Photo spot in Assisi & Umbria
Piazza del Comune and the Temple of Minerva
Assisi's main square, with a first-century Roman temple front — six columns and a pediment — still standing in the row of buildings.
About Piazza del Comune and the Temple of Minerva
Get directionsHalfway up the town, the main square keeps its Roman forum layout and one extraordinary survival: the front of a temple to Minerva, six fluted columns and a pediment, absorbed into a church and still on its original steps.
It is a photographer's gift because the columns give instant structure. Stand a couple on the steps and the temple frames them; step back across the square and the medieval tower and the loggia come in behind. The paving is flat and open, which is rare in a hill town.
The square faces roughly south, so it is lit for most of the day and goes soft after five when the buildings on the west side start to shade it. Early morning is the emptiest hour by a wide margin.
This is where the whole town passes through, and every lane off it climbs or drops steeply — good for backgrounds, hard on shoes. Cafés put tables out across the front of the square from spring onwards, so the clean view of the columns is a morning thing.
Best time to shoot
Before nine, before the café tables go out; soft light again after five
Tips
Shoot the temple from the far side of the square with a short telephoto so the columns stay parallel — up close a wide lens makes them lean badly.
Recent work in Assisi & Umbria
Portfolio shots by photographers covering this area
Photographers who shoot at Piazza del Comune and the Temple of Minerva
Hand-picked professionals working in Assisi & Umbria
Real reviews from Assisi & Umbria photoshoots
Ann-Marie T.
My husband Ted and I started planning our elopement at the end of 2020. Planning a wedding, no matter how big or how small, still requires a lot of decisions and meticulous organisation. In our case it also took complete trust in our…
Stefano C.
Photographer
Martina E.
A heartfelt thank you for capturing our Venice dream. I can't believe it was August 21st and here we are still floating on air, and much of that magic is because of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our…
Stefano C.
Photographer
Other spots in Assisi & Umbria
Basilica di San Francesco — the two piazzas
Two stacked churches on the western spur of town, with a long arcaded lawn-and-stone piazza in front of each.
Rocca Maggiore
The medieval fortress on the ridge above Assisi, with the whole town and the Umbrian plain laid out beneath it.
Eremo delle Carceri
A small monastery wedged into a ravine in the holm-oak woods above town, four kilometres up Monte Subasio.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Piazza del Comune and the Temple of Minerva — free of charge.
