ASSISI TREASURES AND ST FRANCIS WOOD

Meeting point with the guide at 10.00 am at Basilica Superiore di San Francesco in Assisi.

Starting of walking tour .

Making your way now into the woodland, surrounded by hornbearn , juniper, maple and downy oak, you come first to the Bed of RiverTescio and, next to it, you can see the evidence of a microcosm inhabited by Benedictine nuns in the 13th and 14th centuries: a convent ( now home to the FAI information point) ; the Romanesque church of Santa Croce; a mill that was operational until the early 20th century ( now a Trattoria serving meals to visitors ); the remain of hospital that treated the diseased and passing pilgrims; and an ancient 14th - century tower erected to defend and early factory.

Climbing to the top of the tower is worth the effort, since it will allow you to admire fully the "third Paradise" a piece of land art by renowned artist MIchelangelo Pistoletto , which takes the form of 121 olive trees arranged in a double row to form three large, tangential circles ( of which the central one is the largest) , and featuring a 12- meter - high pole to symbolize the union between heaven and earth. You are invited to make your way around the serpentine path between the rows, becoming in the process a part of this work, which encourages you to reflect on the potential for peaceful co-existence between mankind and nature, here symbolized by the third sphere - the third paradise - of the title. 

Lunch pic - nic in a dedicated area. At your arrival you will find the box lunch with typical Umbria products ( optional lunch in a restaurant with supplement) 

At the end , you will start the visit of one of the most famous churches of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.with your guide.