Tourism in Umbria

Some information about places of interest and art towns near our agriturismo, starting from the ones nearest to us

UMBERTIDE, which, in the area, is second in importance only to Città di Castello, was founded at around the 10th century according to the wishes of Uberto son of the King of Italy, and took the name of "Fracta filiorum Uberti". Its fate during the Middle Ages followed sometimes that of Perugia, in other times that of the Church, making it subject to defeats and devastations. The buildings of major artistic value are, apart from the Castle, where nowadays exhibitions of modern art are held, the churches of St. Mary della Reggia and of the Holy Cross. The first is built in an octogonal form surmounted by a cupola dating back to the 16th century, the second, dating back to 1651, contains, among other minor works of art, an extraordinary painting by Signorelli: the "Deposition from the Cross. "Close by the Church of the Holy Cross, you'll find the churches of St. Francis (14th century) with its facade in conci and its portal with a three-lobed arch and the church of St. Bernardino (16th century). At about 5 km. to the North-East one of the best-preserved defensive structures of the whol tiber valley is to be found: the Castle of Civitella Ranieri. This building, constructed between the 15th and the 16th centuries, with its four towers, two square and two round, still dominates all of the surrounding plain, and offers a marvellous look-out point.

MONTONE, as with the major part of the towns in this zone which are not placed along the Tiber valley, was founded on a hill in a beautiful panoramic position between two tributaries of the Tiber river: the Carpina and the Lana rivers. Having already been a strong-hold during the Middle Ages, it was later controlled by the families which dominated the area, such as : the Del Monte, the Fortebraccio and the Vitelli families; around the middle of the 16th century, finally, the town was ceded to the Papal State. The town's most important building is without doubt the Gothic church of St.Francis, which was contructed in the 14th century with a poligonal apsis and a portico: inside, numerous frescoes of the Umbrian school, a few of which are attributed to the master painter Bartolomeo Caporali, and interesting wood sculptures are to be found.While the churches of St. Fedele and the Collegiate church of St.Mary, where, on Easter Monday the reliquy of the Sacred Thorn is shown, are situated inside the inhabitated part of the town, just outside of the town, you'll find the "Pieve", a church dating back to the 11th century constructed in the Romanic byzantine styte with three naves and a round apsis.

MONTE SANTA MARIA TIBERINA is situated in the valley of the Aggia stream, placed in a panoramic position which has made it become a popular holiday resort. The town, whose main industry nowadays is agriculture, in former times used to be the strong-hold of the Marquis Del Monte family. The buildings of major interest for the tourist in search of architectural beauty are without doubt the Castle, with is to be found in the town's center and dates back to the 16th century, and the church of St. Mary which has given the town its name, and where the remains of an antependium dating back to pre-roman times are to be found.

CITTA' DI CASTELLO, for the most part still surrounded by town walls dating back to the 16th century, spreads out along the Tiber valley, on the spot where the Romans had founded the township of Tifernum Tiberinum. After having been sacked and destroyed on the orders of Totila during the barbarian invasions, it was rebuilt under Bishop Florido and first took the name of Castrum Felicitatis and later, in the 10th century, that of Castrum Castelli. It became a Comune during the late Middle Ages and was subjected to the rule of Perugia, to that of the Church and then to that of Florence; only in the 16th century, under Cesare Borgia, it definitely became dominion of the Papal State. Buildings which used to be the seat of administrative structures such as the Palace of the Podestà, with its baroque facade dating back to 1686, and the Town Hall, built in the Gothic style with an elegant portal and windows with two lights, testify to the ancient history of this Umbrian town. Traces of Gothic art are still to be found of the left-hand side of the Cathedral, which, having been constructed during the 11th century on the site of a Roman temple, was already radically modified in the middle of the 14th century.The churches of St.Dominic (1424), with its incomplete facade and ogival portal on the left-hand side, of St.Mary Maggiore, dating back to the Gothic era but adorned by a Renaissance facade, and finally that of St.Francis with its poligonal apses (1273), remodelled in the first years of the 18th century, complete the panorama of the town's religious buildings. The Municipal Pinacoteque contains works of art by Raffaello, Signorelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio, apart from others by Umbrian, Tuscan and Marche schools.

GUBBIO is one of the most ancient towns of Umbria, extremely well preserved during centuries and rich of monuments testifying its glorious past. Two important witnesses of the past are the Tavole Eugubine, one of most important documents referring to the ancient people called Italici and the Roman Theatre just outside the walls of the town. Dominated from the top by the Basilica on which the rests of St. Ubaldo are buried, Gubbio keeps architectonic masterpieces testifying the beauty and the imprtance of what used to be during the Middle ages, a real town-state. At the beginning of the XIV century the Consuls Palace, today symbol of the town, was constructed together with the square Piazza Pensile and Pretorio Palace. To remind the palaces Beni, del Bargello with the famous fountain, of People Captain , in typical renaissance style, Dukes Palace by Francesco Giorgio Martini which testity the importance of the period on which the Montefeltro's family had the administration of the town. Very interesting are also the Cathedral (XII century), St. Maria Nuova (inside which one can admire the Madonna del Belvedere painted by Ottaviano Nelli on 1413), Church and Convent of St. Agostino (XIII century ) with inside frescoes of Nelli, Church and Convent of St. Francesco (XIII century), St. Giovanni (XII century) characterised by the facade and bell tower in romanic style, St. Peter enlarged in 1505 and St. Domenico enlarged in the XIV century.

PERUGIA, the great "Guelf strong-hold" rises up in the region's heart, with its 5 storical quarters closed-in by its Etruscan town walls. These enormous bastions formed by cyclopic square masses, were constructed 22 centuries ago and are still visible for long stretches. When the city of Rome was little more that an encampment of huts, one could already enter the etruscan Perugia Italy using one of 7 portals, among which one was particularly mighty, the Porta Pulchra or of Augustus, dating back to Etruscan times. Entering the city via Porta San Pietro, whose exterior was remodelled by Agostino di Duccio in 1475, you'll arrive at the basilica of St. Dominic on the right-hand side; the very important National Archeological Museum of Umbria is to be found in the adjacent cloisters and convent. Continuing along, you'll reach the Piazza del Sopramuro, where the 15th century Palace of the Old University and the adjacent Palace of the People's Captain look down on the square. Further on, after a short climb, you'll find yourself in one of Italy's most important squares, where you'll see the Priors'Palace, the Cathedral and the 13th century fountain Major Fountain at the center. These monuments render the Piazza Grande of Perugia (now called Piazza IV Novembre) a superb architectural complex. At the extreme end of Corso Vannucci you'll find famous panoramic gardens built on the foundations of the Rocca Paolina, a strong-hold built by Pope Paul III in 1540. These foundations contain, similar to under an enormous bell, an entire quarter of the old Perugia: a dead city, a sort of Medieval Pompei which has been brought tot light again and which is fascinating to visit. Perugia's ascents and stairways are usually quite steep, both the most ancient and the most recent. The way Via delle Prome is a typical example. Leaving from the Augustus Arc, this way lead to the upper point of Perugia, where used to be the castle of Porta Sole, erected in the XIV century by the dal Gattapone, and destroyed later for willing of the whole town people. A short visit in Perugia is definetly interesting, but is a longer visit which will reveal all the atistic jewels in detail. Even if you are on a short visit, you should not miss the archtectural complex of St. Francesco, with the Oratory of St. Bernardino, a masterpiece of Agostino di Duccio, who, in covering the facade with bas-reliefs of enchanting grace and modelled fineness made it a little poem of Renaissance sculpture.

CORCIANO owes it name and its origins to Coragino, mythical friend of Ulysses. Its Etruscan-Roman origins are documented from the discovery of a small etruscan necropolis and from numerous finds located at its municipal offices. In 1242 Corciano was a free city, although very closely related to the nearby and dominant city of Perugia. The renaissance period was very flourishing for this town, which allowed it to adorn itself with characteristic buildings and prestigious works of art. Upon entering Corciano from Porta S. Francesco, you gain access to the Corso Cardinale Rotelli, the main street of the historic centre. Immediately to your right is located the Palazzo municipale (16th Century), originally the residence of the two dukes of Corgna, which preserves prestigious decorations and designs. Of particular importance are those of the Ceiling of the Council room (end of 16th Century), produced by the Zuccari. Continuing on one reaches the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (15th Century), ancient residence of the representative from the dominating city of Perugia, with on its side the Palazzo dei Priori and of the Mercanzia. Continuing one arrives at ‘piazza Coragino', where one finds a lovely round well from the 16th Century. To the right appears the Santa Maria Assunta, a church from the 13th century. Inside are preserved two picturesque works of art of high value: the Gonfalone by Benedetto Bonfigli, (1472), and the Assunta by the Perugino (1513). Farther along one comes to the small church of San Cristoforo, from the first half of 1500, which hosts a collection of sacred art. Of particular interest is the Museo della Corsa Contadina which reproduces, with authentic household and work objects, the typical corcianese dwelling of the preindustrial period. Also noteworthy is the ancient ‘Spedale' of the town, which preserves an affresco from 1494 attributed to Andrea D'Assisi, known as the ‘Ingegno'. A touch farther along one finds the Torrione di Porta Santa Maria, the Corciano emblem, built in 1482, followed by a beautiful promenade built on top of the ancient walls, from which one can admire two Romanesque sculptures of lions. The San Francesco Church, gothic, contains several works of art, including a crucifix from the fifth Century, a Bandiera canvas, a statue of San Bernardino dell'Orsini, and a table of the Caporali, in addition to affrescos from the umbro-senese discipline from the 14th and 15th Centuries.

The TRASIMENO LAKE, is situated in an ideal area of central Italy, between Tuscany and Umbria. Around it you can find Città della Pieve, Paciano, Panicale and Piegaro are attractive hill-top villages whilst Castiglione del Lago, Magione, Passignano sul Trasimeno and Tuoro sul Trasimeno are ancient, picturesque towns situated on the lake shores. The harmonious coexistence between the green, gently sloping hills, typical to the Tuscan-Umbrian countryside, with the suggestive panorama of the lake and ancient, historical villages, containing a wealth of art and culture, have given this territory a particular charm. The Trasimeno Lake, which is a regional nature reserve in its entirety, has a surface area of 128 square kilometres, the fourth largest in Italy. The lake's maximum depth is six metres and is fed by several streams. From its waters rise three islands: Maggiore, Minore, and Polvese.

ASSISI in Italy stretches out on the slopes of the Monte Subasio, above the plain where the Topino and Chiascio rivers flow. Although it can boast Roman origins, its present-day appearance, because of the buildings and also the urban structure, is surely due to the city's development during the Middle Ages. Assisi's oldest nucleus, which is protected by a defensive apparatus made up of eight fortified entrance portals and a long belt of town walls, which are still perfectly preserved, is topped by two castles on peak of the mountain: the Major Castle, reconstructed by the Cardinal Albornoz in 1367 and the Minor Castle. Apart from religious buildings too important to not be considered solely the heritage of Assisi such as the basilica of St. Francis, the tourist can also visit the churches of St. Clare and St.Peter. The first was constructed in the Gothic style between 1257 and 1265, the second is a little older and decorated with an elegant middle portal with three rose-windows. The Cathedral, dedicated to the Patron Saint St. Rufino, vaunts a splendid and unaltered facade with sculptures and reliefs; the interior, however, has undergone much reconstruction during the centuries which have distorted the original project dating back to the 13th century. On the Town Square situated on the ancient Forum, you will find the Priors' Palace (1337), the Palace of the People's Captain (12th century) and the temple of Minerva, built during the augustean period with pronaos, columms and corinthian capitals which are still intact. Nearby, places which are connected with the life of St. Francis can be visited, sich as the Eremitage of the Prisons, immersed in a thick wood of oaks and ilex on the slopes of the Subasio Mountain, and the convent of St. Damian, which was built up around the oratory were, according to tradition, the Cross spoke to the Saint. Finally, in the plain, the impressive basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels was built according to the plans of Alessi between 1569 and 1679 to protect the Porziuncola Chapel, which was the first simple meeting-place of the Francescan brotherhood. All those who have the good luck of visiting this splendid town have to agree with who says that the beauty of town goes beyond a short, and necessarily incomplete list of works of art more or less extraordinary, but is however to be found in the atmosphere of places which the story and the faith of the Saint have rendered unique all over the world.

SPELLO rises up between Assisi and Foligno, situated on a spur of the Subasio Mountain above a fertile and well-irrigated plain. Among the neighbouring cities, this is surely the one which preserves the major number of monuments testifying to the Roman era; for example, the town walls, which later became the foundations for the medieval walls, the ruins of the theater and the amphitheater, the thermal baths and the splendid town portals Porta Consolare, Porta Urbica and Porta Venere dating back to the Augustean era. In ascent, you'll arrive at the church of St. Mary Maggiore built Between the 11th and 12th centuries, which, even if it can boast a beautiful facade riconstructed with antique materials in 1644 at the same time as other architectonic modificatione were undertaken, guards its most precious treausure inside. In fact, the marvellous Baglioni Chapel is to be found on the left-hand side of the nave. with its paintings by Pinturicchio showing the "Annunciation", the "Nativity" scene and the "Dispute at the Temple", among other frescoes by the same painter which are to be found the chapels under the cross vaults and paintings by Perugino on the pilasters of the entrance to the presbytery. Close by, it is possible to visit the church of St. Andrew (13th century), which contains the painting of the "Madonna and the Saints" by Pinturicchio. Don't forget to take a look at the Town Hall in Piazza della Repubblica with its beautiful ogival portico, and the church of St. Laurence with the remains of the older building dating back to the 12th century. Looking out from the ruins of the Castle (14th century) which is situated on top of the hill, one dominates the valley of the Topino river and all of the surrounding hillside. Just outside of the inhabited area you'll find the Romanic church of St. Claudius and the "Chiesa Tonda" which was built during the Renaissance period in the form of a Greek cross with an octagonal cupola.