Can anybody tell me just how busy Assisi is on a Sunday as compared with other days.

We are planning a few days in Umbria this summer and it would be more convenient to visit Assisi on a Sunday than on another day (I guess that the less convenient alternative day would be Monday).

We would then be visiting Gubbio and one or two of the smaller towns on Monday.

Can someone assist in advising?

Many thanks.

What do you mean by "busy"?

We started our Sunday (in Sept) touring the Eremo where small services were being held in the gardens. We left our car there and walked the path St Francis took down to the town. We had lunch and then enjoyed the long afternoon.

There were other tourists about of course but not so many that it distracted from our wonderful experience.

Tuck - I guess that by "busy", I am talking in the range of "San Gimignano busy" - i.e. more likely to detract from enjoying the sites - and asking whether it would normally be substantially more crowded on a Sunday as opposed to a Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks, as always.

> be substantially more crowded on a Sunday as opposed to a Monday or Tuesday. <

To properly answer that question, one would have to be present on both days. All I can say is that the 'crowds' were not distracting to us that day. Maybe they would've been to someone else however...

We had a fabulous time on Palm Sunday in Assisi one year. Attended the 10:00 mass and then watched the congregation parade with their palms--which were really olive branches. The only way to answer your question is to know the tour bus schedules.

"We would then be visiting Gubbio and one or two of the smaller towns on Monday." By helicopter?

Hi there, I think it's a good question and I would wonder the same thing -- if perhaps more pilgrams, for example, would visit Assisi on a Sunday rather than a weekday.

I spent four days in Assisi last June, from Thursday through Sunday, (and left for Spoleto Monday morning.) However, the Pope visited that same Sunday, so I couldn't get a really good sense of what Assisi would "normally" be like. That said, I got the sense from people that Assisi is always very, very popular every day of the week, and certain spots can get mighty congested. Obviously, the Basilica San Francesco is such a place.

Assisi is a fair bit larger than San Gimignano and there are lots of interesting sites which are spread out, so I don't think you would feel quite as crowded in Assisi. There are several interesting churches to visit in Assisi, Roman sites, and even the Medici fortress. All of these help to distribute the crowds, although they seem to concentrate on the Basilica anyway!

The Eremo is fantastic, although the four-kilometre walk up to it is a bit of a grind! But it's wonderful to see and a possible escape from the crowds if they became too much.

Do you have a car? Because Gubbio is a bit difficult to get to, the point I think Jean was trying to make. Public transport connections aren't good, and distances on the map can be deceptive because roads are narrow and twisting which means you must drive pretty slowly. It's a beautiful city, and I wouldn't want to discourage you from visiting Gubbio, but you'll want to plan carefully.

re: the post by sacc...

- As I recall, it took us about an hour to Gubbio from Spello (see your earlier thread where I said that the disadvantage of Gubbio is that it's remote). Coupled with the countryside scenery, it was well worth the 'difficulty' for us.

- Yes, it was 'crowded' during our Basilica San Francesco visit.

- Realizing that it'd be quite a hike, we took a cab back to our car parked at the Eremo.

Sacc - thanks for your response.

Yes, we will have a car to go to Gubbio.

Which other towns would you suggest be visited ALSO in the same day we are seeing Gubbio, when taking into consideration that we will have an early start and that we will not be having a lunch-break- for example, which of Spello, Bevagna or Montefalco could be "comfortably" seen in the same day as Gubbio without rushing?

Thanks.

Hmmmm, Never, that's a tough question!

As Tuck says, Gubbio is well worth the extra effort to get there. And very easily worth a full day's visit -- or more! But it's unfortunately in the opposite direction of the other towns you mention -- Spello, Bevagna and Montefalco.

Where will you be based? When I visited Gubbio, for example, I was staying in Perugia, so it was very easy one-hour trip to take the bus from the centre of Perugia to near the centre of Gubbio.

And is lunch definitely out, if you visit Gubbio? I ask, because I followed up a Slow Travel recommendation and had one of the best lunches I had on that trip, at a small restaurant owned by a very nice young couple. A bit pricey, but worth it.

Tuck -- wasn't the Eremo amazing? I was a little hot and cranky from the hike up, but the sense of peace and the beauty of the hermitage completely swept any discomfort right from my mind. But next time, I'll take a cab up!

Back to the Assisi question: We stayed just beyond Assisi for a week in October; we had to pass by the town every time we went somewhere. On the Sunday, the tour busses and cars overflowed the parking lots and were parked for miles along the road. We didn't go into the town, but I can only surmise that there were a gazillion people milling around that day.

We did go into Assisi many, many times during the week, and while the tour busses were there every day, there were far fewer than on the Sunday. And we found that by going into the town in the later afternoon/evening, we missed the crowds completely.

So, our observation is a bit different from some of the others' experience; just put it in the mix.

I must say that Assisi is beyond beautiful, and is especially magical at night. Enjoy your visit.

We have been to Assisi quite a number of times - it is one of my favourites. Whatever you are planning, please ensure that you spend some time early in the morning or late afternoon/evening. The crowds will have left and you will enjoy Assisi with the locals and a few more tourists.

To Sacc - we plan to be staying in Solomeo (20 minutes west of Perugia, and although lunches are indeed out, there is always dinner to consider.

To everyione else - thanks for all of your input.

Hi Never, it sounds as if you've found a good central spot for touring Umbria. And I hope you get to spend some time in Perugia, I really enjoyed that city. Great museums, churches, and the underground city is (I thought) very cool and actually well integrated into modern Perugia, as people must pass through the old underground streets to use the escalators that link the hilltop, historic centre with the modern city below!

But I'm afraid I can't be much help in suggesting other towns to visit enroute to Gubbio. For one thing, Gubbio is a bit remote and I haven't stopped in any of the communities between Perugia and Gubbio.

You probably have lots of maps already, but I liked this annotated map put together by a woman on Slow Travel that shows the locations of some interesting towns and sites in Umbria. I hope it might be of some use in visualizing where places are.

http://www.slowtrav.com/gmaps/viewmap.asp?map=29.
I hope the link works.

As well, another Slow Traveller who lives in Assisi posted a mini-travel guide to the city, One Day in Assisi, which I found really helpful. Some background about churches and sites, ideas on restaurants and parking as well as shopping. It might also be useful.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/umbria/lm_assisi.htm

Best of luck!

We went to Assisi on a Sunday morning last May. The Basilica San Francesco was so crowded we could hardly get in. I would avoid a Sunday as our time in Assisi was unpleasant due to the crowds. We did enjoy Pergugia.