Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi

The Basilica of Saint Francis stands as one of Christianity's most sacred sites and a turning point in Western art history. Pope Gregory IX laid the foundation stone in 1228, just two years after Francis of Assisi's death, and construction of the two-stacked churches was completed by 1253. The site, once a hill used for executions, became UNESCO's designation as a "masterpiece of human creative genius" for good reason. Within these walls, Giotto di Bondone sparked an artistic revolution with his frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis.

Giotto's 28-scene cycle in the Upper Church, painted between 1296 and 1304, broke decisively from the flat Byzantine tradition that had dominated medieval painting. His figures show weight, emotion, and spatial depth that artists would build upon for centuries. Cimabue's earlier crucifixion scene in the transept shows the older style that Giotto transformed. The 1997 earthquakes damaged several vault sections, but restoration has preserved most of the cycle. Visitors enter through the Lower Church to reach St. Francis's tomb, then climb to the Upper Church where light floods the famous frescoes. The combination of pilgrimage destination and art historical landmark draws both the devout and the curious.