The City of Assisi has long been committed to remove architectural barriers, not only from a physical but also from a social and cultural point of view, and numerous actions have been implemented to reach this goal, while promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Despite the limits due to the architectural characteristics and the uniqueness of its cultural landscape, for which Assisi has been declared world heritage site by UNESCO, Assisi is trying to best guarantee the accessibility of the cultural sites of the city. In this section, it is possible to find useful information for visitors with impaired mobility who can, first of all, enter the UNESCO sites of Assisi in the easiest way possible.
On days with high tourist flow, people with impaired mobility can use a free shuttle service on
call from 10 am to 5 pm: they will be accompanied right in front of the main entrance of the
Basilica. For further information: +39 075 8138680. For those who have a regular car permit,
there is the possibility of parking in Via Merry del Val or via San Francesco, where there are
reserved parking spots.
The route that leads to the Basilica from these car parks has some slopes exceeding 20%, the
paving of the Square has a slope of approximately 6%.
The Lower Basilica has an entrance with two steps, which can be overcome via a 270 cm ramp
and a slope of approximately 11%.
People with impaired mobility can get to the Tomb of Saint Francis through the convent door,
next to the entrance. You need to ask the caretaker for the elevator key.
You walk along 60 meters of courtyard paved with slightly uneven stones, with slopes of
approximately 8-9%. Then you reach a door and then another, with a small step. You are thus
in the cloister of Sixtus V, turn right, after 10 meters there is a lift which has a door with a light
of 85 cm and a depth of 120 cm. Once you arrive at the Tomb of Francis you go ahead, level for
about 20 metres.
You can get from the Lower Basilica to the Upper Basilica from different routes. For people in
wheelchairs, the only possibility to reach the entrance of the Upper Basilica is to go ahead for 60
meters, with a slope of approximately 21%, and then take a path of approximately 50 meters
with acceptable slopes.
A project that will connect the two Basilicas by an elevator is underway.
The entrance to the Upper Basilica has a step of 4 cm, a tread of 25 cm and a riser of the internal
step of 7 cm, which can be overcome with small metal ramps.
The inside of the Upper Basilica has no difficulties; to get to the presbytery, where there is a
wooden choir, there is a ramp with a length of 166 cm and a slope of 13%.
Public toilets are situated under the Lower Square and the entrance is from the portico.
It is accessible via four flights of stairs, all equipped with handrails on the right and with a large
lift on the left.
The toilet reserved for people with disabilities is equipped with vertical and horizontal support
handles, internal size allows easy use by people in wheelchairs.
Visitors arriving by car with a valid permit can park in the spots reserved for people with
disabilities which are located approximately 80 meters from the entrance to the Cathedral. As an
alternative, they can park in the churchyard, after asking the people in charge of the Diocesan
Museum, situated right there.
The path that leads from the car park to the entrance has stone paving, with a slope of
approximately 5%. The cathedral has three entrances on the facade; the recommended one is located on the left and has an internal step of 9 cm which can be overcome with a small wooden ramp.
The Cathedral has a central nave, two side naves and the Chapel of the Sacrament, which can be
visited without difficulty by people in wheelchairs, while the Chapel of the Madonna del Pianto,
situated on the left of the altar has a step with a rise of cm 17 and that of the Blessed Sacrament
has a small step of 3 cm.
Visitors arriving by car with a valid permit can park in the spots reserved for people with
disabilities which are located approximately 80 meters from the entrance to the Cathedral. As an
alternative, they can park in the churchyard, after asking the people in charge of the Diocesan
Museum, situated right there.
The path that leads from the car park to the entrance has stone paving, with a slope of
approximately 5%. To get to the entrance, there are two consecutive ramps; the steepest is
approximately 210 cm in length and has a gradient of approximately 16%.
Entrance to the Museum is allowed through the ticket office, with a passage of 68 cm and
through an adjacent panic door that leads to a lift.
Toilet for people with impaired mobility is situated on the same floor as the ticket office.
The Museum is on floors -1 and -2 and can be reached via an elevator with a door 80 cm wide
and a cabin 130 cm deep. The museum rooms are accessible via ramps; the most demanding
ramp measures 100 cm in length and has a slope of approximately 20%. To visit the Crypt, there
is a step at the entrance with a rise of 20 cm, a tread of 27 cm, an internal step of 3 cm and a
passage with a clear opening of 66 cm.
Visitors arriving by car, with a valid permit, can park next to the Basilica, where there are
two spaces reserved for disabled people. Or, without creating traffic barriers, they can park
near the church. The main entrance has six steps and is not accessible. It is therefore
possible to use the secondary entrance which is accessible, please ring the bell next to the
door to have the custodians open it. It is situated on the left side of the church, under the
arches. This entrance has a small brick ramp approximately 200 cm long, with a slight slope.
The entrance door has a span of 85 cm and has an internal step of 7 cm, which can be
overcome with a small wooden ramp. The interior of the church, where the central nave and
the Chapel of the Crucifix are situated, is flat.
On the lower level, 27 steps downstairs, there is the tomb of Saint Clare. The route is
indicated by signs, you find a handrail on the right of the stairs and it is not accessible to
people in wheelchairs.
Visitors arriving by car, with a valid permit, can park next to the church, without obstructing
traffic. The pavement to reach the church has variable slopes, but is easily accessible. The
entrance has a step with a riser of 8 cm, a tread of 45 cm and a second internal step with a
riser of 8 cm; the door has a passage with a width of 80 cm. Once inside the church, the
pavement is flat and easily accessible.
Visitors arriving by car with a regular permit are allowed to park next to the church, without
obstructing traffic.
The pavement to reach the church has side slopes. To enter the place there are
approximately 3 meters of uneven pavement, with several irregular slopes. The entrance has
an internal step of 14 cm, which can be overcome by a wooden ramp of approximately 100
cm, with a slope of 17%. The internal pavement is flat. The exit has an internal step of 8 cm,
a tread of 40 cm and an external step of 9 cm, which can be overcome with wooden
platforms that are difficult to cross. Access to the entrance and exit is not easy for people in
wheelchairs without the assistance of an accompanying person.
Visitors arriving by car with valid permits are allowed to park at parking Giovanni Paolo II,
about 100 meters from the Abbey, or next to the abbey, without obstructing traffic.
The path leading to the entrance starts with a short stretch of about 20 meters of
cobblestones, then continues with flat paving.
Access to the abbey is by a ramp about 8 meters long, with varying slopes (8-11%) and a 3-
cm step at the end of the ramp. The entrance door has a passageway with a width of 68 cm.
Inside, the floor has slight slopes of about 4 percent, and to reach the side chapel there are
two steps at the entrance.
Piazza del Comune contains elements from various ages. Two sites can be visited: the
Roman Forum and the Temple of Minerva.
You can park in a parking lot reserved for people with disabilities in front of the Tourist
Information office (IAT), situated near the entrance to the Roman Forum, a few meters
from the Temple of Minerva. Or, without obstructing traffic, in the Piazza del Comune in
the spaces where parking is allowed.
The main entrance to the Roman Forum is not accessible, due to some steps. People with
impaired mobility can visit it by entering from the secondary entrance in Via Arco dei Priori,
asking the person at the ticket office. The route from Via Arco dei Priori is challenging due
to the steep slopes, it is advisable to go through the adjacent street that leads to the Chiesa
Nuova, where the slopes are gentler. The secondary entrance has a wooden ramp about 7
meters long, with a slope of about 19%. Inside the Museum, it is possible to take an
evocative "archaeological walk", on a glass floor. Halfway through, you can watch a video
with subtitles in English with the history of the ancient Roman Forum. To access the crypt
next to the entrance, where numerous finds from the Umbrian and Roman era are exhibited,
there is a small metal ramp.
The Sanctuary of San Damiano is situated about 1 km from the historic center of Assisi. Here
is some useful information for your visit: arriving by car from Via Padre Giorgi, you can park
in the public parking lot, in a reserved parking space. People with disabilities, with a regular
permit, can park near the sanctuary. The route from the parking lot to the Sanctuary is about
100 m, with sections of asphalt and stone, with slopes of about 20% maximum. The entrance
to the portico has a wooden ramp 160 cm long with a slope of about 13%, while to enter the
cloister there is a step of 8 cm of riser; in the cloister the floor is flat. The chapel on the right,
dedicated to the Virgin Mary, has seven steps at the entrance. The other places of the
Sanctuary are also accessible via flights of stairs. A public toilet is located next to the parking
lot, with a slide about 9 m long and a slope of about 12%. Unfortunately, the public
bathroom reserved for disabled people is not accessible.
The Eremo delle Carceri is situated near natural caves, 4 kilometers from Assisi, 791 meters
above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Subasio. People with disabilities, by car, can ring the
bell and ask the caretaker to open the gate; the doorbell is on the right of the entrance to
the path that leads to the hermitage.
After about 100 meters of dirt road, it is possible to park next to the hermitage, with a
partial escorted tour. To reach the Chiostrino dei Frati, a triangular terrace overlooking the
Fosso (ditch) delle Carceri, you must follow a ramp with wrought iron handrails, 25 meters
long and with a slope of approximately 19/23%. After that, to access the cloister, there is a 5
cm high step. On the sides of the cloister, there are doors that lead to the refectory, with a
passage of 70 cm, and to the church of Santa Maria delle Carceri, with two non-consecutive
steps: the first is 23 cm high, the second 5 cm with a tread of 23 cm and an internal rise of
19 cm. On the upper floor of the refectory are the friars’ cells. Going down a steep staircase,
from the convent you reach a beech forest and the cave of San Francesco.
Situated five kilometers from Assisi and 400 meters from the railway station, the Basilica of
Santa Maria degli Angeli is accessible by car from a car park for tourists located about 150
meters from the church, near the Domus Pacis. This car park offers spaces reserved for
people with disabilities and is easily accessible with flat paving: at the beginning there is an
asphalted section and then a slightly irregular section of stone slabs leading to the entrance.
The accessible entrance is located on the right of the basilica, via a 540 cm long ramp with an
inclination of approximately 8%. Before that, you find two short ramps, leading to a door
with a span of 93 cm.
The interior of the basilica has flat flooring and is easily accessible to people in wheelchairs.
The Porziuncola is also accessible. A path leads to the Rose Garden through a double door,
and then to Viale dell’Annunziata which has a sloping brick pavement 260 cm long and a
slope of approximately 14%.
Toilets for people with disabilities are located halfway along the route, between the car park
and the Basilica, with enough internal space to ensure easy access for people in wheelchairs.
