blue sky too. They have just had a nasty earthquake just north of Rome, I hope they are able to recover:( Italy is such beautiful country.

Anonymous said...

Italy is like a wonderful dream everytime I am reminded of it as in the pictures I see here on your warm blog.

I would love to back and visit this special place with so many details of creativity that have been accumulated carefully over time.

Janie said...

Beautiful basilica and an amazingly blue sky. Great shot. Interesting to learn some history of the area, too.

Jan K. alias Afanja said...

What a beautiful shot. I like the contrast between the white buildings and the deep blue sky. Thanks for sharing this one.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Erin: You certainly made beautiful captures in Italy, this one is special.

2sweetnsaxy said...

Wow! Look at that blue sky. I LOVE old buildings like this. They're so full of character and history.

Tarolino said...

Seems there are such an abundance of marvellous buildings for you to snap. You do amrvellous job too but then the light is so fantastic over there.

PJ said...

The sky is blue-blue, the basilica is bright-white, but what is that rust colored object at the foot of the stairs?

word verification: fisti

Is that Italian for anything? It should be.

Redzlan aka Tabib said...

Great shot! That sky saturated blue - love it.

Suffeli kuvailee said...

beautiful photo and thank you when you visited the home village of pages! nice weekend!

Gattina said...

In two and a half months I will see this beautiful blue sky again ! (at the Garda Lake)

Sandra said...

Beautiful blue sky! Thank you for your visit and greetings from Croatia

Inday said...

You truly live in a magnificent world through the beautiful sky so luminous in its blue! Thanks for your kind comment on my Skywatch maiden feature.

Linda said...

The wispy sky and the geometric brickwork make a great contrast.

Gill - That British Woman said...

that is a stunning photo....

Gill in Canada

airplane5312 said...

Nice colors and composition.

Unknown said...

Excellent photo. Really nicely done
Thank you for sharing, great photoblog :)

A New England Life said...

Beautiful Sky Watch photo! I didn't realize how large the building was until I looked at the small car in the corner. What a place!

Sharon

Anonymous said...

Wow - one of these days I've just got to get to Italy - you must have had a wonderful time taking in all the beautiful surroundings!

chrome3d said...

That place must be a great one to visit. Quite breath taking in every way.

Mojo said...

Two words: In. Credible.