Best known as the birthplace of St. Francis, Italy's patron saint, Assisi lies 90 miles north of Rome amid Umbria's rolling hills. The medieval town's must-sees include the Basilica of San Francesco, a grandiose sacred site built in 1230. It contains Giotto's 28 frescoes of St. Francis' life, the Romanesque Assisi Cathedral and the Baroque Church of St. Mary of the Angels. For greater insight, head for the nearby protected wooded slopes of Eremo della Carceri, a 13th-century monastery.