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Info Umbria
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 The Region of Umbria
Italy's most rural green region
located between the two giant tourist magnets of Florence and Rome
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To obtain a list of holiday accommodation available in the region of Umbria please refer to the link below:
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For more information on events, folklore and festivities throughout Tuscany and Umbria please refer to the link below:
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The Province Capital Town of Perugia
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The Region of Umbria
Nestled between the tourist magnets of Florence and Rome, Umbria is an inland region and Italy's most rural region.
Perhaps named after the shady forests (umbra) of the Apennines, Umbria has the rolling hills, ancient stone villas and expanses of vineyards
and fields of sunflowers and olive trees you'd find in Tuscany and plenty of small towns with atmosphere seeping out of medieval, Roman and Etruscan walls.
Perugia
Perugia is the capital of the province of the same name, which comprises nearly the whole of Umbria, and is proudly situated on the top of a hill 494m above the sea. It is one of Italy's best-preserved hill towns, replete with museums and churches, and its works of art and historical associations make it one of the most interesting cities of Italy. Perugia is also a lively student town with numerous cultural events and concerts and is particularly famous for the "Universitą per Stranieri", University for Foreigners. Students from all over the world come here to study the Italian language, art and culture.
Within the city walls, little has changed architecturally for over several hundred years. The old city with its historical centre, medieval churches, palaces and ancient gates lies on a hill. Narrow roads wind uphill towards the city and stepped paths and staircases and very narrow streets climb up the steep hillside passing through the city walls to the heart of Perugia, the Piazza IV Novembre, a square full of character and the most beautiful in Perugia. For thousands of years, it was the meeting point for the ancient Etruscan and Roman civilisations. In the medieval period, it was the political centre of Perugia. Now students and tourists gather here. In the very centre of the piazza stands the "Fontana Maggiore" (Great Fountain), a magnificent marble fountain designed by Fra Bevignate with bas-relief statues built between 1275-1278 by Giovanni and Nicola Pisano along the edges representing scenes from the Old Testament, the founding of Rome, the 'liberal arts' and a griffin and lion. The griffin is the city's symbol and can be seen all over Perugia. On the north end of the piazza is the Cathedral San Lorenzo, a Gothic building of the 15C. Inside you'll find dramatic Gothic architecture, an altarpiece by Signorelli and sculptures by Duccio. The steps in front of the pink facade are where seemingly all of Perugia congregates. Opposite the Cathedral is the Palazzo dei Priori, now the Palazzo Comunale, a massive structure which houses some of the best museums in Perugia. The whole has been well restored. The principal facade has a richly decorated portal; the older facade, overlooking the Piazza Quattro Novembre, has a flight of steps and a doorway surmounted by the bronze Perugian Griffin and the Guel lion. On the third floor is the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, the foremost art gallery in Umbria. It's an art historian's dream, with 30 rooms of artwork dating back to the 13th century, as well as works from local Umbrian artists such as Piero della Francesca, Benozzo Gozzoli, and Perugino.
From the Piazza IV Novembre, the wide and undulating Corso Vannucci, Perugia's main thoroughfare named after home-town artist Pietro Vannucci and totally closed to motor traffic, is the finest street in Perugia with noble shops and street cafes and leads to the Piazza Italia, a pleasant square flanked by imposing buildings.
On its south side is the impressive Palazzo della Provincia (1870), whose front bears the Perugian Griffin in bronze, and at the southern end is the charming little
terraced Giardino Carducci commanding lovely views of the countryside from Mount Amiata to the summits of the central Apennines, with Montefalco, Assisi, Foligno, Spoleto, and other centres. It also hosts the antiques market. The gardens stand atop a once-massive 16th century fortress, now known as the Rocca Paolina. A whole medieval quarter was vaulted over and the Rocca itself was destroyed after 1860. The arch of the Etruscan "Porta Marcia" gives access to the subterranean Via Bagliona, reopened in 1965 after four centuries. Since 1983 a series of escalators connnect Piazza Partigiani and Piazza Italia via the Rocca Paolina.
The city's largest church is the Chiesa di San Domenico, originally built in 1304, unfinished until 1458, and then rebuilt in the 17th century. Part of its interior cloisters date back to a former Romanesque church, but its enormous stained-glass windows arrived in the Gothic period. Legend has it that Pope Bededict XI, who is buried here, died suddenly in Perugia in 1304 after eating figs poisoned by his nemesis. The 10th century Benedictine church of San Pietro is entered through a frescoed doorway in the first courtyard. The basilican interior is an incredible mix of gilt and marble with ancient ganite and marble columns and contains an unusually good collection of paintings. On the Piazza Piccinino, entrance via Piazza Danti, you can venture down into the 3rd century Pozzo Etrusco. The 36m-deep well was the main water reservoir of the Etruscan town, and, more recently, the source of water during WWII. About 5 km southwest of the city is the Ipogeo die Volumni, a 2nd century-BC Etruscan burial site. An underground chamber contains a series of recesses holding funeral urns of the Volumni family. The surrounding grounds are a massive expanse of partially unearthed burial chambers with several buildings housing artifacts.
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Lake Trasimeno
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Lake Trasimeno
Lake Trasimeno lies on the border of Tuscany, just 20 km from Perugia.
The 128 km² lake has a circumference of nearly 45km; its depth never more than 7m. It has 3 islands, the largest of which is the Isola Polvese, and
small steamboat ferries carry visitors across to Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese. The 3rd island, Isola Minore, is owned privately.
Surrounded by typical countryside landscape of rolling green hills and the omnipresent sunflower, relaxed visitors can enjoy the water sports,
never-ending walking trails and sample culinary delights of the local cuisine.
Due to the low water level, the lake is not suitable everywhere for swimming and bathing. The shores can be flat and reedy. A total of 18 beaches
can be found on the lake, concentrated mainly on the north and east banks and around Castiglione del Lago. From April to September the water quality
is regularly checked, every 2 weeks, according to EU standards and the water tempreture rises to around 25 degrees C.
The main town on Lake Trasimeno is Castiglione del Lago. The picturesque town has a fine situation on a promontory jutting into the lake on
the west side and is a popular tourist destination. Its history dates back to an Etruscan settlement. In the 7th century, the town became an important
defensive promontory for the Byzantine Perugia. It was fought over and traded for about 1000 years. The medieval centre is dominated by an ancient
Renaissance ducal palace, "Palazzo della Corgna" which houses an important museum. A covered passageway connects the palace with the 13th century
Rocca del Leone (fortress of the lion), a pentagon-shaped fortress built in 1247 and an excellent example of medieval military architecture.
Seen from the lake, rearing up on a rocky promontory, it cuts a striking pose.
San Feliciano is a working town which still sees fishermen leave to trawl for fish in the morning. There is a very informative fishing museum
which showcases fishing techniques from ancient to modern day.
The east shore juts into the lake at Monte del Lago, a small bundle of houses perched on a hill with marvellous views
overlooking the lake.
Magione lies further inland on the east side of the lake and is the commercial centre of the lake with a train station. It does have a fascinating
700 year old castle just outside the town, the Castle of the Knights of Malta, built by Fieravanti in 1420.
Passignano sul Trasimeno, on the north bank, is the second largest town on the lake and an attractive little lakeside resort with
many restaurants, hotels, gelato joints and souvenir shops.
A pier on the lake is a starting point for boat excursions and ferry services to the islands. The town has an old fortified quarter on a promontory and
a medieval castle on the top of the hill which is closed to visitors.
Castel Rigone, a little resort and place of pilgrimage with a pretty Renaissance church Maria dei Miracoli (1494), lies inland towards the
north-east. Already the approach to the village, which climbs (7.5km), provides fine-retrospective and breathtaking views of Lake Trasimeno.
The village, with its quaint narrow streets, stepped alleyways and paths, is well worth a visit.
Tuoro, situated on the north banks of the lake, is a rather sleepy residential area but is worth a visit to the Campo del Sole (Field of Sun),
a sculpture park established in 1980. A group of 27 contemporary sand sculptures made by celebrated artists and looking like a modern-day Stonehenge
is a memorial place of the Battle of Trasimeno which took place in 217 BC. One can take a drive through the battle grounds and an archaeological walking tour
of the battlefield describing the events that took place 2300 years ago as well as visit the permanent exhibition.
From Tuoro it's a 10 minute ride on the ferry across to the island Isola Maggiore, the lake's main inhabited island with a picturesque lakeside hamlet.
It was reputedly a favourite with St Francis. The church of San Michele contains paintings by Caporali and two chaples commemorating a visit of St Francis
of Assisi in 1211 as well as a bronze statue (1982). The island is famed for its embroidery production and you can see examples in the Museo del Merlotto.
Isola Polvese, in the southern part of the lake, covers an area of almost 70 hectares and is the largest of the three lakes.
The island is mainly visited by those who seek out its tranquillity, which is its main charm. Of interest are the Monastery of San Secondo and the Church
of St Julian. There are also remains of a 14th century castle. A 100 m long sandy beach attracts a few more visitors during the summer months and the waters here
are more suitable for bathing.
Approximately 25 km south of Lake Trasimeno, standing majestically on high ground, lies the town of Cittą della Pieve, once the seat of the Archbishop
and also the birthplace of Pietro Vannucci (1445-1523), famous artist and painter better known under the name Il Perugino. The Cattedrale di San Gervasio
e Protasio houses Perugino works and the church of Santa Maria dei Bianchi contains Perugino's perhaps most famous work, his lovely fresco of the
Adoration of the Magi.
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Cittį di Castello
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Cittį di Castello
Far north of Perugia in the Alta Valle di Tevere, the area surrounding the Tiber River, is the medieval town of Cittą di Castello,
the largest and most central town in the area. Known as Tifernum Tiberium in the Roman era, Castrum Felicitatis (Town of Happiness) in the medieval
period and Citta di Castello today, it actually has neither a castle nor is a city. It has a beautiful historic centre, many grand buildings and the
second-most important art museum in Umbria after the Galleria Nazional dell'Umbria in Perugia. In the Middle Ages it gave employment to many artists,
among them Raphael, Signorelli, and Della Robbia.
The entire town, including its historic centre, is within a valley, so it's almost all on flat ground and easily walkable, apart from the cobblestones.
Driving is mostly forbidden in the walled town, but plenty of parking is available outside the walls. From the statuesque Torre Civica, the city's
bell tower on Piazza Gabriotti that dates back to medieval times, one has a marvellous view overlooking the town and the red tiled roofs.
Not much remains of the original Romanesque Cathedral, but the building does house some treasues. In the imposing 15th century Palazzo Vitelli alla
Cannoniera, the fine rooms of the palace are now occupied by the Pinacoteca and filled with paintings from the masters who lived here.
The Palazzo Albizzini (Via Albizzini) has a museum of paintings by the native artist Alberto Burri (1915 - 1995) and houses his main collection.
His contemporary work with paint and physical materials has been immensly popular throughout the world. A secondary exhibit of mostly larger pieces
is housed in an old tobbaco-drying warehouse, a site in itself to see on the old Perugia road. Just outside the town, also on the old Perugia road,
is a local ethnographical museum (Centro delle Tradizioni Popolari).
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Gubbio
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Gubbio
Gubbio, a town at the foot of Monte Ingino, has preserved to a large degree its medieval character and Gothic buildings, perched along the steep slopes
which wend their way up the hill towards the centre. Its main roads run parallel with each other along the side of the steep hillside.
The city is small and fairly easy to explore. At the base of the hill is a large car park and then from here it is a short, if somewhat steep,
walk up Via della Republica to the main square, Piazza Grande.
Gubbio's most impressive buildings look out over Piazza Grande. The Piazza is dominated above all by the Palazzo dei Consoli, an admirable building and
the town's landmark. This 14th century building is attributed to Matteo do Giovannello of Gubbio, known as Gattapone.
The crenallated facade and tower can be seen from all over the town. The building houses the Museo Civico, an archeological museum and a
picture gallery featuring works from the Gubbio school.
An elegant flight of steps descend and to the right opens the impressive Piazza della Signora. Across the square is the Palazzo del Podesta, also known
as the Palazzo Pretorio, now the city's active town hall Municipio.
The 13th century pink Cathedral, with remarkable stone vaulting and a fine 12th century stained glass window, has fine works of art in its chapels.
Opposite, the 15th century Palazzo Ducale, has a fine Renaissance courtyard hidden behind its walls and also houses an art gallery.
In the Piazzetta Largo del Bargello is the 13th century Palazzo del Bargello, the city's medieval police station and prison. In front of it is
the Fontana dei Pazzi (Fountain of Lunatics), so-named because of a belief that if you walk around it 3 times, you would go mad.
Outside the gate is the San Agostino, a 13th century church with the triumphal arch and apse entirely frescoed by local artist Ottaviano Nelli and his pupils.
The Chiesa di San Francesco also features impressive frescos by Nelli. Built in a simple Gothic style in the 13th century, it has an impressive rose window.
From Porta Romana/Porta San'Agostino a cable-car mounts to Basilica Sant' Ubaldo on Monte Ingino, (a steep climb by serpentine path from the cathedral)
with a superb panorama.
Gubbio is host to many colouful events. "Festa dei ceri" with its Corsa dei Ceri (candles race) is a centuries-old event held each year on the 15 May
to commemorate the city's patron saint, Sant' Ubaldo. It starts at 5.30am and involves three teams, each carrying a cero (these 'candles' are massive
wooden pillars weighing about 400kg) and racing through the city's streets. This is definitly one of Italy's liveliest festivals.
Just outside the town walls are the remains of a Roman Theatre, Teatro Romano, of the 1st century A.D. where outdoor concerts and classical plays are
performed in summer.
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Spello
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Spello
Spello, the Roman Hispellum, is an ancient little fortified town, picturesquely situated on a hillside (314m). The main entrance to the town
is through the Porta Consolare, a partially Roman gate with three Republican statues on its impressive facade.
The Roman town walls have been well preserved and are almost complete. Via Cavour begins a steep and winding ascent up to the historic centre of town,
passing churches and Palazzi. In the first piazza is the 12th century church of Santa Maria Maggiore with a fine portico decorated with a Romanesque frieze.
Inside the church in the Capella Baglioni the nave is entirely decorated with beautiful frescoes by Pinturicchio. Further into town is the enormous
church of Sant' Andrea where you can admire "Madonna with Child and Saints" by the master Pinturicchio. From the piazza, Via Torri di Properzio descends
steeply to the Roman Porta Venere (Torri di Properzio), the best preserved of the three gateways in the Roman walls.
The road below the town passes the ruined Roman Amphitheatre used for spectacles thousands of years ago in Roman 'Hispellum' (the Roman name for
modern-day Spello).
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Assisi
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Assisi
On a commanding spur of Monte Subasio, is the medieval town of Assisi, the spiritual capital of Umbria and a town more tied to its most famous son
than anywhere else. St Francis of Assisi was born here in 1182 and baptized as Giovanni, but his father, who at the time was trading in France,
called him Francesco. His youth was wild, but at the age of 24 a year's imprisonment at Perugia, followed by an illness, turned his thoughts to the
religious life, tending to the sick and giving all he had to the poor. In May 1209 he obtained the verbal approval of his Order founded on a rule
of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Francis and his followers also stayed on Monte Subasio in prayer and meditation. He preached his gospel throughout
Italy, in Spain, in Morocco, in Egypt until his death in 1226 at the age of 44. Two years later, on the 16 July 1228, St Francis was canonized and is the
patron saint of Italy. To St Francis are due not only the foundation of his Order but also the artistic movement to which the town owes many of its
most beautiful monuments. As one of the most famous shrines in Italy, it is now given over to the reception of its many foreign visitors, pilgrims and tourists.
Piazza del Comune is the centre of Assisi. In the beautifully-shaped piazza are the Palazzo Comunale, or dei Priori (1337), the Tempio di Minerva, now
the church of Santa Maria which has retained its impressive pillared facade with six fluted Corinthian columns dating back to Roman times, and the
city's Pinacoteca Comunale with a collection of Umbrian frescoes and also displays Umbrain Renaissance art and works from the school of Giotto.
On the fine piazza di San Francesco is the two-storied Basilica di San Francesco, the principle monument to the memory of St Francis, with its
magnificent series of frescoes, including Giotto's first recorded works. The basilica saw heavy damage and four deaths during a series of earthquakes on 26
September 1997. Years of painstaking restoration - including piecing together frescoes from crumbled bits, some not much larger than a grain of sand, -
will probably go on for some time yet. At his death St Francis was interred in the chuch of San Giorgio, now included as a chapel in the basilica
of Santa Chiara. A fund for a memorial church was started in April 1228 and its foundation stone was laid the day following the canonization ceremony
of St Francis. The lower church was soon ready and the saint's body was laid to rest there in 1230. The crypt of St Francis, with its cool dim interior,
is one of the most moving locations in the basilica complex. Bench seating around the tomb allows for quiet reflection. The upper church was built
just after the lower church, between 1230 and 1253, and the change in style and grandiosity is readily apparant. One of the most famous pieces of
art in the world is the 28-part fresco circling the walls with scenes from the Life of St Francis. The fresco, attributed to Giotto and his pupils, along
with all the other frescoes in the basilica literally revoltionised art in the western world. The fresco painters were the storytellers of their day,
turning biblical passages into open public bibles for the poor, who were mostly iliterate. The scenes in St Francis' life were tied to the scenes as a way
to translate the Bible through images.
On the other side of town is the 13th century Basilica di Santa Chiara with steep ramparts and a striking facade. The white and pink stone that makes
up the exterior here (the same stone used for many buildings in Assisi) came from nearby Subasio. The daughter of an Assisian nobleman, St Clare was a
spiritual disciple of St Francis and founded the Sorelle Povere di Santa Chiara (Order of the Poor Ladies), now known as the Poor Clares.
St Clare is buried in the church's crypt.
The 13th century Cathedral, Duomo di San Rufino, is dedicated to the missionary martyr Saint Rufino, who suffered martyrdom here (238).
It was remodelled in the 16th century by Alessi and contains the font where St Francis and St Clare were baptized.
Dominating the town, with an eqally dominant view of the valley, is the massive 14th century Rocca Maggiore, an oft expanded and rebuilt hill fortress
offering 360-degree views of Perugia.
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Monterchi
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Monterchi
Monterchi is a small fortified frontier village, still within Tuscany but right on the border of Umbria, and most famous for the renowned
fresco Madonna del Parto by Piero della Francesca. Painted in just seven days, the Pregnant Madonna is considered one of the key works of
15th century Italian art, the subject is unique in Italian painting and the only known represention from the period. The fresco shows the pregnant
Madonna revealed by two angels pulling back the curtain of a pavilion. On a little hill below the village is a tiny chapel belonging to the cemetery
which contains the famous fresco. It is thought that Piero's mother may have been buried here and this was intended as a memorial to her.
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San Giustino
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San Giustino
This very ancient Umbrian town lies approximately 50 km northwest of Perugia, in the region of Umbria.
Right in the town centre rises Bufalini Castle, one of the finest testimonials of a patrician stately home, and still magnificently preserved. It was
a former fortress belonging to the Castellani family, and granted to Nicolņ di Manno Bufalini in 1487.
The territory here was once a singular republic (from 1440 to 1826) known as Cospaia, where the earliest italian tobacco was cultivated in 1575.
A couple of kilometres from San Giustino is the ward which years ago was declared a free state by its inhabitants; the Republic of Cospaia.
When Pope Eugene IV in 1440 made over the Borgo of San Sepolcro to the Fiorentine Republic in return for 14.000 ducats, owing to a boundary error
this strip of land 500 metres wide was not included in the new division, and thus became no-man's-land. The Cospaiesi at once proclaimed their independence
and remained so for four centuries: no written laws, no overlords, no soldiers, no taxes and, above all, being the first to grow tobacco, doing excellent
business both with the Grand Duchy and the Church. The inhabitants of Cospaia could have reaped advantage from this situation indefinitely, had they not
turned the place into a sort of smugglers' free port, which induced the two neighbouring states to reach an agreement and put an end to the tiny republic.
The agreement was signed on May 25, 1826 between the Tuscan and Papal governments. Assigned to Cittą di Castello, and in compensation for their lost freedom,
the Cospaiesi were granted the right to grow half a million tobacco plants: a crop in those days subjected to extremely strict control by the governments.
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Santa Maria degli Angeli
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Santa Maria degli Angeli
On the plain below the town of Assisi is the imposing and conspicuous church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The church was built between 1565 and 1685
to cover the little oratory (Porziuncola) founded by hermits from Jerusalem (352) and became the first centre of the Franciscan order.
This was the scene of St Clare's consecration and of St Francis's death in 1226.
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Montone
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Montone
Montone was founded on a hill in a beautiful panoramic position between two tributaries of the Tiber river: the Carpina and the Lana rivers.
Situated south of Cittą di Castello, this typical medieval walled Borgo was a strong-hold during the Middle Ages and is completely surrounded by
its city walls. The picturesque village is pedestrianised and motor vehicles are forbidden within the walls so you can really step back in time
meandering around its narrow alleys and ancient walls and gates. The village is pristine and many of the buildings have been carefully restored.
At the highest point of the village, the 14th century Gothic church and convent of San Francesco houses Montone's museum, the Pinoteca Comunale di
San Francesco. The church which was restored has frescoes by Antonio Alberti, while the adjacent convent houses a fine collection of sculpture and
paintings (principally Bartolomeo Caporali) from local churches. One of the most memorable exhibits is the stunning group of 13th century carved
figures of the Deposition of Christ which originally came from the parish church of San Gregorio at the foot of the hill, outside the boundary walls.
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Holiday accommodation booking agency featuring individually selected holiday accommodation
in Tuscany and Umbria.
We act on behalf of local property owners as agent between
owner and customer in a reservation and contract arrangement.
Copyright 2004-2013 © Elisa Santoni Internet Travel Agency
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+49 89 12392998 +49 160 7372215
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