To the East, Assisi, Spello, Montefalco and Spoleto.

St, Francis of Assisi is particularly venerated in Umbria, is also the patron saint of Italy and is known worldwide for his work. He is one of the main figures of the medieval Christianity. He was the founder of the Francescan monastic orders. Francis was born in 1182 in a very rich family, but he soon abandoned everything to live in poverty and pray. His biography states that the crucifix in the Church of San Damiano talked to him and led him to a life of sanctity. After that event Francis began a series of pilgrimages around Umbria.
Among the most famous episodes of his life, there is the event at Gubbio where he tamed a wolf and convinced it to stop terrorising the town. This and other deeds soon earned him some followers. The life of St Francis is a common theme in the Giotto frescos to the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi and in the church (now gallery) in Montefalco.
In 1210, the Church formally recognised his order. In 1224 he received the stigmata, symbol of holiness. He died two years later.
The importance of this figure in the Italian history lies not only in his incredible life, but also that he was one of the first who wrote in the "vulgar" tongue rather than church Latin. He is the author of the "Cantico delle Creature", written in the last years of his life, that glorifies the perfection of the creation in all his aspects. No wonder, therefore, if his presence in any place of Umbria, even if ephemeral, is exalted and remembered devotion.