MasterChef in Assisi: TV Cooking Comes to Piazza Chiesa Nuova

On Tuesday morning, those who made their way up to Assisi were met with an unusual scene: two white gazebos erected in the small square of Chiesa Nuova, counters bearing the red-and-blue logo, lights, a crew in full swing, and the piazza closed to traffic. The Council’s notice spoke vaguely of “television filming” — but it was hardly a secret to anyone who glanced towards the counters. MasterChef had arrived.

For two days, the brigades of Italy’s most celebrated cooking show are cooking in the heart of the city of Saint Francis, just a few metres from Piazza del Comune. The team colours — the programme’s red and blue — turn out to be, almost by chance, two of the colours that have always defined Assisi: the warm pink of Subasio stone in the daylight hours, and the deep blue of the Umbrian sky on clear days.

Why Chiesa Nuova

Those who know Assisi know that Chiesa Nuova is no ordinary square. It opens up behind Piazza del Comune, descending towards Via Sant’Agnese, and is one of those corners that many visitors stumble upon by accident while looking for the Basilica or heading back to their car. The church was built in the seventeenth century over the site that tradition identifies as the birthplace of Francis. Inside, the structures of the workshop belonging to Pietro di Bernardone — the saint’s father — can still be seen, along with the rooms where the family lived.

It is a symbolic yet tucked-away spot. It lacks the solemnity of the Upper Basilica and the panoramic openness of Piazza del Comune. What it does have is a human scale that works beautifully for filming: the seventeenth-century dome serves as a backdrop, the stone facades frame the counters, and the square is broad enough to accommodate crew and gazebos without losing its character.

This is not the first time Assisi’s historic centre has been chosen as a set. The city is well acquainted with Italian television and cinema — from films about Saint Francis to recent drama series, travel specials and food programmes. What changes each time is the angle. This time, the setting is that of high-end cookery.

Umbrian cuisine as an ingredient

Choosing Assisi for a cookery programme makes sense beyond the picture-postcard appeal. Umbria is one of the Italian regions where food culture has remained closest to the land. The black truffle of Norcia, the lentils of Castelluccio, the saffron of Cascia, the extra-virgin olive oil from the Subasio hills, the wines of Sagrantino di Montefalco and Grechetto: it is a gastronomic geography that clusters within just a few kilometres of Assisi.

Five minutes from the city, olives are still harvested by hand along dry-stone walls, and the Subasio oil mills open to visitors in November for pressing. Climbing towards Monte Subasio, you reach the Mortaro plateau, where the sheep whose milk produces Umbrian pecorino graze. Further down in the valley lie the spelt fields of Monteleone di Spoleto and the bakeries that still cook torta al testo on hot stone.

For anyone who cooks, this is a territory that offers a remarkable larder. It is no surprise that a production team decided to film here: the shots of the square are worth a great deal, but what can be told behind the dishes is worth even more.

The historic centre during filming

Having a television crew in the centre changes the rhythm of Assisi, even for just two days. Normal traffic flows are altered: the Council’s notice has ordered the closure of Piazza del Comune, part of Via Roma, and naturally the small square of Chiesa Nuova. For those visiting on a day trip, it is worth factoring in some pedestrian detours and parking slightly further down than usual — the car parks at Porta Nuova, Saba and Mojano remain the most convenient for those arriving from outside.

For those staying in the city, however, these are the finest hours. The flow of day-tripping tourists stops at the edge of the centre, and walking through the side streets — Vicolo Sant’Andrea, Via San Paolo, Via San Rufino — becomes almost a step back in time. The pink Subasio stone catches the afternoon light, the bells mark hours that seem to pass more slowly, and in the bars behind Piazza Santa Chiara you can find a free table even at five o’clock, when in Assisi there is usually none to be had.

Two days later

When the crew packs up and the gazebos disappear, Piazza Chiesa Nuova will return to its usual self: a small open space where guides recount the story of Francis’s birthplace and visitors step inside for a few minutes to see the room where, according to tradition, the saint was born in 1181. But those who saw the set will, a few months from now, recognise the dome and stone walls when the programme airs. It is one of those small connections that linger: having eaten a dish in a bar in Assisi, then watching on television as two chefs cook twenty metres from that very spot.

Staying in the centre, during filming and beyond

For those who want to experience Assisi at a leisurely pace, the best windows remain the shoulder seasons — April to June and September to October — when the heat is manageable, the evenings still call for a light jacket, and the squares fill at the right hours without becoming overwhelming.

For sleeping within the walls, just a few minutes’ walk from both Piazza del Comune and the Basilica of San Francesco, our properties in Assisi are designed for those seeking an independent stay — with the freedom of a home and the attentiveness of a small boutique. Le Volte Deluxe, for instance, sits right in the heart of the historic centre, a fifteen-minute stroll from Chiesa Nuova: ideal both for those who want to explore around the set and for those looking for a calm base from which to discover the culinary Umbria that MasterChef, for two days, brought a taste of to the square.