Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Assisi was a small town in the middle of Umbria, between the Apennine Mountains and the vast plain that extends from Spoleto to Perugia. The city was the successor of the Roman municipality, and it was there that Francis was born and raised. #2 Assisi was a small town that was surrounded by a fortified wall. The town was one step on the road to Rome and the Holy Land, as many pilgrims went there to embark for the East. #3 The city of Assisi drew most of its revenues from the surrounding countryside. In the second half of the twelfth century, the relationship between the city and the contado was evolving considerably. The units of production that had been established by the great landowning nobility were beginning to fragment due to the sale of land by feudal lords unable to adapt to developments in the monetary economy. #4 Francis's hometown, Assisi, was a second-rate economic center, but it was a feudal society, and Francis grew up in a environment where money was important and powerful.