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Italy is well-known as a Catholic nation and, due to its long history of Catholicism, has given rise to a large number of saints. With so many saints, not everyone can be patron saint of obvious causes which has lead to the creation of some rather strange ones including a Patron Saint of Cranky Children (St Sebastian). One of the most unusual is, perhaps, St Clare of Assisi. Assisi has had a long history of religious affiliations, with St Francis being intimately connected to the area, but another saint hailing from the town is St Clare, Patron Saint of Television. You read that right, television. Why not find a vacation rental in Umbria and spend a day in the city of Assisi, learning all about this strange saint?

The beautifully built town of Assisi lies in the region of Umbria close to Monte Subasio. It’s most famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis who founded what is now the worldwide Order of Franciscan Monks.

Stay in a beautiful holiday rental in Assisi where you can easily visit all the delightful cultural gems in this area.

As the fame of Assisi’s beloved St. Francis grew large and more widespread, more and more elaborate plans were set in place to build basilicas, churches and chapels in his honour in the surrounding area. And St. Francis is not the only endeared saint to hail from here; St. Clare, St. Agnes and St. Sylvester also came from here and also have sacred buildings erected in their honour.

The Papal Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi in Umbria is an important landmark of Christianity in Italy. It's dedicated to the famous monk called St. Francis who was born here and went on to found the Franciscan Order. As a reward for its historic and cultural importance it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Stay in a beautiful vacation rental in Assisi to experience the best of what this area has to offer!

Construction of the Basilica of St. Francis began in 1228 and originally comprised of two adjacent churches and a stone chamber where the body of the saint was buried.

Christmas is celebrated differently in every country and each country has various different traditions that are unique and special. If you have found a vacation rental in Italy and are planning on spending the festive season there this year, then you might want to learn a little about what you can expect from an Italian Christmas. Here are five things you need to know about Christmas in Italy.

1. Santa is a Witch.

Befana is a good witch whose name comes from the Roman dialect's pronunciation of the Italian "epifania" (or Epiphany). Long ago, the three wise men stopped into Befana's house on their way to Bethlehem. She was such a nice hostess that they invited her to come with them to find the newborn Jesus. She initially declined their offer but changed her mind and packed up some toys that had belonged to her deceased child and set out after them.

The stunning region of Umbria is located in central Italy. It’s the only region in this section of the peninsula to have no coastline but there’s plenty to entertain tourists in spite of that! Umbria is bordered by Tuscany, Le Marche and Latium and is made up of only two provinces; Perugia and Terni. There is a wealth of superb holiday rentals with swimming pools in Umbria to choose from if you wish to add a little extra luxury to your vacation!

Umbria gets its name from the ancient Umbri tribe that once thrived here before the Romans invaded and eventually conquered the land. Today it has established a big name in the agricultural market, exporting vast quantities of wine, olive oil and tobacco. The capital city is called Perugia which offers visitors a rich archive of tradition, history, art and culture to immerse themselves in.