Ancients of Assisi I: From Monte Subasio to the Temple of Minerva (Travel Photo Art)

For centuries, Assisi, Italy has been the focus of spiritual activity. The ancient city might be best known as the birthplace of Saint Francis, yet the tangled streets offer much more than a pilgrimage.

Situated in the Province of Perugia, the compact city perches in Monte Subasio National Park on the Apennine Mountains. The views from nearly anywhere in the ancient city are spectacular. Mists rise up from the olive groves early in the morning. Soon the rays of the sun pierce the air and slant across the valley below.

Walking trails wander for kilometers outside the city’s stone walls. A shady park perched near the very top of the town offers a restful spot for contemplation. Several times a day, the bells of the various churches ring out, while flocks of silky black jackdaws call while wheeling overhead.

Today Italy in general and Umbria in particular are striking places for tourism with unique architecture, a mild climate, and Mediterranean culture. The cuisine is renowned, and fresh pasta dishes spiced with tomatoes, meats and fish, pecorino and parmesan cheeses, and olive oil can be found at inexpensive restaurants.

Travel tips and facts about wildlife, food, rental cars, camping, adventures, travel and tourism, cultural tours and more are easy enough to find on travel sites like Expedia or Travelocity. Entire trips can be planned using guidebooks like those from Lonely Planet. Now visitors to Italy can expand their knowledge base with an artist’s view of Assisi, Monte Subasio, and scenic locations.

The forty color photos in Ancients of Assisi I explore these areas as well as the secret Assisi, the Roman city hidden below the buildings. The photographs in Ancients of Assisi I and II were taken at the Basilica di San Francesco, including the Basilica inferior and the Basilica superior; the Sacro Convento, a Franciscan friary; the Rocca Maggiore, a castle that is 800 years old; Santa Maria Maggiore; the Basilica of Santa Chiara, or Saint Clare; and the Roman Domus of Propertius and the Domus of Lararium, both of which are underground.

Of special note in this first collection is a dove that settled inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, recalling the legend of Saint Francis preaching to the birds. Turn the page to step back through thousands of years of history.

Prepare yourself for Umbria’s monasteries, cathedrals, ancient stone architecture, winding streets, and lively community nightlight with the forty full-color photos in Ancients of Assisi I and the additional forty full-color photos in Ancients of Assisi II.

For fans of The Italians by Luigi Barzini, Cosi Fan Tutti by Michael Dibdin, The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb, The Sack of Rome by Alexander Stille, The Night of the Moths by Riccardo Bruni, The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, Bella Tuscany and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant, Siracusa by Delia Ephron, In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, the Inspector Montalbano series and the Neapolitan Novels.

. NOTA: El libro no está en español, sino en inglés.

Laine Cunningham is an award-winning novelist. Her career as an artist takes her around the world for extended stays that support research and writing. She enjoys sharing these special times with readers through the Travel Photo Art series.

A long-time writer and graphic designer, Leya decided to combine her passions and begin creating book covers. You can learn more at: www.angeleya.com/book-cover-design/