The basilica sits in the Piazza inferiore di San Francesco (the lower plaza of St Francis), which we see part of here, and which I found to be very impressive.

There is relatively little information about the Piazza, and what there is of it is in Italian. According to some references that I found, work on the Piazza would have started in conjunction with the construction of the basilica, though the first description of it appeared on the 14th century. Pope Gregory XI (1329-1378, pope from 1370) wanted to regulate the influx of merchants that occurred, particularly during festivals commemorating St Francis.

The current arcades date to 1474, and allowed small businesses and places where pilgrims could be refreshed to be accommodated. They were partially rebuilt in the 16th century, and suffered damage in the 1997 earthquake that I referred to in an earlier image.

A 16th century friar wrote that there were 75 merchants accommodated in the arcades at that time. The square had a social function, welcoming crowds before entering the basilica, and after leaving it.

This image doesn't really give a good impression of its size (I would really have needed a wide angle lens to do that), although the image 2038 later in this gallery gives some idea.