The Treasures of Umbria

You will be enchanted by beautiful Lake Trasimeno, surrounded by green, thickly growing rushes and by the hills covered with olive groves, by the harmonious buildings of the spiritually powerful, tranquil city of Assisi. Crossing the borders of Tuscany, the first town we meet is Passignano sul Trasimeno, a small medieval walled town, dominated by an impressive fortress. It is a well-known tourist resort in a spectacular position, from which one can look out onto the enchanting lake and the islands. 

One then proceeds through rolling hilly countryside until one reaches the ancient hill-top city of Perugia. Evidence of its Etruscan origins is preserved in the travertine walls and in the well, in the centre of the town. Perugia is one of the most loved Italian artistic sites, with a beautiful square in which you can admire superb architectural jewels like the magnificent Palazzo dei Priori (1293-1443) and the splendid Cathedral (1345) placed beside the Loggia (1423), and one of the greatest sculptural masterpieces (13th century) in Perugia, the elegant Fontana Maggiore (1275).

Leaving Perugia, we proceed towards the breathtakingly lovely places where the patron saint of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi (1181- 1226) lived, worked and died. On a plateau at the foot of Mount Subasio, the hill on which Assisi is situated, we come first to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built around the famous little church of the "Porziuncola", where Saint Francis acknowledged his vocation and founded the Order of the Friars Minor. In this place Saint Clare also began her monastic life. Here you can also see the rose without thorns, which only grows in this magic place and which, according to a legend, originated from the contact of the Saint with a thorny bush.

After the lunch break we drive to the centre of Assisi where you will meet an expert local Guide who will accompany you on an exciting visit to the civil and religious artistic sites of the town: the splendid Gothic Basilica dedicated to St. Clare (1257), with its pink and white stone bands, the Renaissance Chiesa Nuova with its elegant Dome and the Roman temple of Minerva of which the first century AD façade is still extant, the 14th century Monte Frumentario and finally the famous and beautiful Basilica of St. Francis’, a UNESCO heritage site, built in the pinkish white stone from Mount Subasio.

The wonderful frescoed cycles by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini and Lorenzetti adorn the walls of the Basilica. The serene, joyful atmosphere of Assisi explains why it has been chosen as the symbol of Peace by the representatives of the world’s main religions.

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