Umbria: artistic itineraries
Umbria is one of the most toured regions in Italy because of its many cultural
and historical itineraries. But its landscape with its green and gentle
hills and the medieval, Roman and Etruscan traces also inspire a sense of
peace and calm. Here you can find important art collections as well as very
small local museums which stand for the enormous cultural treasure enhanced
by wonderful artists such as Pietro Vannucci called “Il Perugino” or with
a remarkable religious and spiritual tradition being the birth-place of
several important religious personages.who are also known outside Umbria
and Italy. The Francescanism gave an impulse to a real renewal also in apparently
different fields. You should not miss to visit the many Umbrian natural
parks with their multitude of green tonalities being the background of a
painting which captures the clear and rolling lines of the hills on the
horizon.
In the very near proximity: The Valnerina
(Valley of the Nera-River)
The country house 'Agrifoglio' and the Farm Holidays 'Il Boschetto'
are in the district of Spoleto, Norcia and Cascia. Since ancient times the
Valnerina has been a very important communication link between the Tyrrhenian
Sea and the Adriatic Sea. Many archaeological findings have proved that
some of the passes were already being used in prehistoric times. In this
land of mysticism where the spiritual adventures of St, Benedetto, St. Rita
and St.Scolastica started, there are castles and towers which seem to watch
the quiet flow of the Nera-River and its affluents. Many picturesque villages
are along the route: Triponzo rises at a height of 420 m and owes its name
to the three bridges which cross the Nera-River. The medieval castle overlooks
the surrounding plain from its circuit of turreted walls of a rectangular
plan and its high tower dating back to the 14th century which was part of
the former fortress. The sulphureous water of the Bagni di Triponzo (Triponzo
spa) already known in Roman times is also famous. Preci dates back to the
13th century and was originally a slope castle which was destroyed twice
by the people of Norcia (16th century). In the upper part there is the church
of St. Maria with a portal of the 14th century on the frontside and another
portal of the 15th century but with earlier elements. It is said that the
Abbey of St. Eutizio was already the main political and commercial centre
of the region in the 10th century and up to the end of the 12th century,
the Benedictine monastery was able to increase the extension of its possessions
and properties as proved by one of the oldest documents written in vernacular
at the end of the 11th century.
Norcia is located at the margins of the fertile plain of St. Scolastica.
The famous square is dedicated to St. Benedetto, the founder of the western
monasticism, who was born around 480 and who is now the patron saint of
Europe. The church was probably built on top of his parents’ house in the
high medieval age as tradition hands on. It has been renovated several times,
but its façade of the 14th century has been preserved. After 1859 only the
upper part of the church has been rebuilt with the addition of a beautiful
gothic portal with reliefs and shutters dating back to 1578. On the right
side there is the Portico of Measurements where nine ancient local weights
for cereals are exposed on a stone bench. Inside the church there is a work
of Vincenzo Manenti showing the Virgin Mary and the Saints of Norcia. The
massive structure of 'The Castellina' was built by Giulio III as a residence
and eventually transformed into a fortress by the apostolic governors according
to the plan of Vignola (1554). Since 1967 it has been the home of the civic-diocesan
museum where you can see paintings and sculptures created by artists of
the Norcia district, for example Nicola da Siena, Giovanni Dalmata.
The Via Flaminia (The Flaminia route): Spoleto, Foligno.
Spoleto, famous for the 'Festival dei Due Mondi' (Festival of the Two Worlds), but also for its many churches, amphitheatres and buildings more or less dating back to Roman times. The cathedral with its big central rose-window in the façade, its vigorous church bell tower and its beautiful portal is a Romanesque building of the end of the 12th century. Foligno is one of the few Umbrian towns located in a plain. Piazza della Repubblica together with Piazza del Duomo (main squares of Foligno) are the vital centre of the town. Only a few people know that the first edition of the “Divina Commedia” (Divine Comedy) was printed in Foligno in 1472. Foligno is also famous for the “Giostra della Quintana” (a horse-riding tournament). Trevi, famous for its olive groves, offers an extraordinary scenery thanks to its position on a hill overlooking the plain of Spoleto.This really uncontaminated centre is the home of history, art and culture.
From Foligno to Perugia
Montefalco which is also called 'Ringhiera dell’Umbria' (The railing of
Umbria) due to its position on a hill, overlooks and dominates the plain
of the Topino-River and Clitunno-River and offers a panorama of extraordinary
beauty. Of particolar interest for the Umbrian art are the frescoes of Benozzo
Gozzoli in the church of St. Francis. Bevagna surrounded by rivers which
have always been its first natural defense, is famous for the “Mercato delle
Gaite”, now a joyful challenge among artisan shops which recalls the division
into districts of the town in medieval times and which had once the task
to protect it. In Spello, an ancient village on the hills, more than in
any other Umbrian places, you can see traces of the Romans. You should not
miss the 'Infiorate' of the Corpus Christi Day where flower petals are used
to create street pictures the night before the procession. Every year millions
of tourists visit Assisi. As soon as you get into this town, you will be
surrounded by the francescan atmosphere. Its monuments and buildings embellish
every angle of its lanes. The Upper and the Lower Basilica with Giotto’s
frescoes are of great artistic and spiritual interest. Do not miss the “Eremo
delle Carceri” ( prison hermitage) climbing up towards the Mount Subasio:
It is situated in a naturalistic park of about 7500 hectares and protected
by the district authorities. Perugia is the seat of the local government
and offers many facets from a historic, artistic and town-planning point
of view. The Rocca Paolina (Paolina fortress) built by Pope Paul III Farnese
in the middle of the 16th century and designed by Antonio da Sangallo, the
Umbrian National Gallery with Perugino’s frescoes, the streets of the historic
centre within the Etruscan
Other places to visit in Umbria
If you have time, there are still many other places of historic interest
to visit, such as Orvieto, Todi, Gubbio, Città di Castello and the
Trasimeno Lake district.
