As soon as you pick up your rental car at Sicily by Car offices in Perugia airport, a range of extraordinary options will open for you to discover this incredible region famous
as Italy's green lung.
The vast green spaces, and the beautiful nature that surrounds the ancient hamlets and mediaeval villages are an integral part of these places full of charm, vibrant history,
and traditions like few others.
Umbria: a leap into history to discover our origin
In order to suggest what to visit once in Umbria, we thought we would take Perugia, its capital, as the ideal centre of a circle and start a journey clockwise along its circumference.
Umbertide and Gubbio
Let's start then from the North with Umbertide, a small village in the upper valley of the Tiber River, surrounded by mediaeval walls, and seemingly suspended in time with its fortress, an imposing mediaeval fortress, and the church of Santa Croce where you can admire an absolute masterpiece such as the Deposition from the Cross by
Luca Signorelli.
Head east to Gubbio, a town famous not only for the renowned wolf tamed by Saint Francis, but also for the perfect urban preservation of its mediaeval layout: churches, towers,
entire districts still portrait of an ancient era. Don't miss Piazza Grande, one of the largest hanging squares existing, a unique jewel from which to dominate
an enchanting panorama.
Assisi
Now drive towards the most sacred place in Italy, home of its patron saint, Saint Francis, and head straight to Assisi, a beautiful place of prayer but also a place of incomparable
artistic beauty.
The Basilica of San Francesco dominates the hill on which this incredible village stands, summoning with powerful evocative force, a legendary and sacred past.
The interior of the church is an ode to mediaeval art, with its 794 years of history and frescoes attributed to Giotto, Simone Martini and Cimabue.
Going down into the crypt, or lower church, you will meet the sarcophagus of the Saint, spouse of Madonna Poverty, who rests in the simple stone. While getting lost in the enchanting
alleys and streets you must definitely visit the Basilica of Santa Chiara and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli within which is the Porziuncola, a small church
where Saint Francis composed the Canticle of the Creatures.
Assisi
Now drive towards the most sacred place in Italy, home of its patron saint, Saint Francis, and head straight to Assisi, a beautiful place of prayer but also a place of incomparable
artistic beauty.
The Basilica of San Francesco dominates the hill on which this incredible village stands, summoning with powerful evocative force, a legendary and sacred past.
The interior of the church is an ode to mediaeval art, with its 794 years of history and frescoes attributed to Giotto, Simone Martini and Cimabue.
Going down into the crypt, or lower church, you will meet the sarcophagus of the Saint, spouse of Madonna Poverty, who rests in the simple stone. While getting lost in the enchanting
alleys and streets you must definitely visit the Basilica of Santa Chiara and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli within which is the Porziuncola, a small church
where Saint Francis composed the Canticle of the Creatures.
Foligno
The tour continues with Foligno, a town in the middle of the Umbrian Valley crossed by the Topino River. Already a municipality during the Roman Empire, it was then annexed to the
Papal States becoming a very important transit point as evidenced by old and noble palaces such as Palazzo Trinci, the Abbey of Sassovivo, and the Cathedral of San
Feliciano.
Contemporary art for the Cosmic Magnet, a giant skeleton made in the Church SS. Trinità in Annunziata.
Spoleto e Terni
Go even further south, and you will reach the town of Spoleto, also of mediaeval origins but particularly famous for an international event that annually gathers thousands of tourists
from all over the world: the Festival of the Two Worlds, here since 1958 opera, ballet, art, and literature find their home for 17 days beginning on the last Friday of
June, to create a festival among the most important in the world.
You are very close to Terni, a city of ancient Roman origins as evidenced by the amphitheatre that is still open in the city centre, but that also offers rich testimonies of later history
from the early Middle Ages thanks to the Church of San Salvatore, or the Church of San Francesco up to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, a splendid example of
Renaissance architecture. Once in there, you can not miss the spectacular Marmore Falls, a breathtaking view with 3 jumps and a vertical drop of 165 metres!
Narni
Your mediaeval history tour continues with Narni, a village that seems to have stopped in time, crystallised in an era of fairies and wizards, among dense fog surrounding the turrets
and bell towers that inspired the famous novel of the Chronicles of Narnia. Here you can venture into the underground of the city discovering a parallel urban dimension
still intact and mysterious.
Orvieto e Todi
Continue west to discover Orvieto, a real jewel set on a rock of tuff: let yourself be seduced by the atmosphere of this extraordinary town that combines art, crafts, culture, food,
wine, and shopping.
See the Duomo, the historic buildings, and then churches and museums until you come across the Pozzo di San Patrizio, a 54 metres deep well where 248 steps will guarantee
you to access this masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.
Twin sister of nearby Orvieto is Todi, for its intact ancient beauty it could be the perfect tow for an open-air set for a film in costume: Piazza del Popolo with the Palazzo del Popolo
and the Palazzo del Capitano, the Palazzo dei Priori, the Annunziata Cathedral, and the ancient underground cisterns, not to mention the noble birthplace of the poet Jacopone da Todi still milestone of the dolce stil novo.
Castiglione del Lago
We close our tour strong with the village of Castiglione del Lago, elected among the most beautiful villages in Italy.
The Palazzo della Corgna is an imposing Renaissance residence, the ancient Rocca, and the Ducal Palace, as well as the historic centre of the village, are all enclosed
by the Trasimeno Lake creating a picturesque and holographic view.
Umbria is an immense painting that tells the life and history of Italy from the year 1000 onwards with all its evocative power: We are waiting for you in our car rental offices
in Perugia to accompany you to discover this territory that should definitely be on your bucket list of places to visit.