Hill Towns of Umbria

PERUGIA will be our base for the tour, where visits will include the following:

• DUOMO – one of the highlights is a pillar in the nave holding a Renaissance painting of the Madonna delle Grazie by Gian Nicola di Paolo.
• ROCCA PAOLINA – explore the medieval underground city which lies beneath the remains of this grandiose 16th century Renaissance fortress.
• FONTANA MAGGIORE – one of the most beautiful 13th century fountains in the whole of Italy.
• COLLEGIO DEL CAMBIO (Exchange Guild) – comprising three ornate rooms: the Sala dei Legisti, the Sala dell’Udienza, and the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista.
• NATIONAL GALLERY OF UMBRIA – housed in the great City Hall, the Palazzo dei Priori is one of the finest examples of Gothic communal architecture and contains a collection of the region’s finest paintings. The majority of the collection includes paintings by local artists that span the 13th and 18th centuries and highlights include altarpieces by Piero della Francesca and Fra Angelico.
• ORATORIO DI SAN BERNARDINO – boasting a vibrant restored marble façade, covered with bas-reliefs and sculptures of angels and saints by Agostino di Duccio from Florence.
• CHAPEL OF SAN SEVERO – the 14th century chapel of San Severo features a fresco painted by both Raphael and Perugino. Raphael painted the upper section between 1505 and 1508, depicting the Holy Trinity, and Perugino added the lower part in 1521.

Outside of Perugia, visits will include:

• SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI – located in the foothills of Assisi. The basilica is easily recognised by its magnificent Alessi dome, and the building encloses the small church of the Porziuncola, which St Francis is said to have lovingly restored, and also the Cappella del Transito, where St Francis died on 03 October 1226.  The site draws crowds of pilgrims every year.
• ASSISI – a walking tour will include a visit to the Basilica di San Francesco to view the restored frescoes of the Life of St Francis. The Basilica was built at the birthplace of St Francis (1182-1226) and is one of the important sites of Christianity in Italy.  Completed in 1253, the crypt was not added until 1818 when the tomb of St Francis was opened. The lower church is where the saint is buried, and it has frescoes by Giunta Pisano, Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, and Andrea da Bologna. The upper church has frescoes representing stories of the life of St Francis by Giotto and his followers, as well as wall paintings of Old and New Testament scenes by Cimabue, Pietro Cavallini, and Jacopo Torriti.
• SPOLETO – described by Shelley as “the most romantic city” he ever saw. Visits will include the Ponte delle Torri (‘Bridge of Towers’), a gigantic aqueduct and marvel of medieval architecture, the Rocca Albornoz, an imposing 14th century fortress and the 12th century Romanesque Duomo, housing a wonderful collection of religious art the highlight of which are the frescoes in the apse by Filippo Lippi, who is also buried in the church.
• SPELLO – a beautiful little walled town with its wonderful Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The chapel dedicated to the Baglioni family, one of Perugia’s most powerful dynasties, boasts frescoed scenes from the New Testament by Pinturrichio.
• BEVAGNA – where St Francis preached to the birds. This picturesque town centres around the beautiful medieval central Piazza Silvestri and features two fine Romanesque churches by Maestro Binello, San Silvestro and San Michele.