The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ASSISI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
S
S
I
S
I
More clues leading to the result ASSISI
- Hence Francis is one after church service, not the first
- Italian town, unaltered over centuries, at last beginning to industrialise
- A southern university river rises where Francis came from
- A saint is hung upside down twice in this Italian town
- Francis is sanctified round here
- Famous birthplace of one with endless support in the West
- Like positive responses from some Europeans in this town
- Jackass is idolised held by St Francis
- Part of mass is identified with St Francis
- A saint is repeatedly going around his town?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "this Italian town" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case this italian town = assisi.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.