Obviously Assisi is Francis-town and it's easy to forget that there are in fact other fraternities that have been around for a while as well.

Way back in 516, Benedict of Nursia (now Norcia in south-eastern Umbria) wrote The Rule, a book of 73 short chapters for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. From this sprang the Order of St Benedict, commonly known as the Benedictines. They are also known as the "Black Monks" because of the colour of their religious garments.

Although called an order they are not operated as a single hierarchy as some other orders are. The monasteries operate autonomously but elect a primate to represent them.

This is their base in Assisi; the Abbey of Saint Peter (Chiesa di San Pietro). The first incarnation of the Monastery dates to 970 A.D., but the present building was constructed much later and consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253. In 1613 Cistercian monks (an offshoot of the Benedictines) arrived to run the Monastery at the invitation of Pope Paul V.

Two of the most distinctive features are the belltower (campanile) and the dome (okay, it's relatively flat, but it's still a dome) that we can see from this street.

How the monks get on with the Franciscans, I have no idea. Most visitors probably aren't even aware that there are other orders represented in the town.

The Benedictines did once have a monastery and basilica dedicated to their patron as well, back in Norica, Benedict's birthplace. That's also where they also run a brewery with the motto "ut laetificet cor" (that the heart might be gladdened) which is reputed to be quite good and goes well with local delicacies like truffles, wild boar, salami and cheeses.

Unfortunately the monastery building was largely destroyed in the earthquakes of October 2016. (The brewery wasn't; make of that what you will.)

We were lucky. So many places were damaged or destroyed on that trip, and yet we didn't even feel a rumble.