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.
Umbria is a land of balance, its myriad facets and souls merging in a single fresco – man and nature, deep spirituality and secular pride.
ASSISI
CASTIGLIONE DEL LAGO
Castiglione del Lago has evolved on what used to be an island – the fourth island of Lake Trasimeno, in its south west region. Over the centuries, as the town grew, the flat gap between the island and the shore was filled with piazzas, houses, churches and other buildings.
Every two years, Castiglione del Lago is the host of the Coloriamo i Cieli festival. The “Colour the Skies” event is held on no fixed date in late April or May.
GUBBIO
Gubbio became very powerful in the beginning of the Middle Ages. The town sent 1000 knights to fight in the First Crusade under the lead of Girolamo Gabrielli, and according to an undocumented local tradition, they were the first to penetrate into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre when the city was seized (1099).
The historical centre of Gubbio has a decidedly medieval aspect: the town is austere in appearance because of the dark grey stone, narrow streets, and Gothic architecture. Many houses in central Gubbio date to the 14th and 15th centuries, and were originally the dwellings of wealthy merchants.
PERUGIA
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.
PASSIGNANO SUL TRASIMENO
Not very many historical buildings are left in the town, due to the destructions caused by the II the world war strafings. All that remains is in fact the church of S. Rocco ( XV century) and the one of S. Bernardino, erected only a few years later. From Passignano, the Isola Maggiore (Greater Island), on Trasimeno Lake, is reached in few minuts of boat.
SPOLETO
Spoleto, even if shows evident traces of the Roman era even in its urban structure, substantially mantains a medieval appearance, due to the period in which it was first a flourishing longobard Duchy, and then an important city within the Papal State.