The most historically dense part of Assisi you will find is the Piazza del Comune (main square). The many streets of the historical old town center lead out from this \u2018intersection,\u2019 where you will see things from all the centuries over time from the early Roman civilization up to today.<\/p>\n
On the north side of the square facing the green Assisi valley, you can find alternating in random chronological order the Tempio di Minerva<\/strong> (Minerva\u2019s Temple), the Torre Civica<\/strong> or Torre del Popolo<\/strong> (civic tower or People\u2019s Tower), and the Palazzo<\/strong> del Capitano del Popolo <\/strong>(Palazzo of the People\u2019s Captain). The latter two are more or less from the same period \u2013 late 13th<\/sup> century- when an institutional figure arrived in the young community of Assisi for the first time, a spreading custom in medieval Italy, called the People\u2019s Captain. This person was usually a representative of the new social class known as the popolares<\/em>, who were mostly citizens of the lower classes who had gained wealth and status through their work \u2013 merchants, lawyers, judges, and doctors. The People\u2019s Captain was a counterweight between the common people and the political authorities, people in town government that represented the noble class who had long enjoyed feudal and chivalrous privileges. Along with these in the town council were representatives from the arts and crafts guilds later known as priori<\/em>, and the gonfalconier<\/em>s, military leaders from the town\u2019s various parishes.<\/p>\n Next to the Palazzo stands the tall tower at 47 meters (140 feet), which was built originally as a residence for the People\u2019s Captain\u2019s family. Angelo di Latero<\/em> from Perugia, who was Captain in the mid-1300s, had a stone put in the base of the tower that served as a reference for all the weights and measurements that builders and merchants had to use at that time. Today you can still see the size of bricks, the thickness of floor tiles and roof tiles that were used in town. Next to these are three iron rods that gave the measurements for the equivalents of a \u2018yardstick\u2019, a \u2018foot\u2019 and a \u2018palm width\u2019 used mainly to measure fabric in commercial business.<\/p>\n In the 16th<\/sup> century, the tower was given up to become a hearing room for the Board of Notaries Public, who were another powerful group in municipal government. Evidence of this is visible on the large door, carved especially for the occasion, where you can see at the top some instruments used by the notaries: a book, inkwell and quill. Later a wooden door was commissioned in the same model as that in Perugia at the Exchange Office<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Over time, the rooms in the tower and palazzo have served many different purposes. Today, a portion of these rooms are used as a carabinieri<\/em> police office, a reminder that after eight centuries the building still has an important institutional role in city administration. On entering the Piazza del<\/strong> Comune<\/strong>, the sight that will attract your attention immediately is precisely the tower \u2013because of its height and medieval appearance, but also because of the impressive Ghibelline battlements that decorate the roofs of the two adjacent buildings. The irony is that what characterizes the antiquity of these buildings is actually the most recent addition. In fact, the crenellations were part of a rash restoration project coordinated by the architect Ruggero Antonelli<\/em> in 1926 to commemorate 700 years since the death of St Frances; the Palazzo dei Priori<\/strong> opposite the tower was also involved in the project. Originally, contrary to what one may think, these roofs were not adorned with battlements, considered architectural elements most suited to fortresses or defense structures, not civic administration buildings; the original roofs were normal peaked roofs. These projects were, let\u2019s say, clever ways to exploit our interest in and imagination of the Middle Ages; the works actually altered the authenticity but they enhanced the impact that the beauty and charm of these sites hold for visitors. Many people might prefer an authentic peaked roof to the charming recent battlements; but now you know, so decide for yourself – that\u2019s the important thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The most historically dense part of Assisi you will find is the Piazza del Comune (main square). The many streets of the historical old town center lead out from this \u2018intersection,\u2019 where you will see things from all the centuries over time from the early Roman civilization up to today. On the north side of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":33133,"parent":2181,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n