Our itinerary starts in Assisi which dominates a large part of the Umbrian valley from its high location. Founded in Roman times with some important elements from the Middle Ages, but famous above all as a Franciscan town. It is easy to get around on foot so leave your car in one of the car parks around the city (there is one right next to the Basilica). You can see Ghiotto’s frescoes in the famous Basilica of San Francesco (Visits - From Easter to November: 6.30am-7pm, Sundays and public holidays: until 7.30pm, the rest of the year: 6.30am-.6pm, excluding Sunday morning and public holidays), one of the most important Christian sanctuaries. It is possible to visit the Lower Church, Upper Church, Treasury Museum and Perkins Collection (9am-12am and 2pm-5-30pm from April to October). From the upper square outside the Basilica you can reach the Sacred Convent and then head along Via S. Francesco. At number 10 you can find the Municipal Picture Gallery (Visits - mid March-mid October: 10am-1pm and 3pm-7pm, rest of the year: 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm) with valuable paintings from the 13th century. After this you come to Piazza del Comune where you can see Palazzo dei Priori, now the Town Hall, and a little further on the Duomo dedicated to the patron saint – St. Rufino.
The next stop on route is Spello. Perched on a spur, the town boasts some frescoes by Pinturicchio found in the Baglioni Chapel. The Municipal Picture Gallery is also worth a visit (Visits – April-May: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6.30pm, June-August: 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm, September-March 10am-1pm and 3.30pm-6pm). You can buy some typical products such as deli meats, wine and oil at the Azienda Agricola Cuore Verde (Via Cavour 57 Tel. 0742 652346) while Cianetti (Via Garibaldi 17) is specialised in the production and sale of oil. Continuing along the same road, we reach Bevagna, a charming medieval town which is worth visiting for its perfect state of conservation that reaches an all time high in the main square. This is the ideal spot to stop off for a wine break at the Enoteca in Piazza Onofri where you can find a list featuring over 400 wines accompanied by tasty meat dishes. But the real wine city in this area is Montefalco, home to Sagrantino DOCG and rich in atmosphere and art. Along the road you can come across many signs bearing a large number of local wine producers’ names. We will limit ourselves to mentioning just a few of the better known ones: Antonelli in San Marco (Tel. 074 2379158); Agraria Scacciadiavoli in Cantinone (Tel. 0742378272) and Val di Maggio in Torre (Tel. 074378802).
For theatre lovers, we recommend a short detour to Montecastello di Vibio, which is found along the return route heading for Marsciano. The town is not located along a busy road and to get there you have to knowingly chosen to visit this place, perched on top of a hill and one of Umbria’s genuine medieval treasures. In fact here you can find the smallest theatre in the world - Teatro della Concordia (Piazza del Teatro, 4), a real chocolate box with just 99 seats in the boxes and stalls, which dates back to 1800 when nine noble families wanted to create a place to get together and use for entertainment. It was built to fit the town’s size, and the backdrop and interior decoration were painted by the 14 year old artist, Luigi Agretti. It is still used for performances ranging from prose to opera and operetta (for event information ,Tel. 075 8780737)
The “lands of Il Perugino” and southern Umbria’s small treasures
From Città della Pieve to Perugia and Assisi, and on to the small towns of Spello, Bevagna
and Montecastello di Vibio
Our itinerary starts in Assisi which dominates a large part of the Umbrian valley from its high location. Founded in Roman times with some important elements from the Middle Ages, but famous above all as a Franciscan town. It is easy to get around on foot so leave your car in one of the car parks around the city (there is one right next to the Basilica). You can see Ghiotto’s frescoes in the famous Basilica of San Francesco (Visits - From Easter to November: 6.30am-7pm, Sundays and public holidays: until 7.30pm, the rest of the year: 6.30am-.6pm, excluding Sunday morning and public holidays), one of the most important Christian sanctuaries. It is possible to visit the Lower Church, Upper Church, Treasury Museum and Perkins Collection (9am-12am and 2pm-5-30pm from April to October). From the upper square outside the Basilica you can reach the Sacred Convent and then head along Via S. Francesco. At number 10 you can find the Municipal Picture Gallery (Visits - mid March-mid October: 10am-1pm and 3pm-7pm, rest of the year: 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm) with valuable paintings from the 13th century. After this you come to Piazza del Comune where you can see Palazzo dei Priori, now the Town Hall, and a little further on the Duomo dedicated to the patron saint – St. Rufino.
visit (Visits – April-May: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6.30pm, June-August: 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm, September-March 10am-1pm and 3.30pm-6pm). You can buy some typical products such as deli meats, wine and oil at the Azienda Agricola Cuore Verde (Via Cavour 57 Tel. 0742 652346) while Cianetti (Via Garibaldi 17) is specialised in the production and sale of oil. Continuing along the same road, we reach Bevagna, a charming medieval town which is worth visiting for its perfect state of conservation that reaches an all time high in the main square. This is the ideal spot to stop off for a wine break at the Enoteca in Piazza Onofri where you can find a list featuring over 400 wines accompanied by tasty meat dishes. But the real wine city in this area is Montefalco, home to Sagrantino DOCG and rich in atmosphere and art. Along the road you can come across many signs bearing a large number of local wine producers’ names. We will limit ourselves to mentioning just a few of the better known ones: Antonelli in San Marco (Tel. 074 2379158); Agraria Scacciadiavoli in Cantinone (Tel. 0742378272) and Val di Maggio in Torre (Tel. 074378802).
