(at 55min)

Assisi is situated in a panoramic position on a spur of Mount Subasio (1290 m), overlooking the plain of the mouse and Chiascio. For the magnificent monuments, the suggestive religious atmosphere that pervades it, the mystical memories of St. Francis and the grace of the landscape, it is one of the most frequented places of Christianity (in Italy, second only to the Vatican State), as well as a pilgrimage destination (the Assisi Way ends there). The main entrance to the city is through the 14th century Porta San Francesco; a little further on you reach Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco, all surrounded by a 15th century portico. At the end of the square you can admire the gothic portal of the Basilica of St. Francis, superb sanctuary of faith and art, formed by two overlapping churches. From here you can access the lower church, equipped with several richly decorated chapels; the right arm of the cross is adorned with frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue, the left one with frescoes by Pietro Lorenzetti. In the crypt below, in the room of the ancient tomb of St. Francis, consisting of four rough walls, you can see the simple stone urn containing the saint’s body. The upper church is a slender and luminous construction that contrasts with the gloomy austerity of the lower church. The walls are covered with paintings by Cimabue and, above all, the famous cycle of 28 frescoes of the Life of St. Francis by Giotto. The Piazza del Comune is the city centre, overlooked by numerous palaces and a Roman Temple of Minerva. From the square starts Via San Rufino, which leads to the Cathedral of San Rufino (XII century): the interior was completely renovated in 1571; from the left aisle you can access the Roman cistern, located at the base of the bell tower. From the outside of the cathedral you can enter the crypt: located under the building, there are remains of paintings dating back to the year 1000 and a Roman sarcophagus that served as a tomb for St. Rufino (3rd century martyr). From the cathedral you can quickly reach the top of the hill, crowned by the Rocca Maggiore, a 12th century Germanic citadel, where Frederick II of Swabia stayed for some years. Finally, it is worth going to Piazza Santa Chiara, where the church of Santa Chiara stands (1257, it has a very elegant rose with two turns of columns and arches) and to Piazza San Pietro, where there is the church of San Pietro (in Romanesque-Gothic style). From Porta Nuova you can reach on foot (15 min) the convent of San Damiano (where in 1225 St. Francis composed the Canticle of the Creatures.

From Porta Cappuccini there is a 4km road that leads to the Eremo delle Carceri (800m above sea level). The first nucleus of the hermitage was a small church surrounded by caves, in which St. Francis and his followers dedicated themselves to a life of prayer and contemplation. Walking in the forest along the so-called viale di san francesco, you reach the “natural temple of the hermitage”, beyond which the caves can be visited.

On the plain in front of Assisi is the mighty basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (1569), built to incorporate and “protect” the famous Porziuncola Chapel (where St. Francis founded the Franciscan Order in 1208); at the beginning of the Presbytery is the Chapel of the Transit (the infirmary cell where St. Francis died).

(50min from the farmhouse)

Gubbio is one of the most characteristic cities of Umbria, on the edge of a beautiful plain and at the foot of Mount Ingino, full of charm for its intact, genuine medieval appearance and noble monuments; on May 15th, the eve of Saint Ubaldo, patron saint of the city, Gubbio is the scene of the famous candles race. The artisan manufacture of ceramics thrives there. The itinerary starts from Piazza dei Quaranta Martiri, where there is the church of San Francesco, a gothic building of the 13th century with an octagonal bell tower; inside there are remarkable frescoes in the left apse of Nelli and those on the life of St. Francis in the chapel of the right apse. On the opposite side of the square there is the ancient loggia of the Tiratori dell’Arte della Lana, with a long and rustic portico. Continue to Piazza della Signoria: it opens like a balcony onto the plain below, is dominated by the bulk of the Palazzo dei Consoli and, opposite, the Palazzo Pretorio. The Palazzo dei Consoli is one of the most beautiful palaces in Italy: built in the 14th century, it is crowned by battlements and an elegant tower; the palace houses the museum and the municipal art gallery, where you can admire Roman and medieval marbles, the famous Eugubine plates (7 bronze plates with inscriptions in Umbrian and Latin characters), paintings of the Eugubine and Tuscan school. To see the Duomo, with its ogival portal and thirteenth century sculptures around the rose window of the façade. The interior has a single, wide nave with grandiose ogival arches supporting the roof, and houses a museum containing a magnificent cope of 16th century Flemish art. Not to be missed is the Ducal Palace, built in 1476 by the Montefeltro family in imitation of the one in Urbino. The exterior is of little importance, but the internal courtyard is splendid, with a portico on columns on three sides, of very elegant Renaissance forms, enhanced by the dichromy of pietra serena and brick red. The historical centre is crossed by picturesque medieval streets, all to be explored. Via dei Consoli is surrounded by houses, all ancient, of perfect ashlar masonry; in a wide street with a pretty fountain stands the valuable Palazzo del Bargello (XIII century). Via Galeotti joins the Via dei Consoli and takes place for characteristic dark and silent angiporti. Via Baldassini, also flanked by houses dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries, on which the Palazzo dei Consoli, Piazza della Signoria (supported by 4 colossal arches) and the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall) overhang with impressive effect. Of secondary interest, to visit if you have time: Via Savelli della Porta (note the elegant Renaissance portal of the Palazzo della Porta and the small church of Santa Maria Nuova, which houses the suave fresco of the Madonna del Belvedere, a masterpiece by Nelli), the church of Sant’Agostino (13th century), the church of San Pietro (inside you will find a grand organ richly carved).

Just outside the centre stands the Roman Theatre (1st century), well preserved and which looks like a miniature copy of the colosseum; not far away is the mausoleum, a Roman tomb with burial chamber covered by a barrel vault.

On the side of Mount Igino, 5km from Gubbio and 830m above sea level, stands the basilica of Sant’Ubaldo: 15th century and with 5 naves, it houses the body of the patron saint and the large candles used in the Corsa dei Ceri.

(40min from the farmhouse)

Lying on the slope of a hill in front of the plain where the Valdarno, the Casentino and the Valdichiana bloom, Arezzo is renowned for its goldsmith and textile production. The centre of the city and Piazza San Francesco, where the basilica of St. Francis is located, in Tuscan Umbrian Gothic style of Franciscan inspiration; the walls of the choir are adorned with a famous fresco by Piero della Francesca depicting the Legend of the True Cross (1453). On the right stands the parish church of Santa Maria, of the XII century, in Romanesque style; the interior has three naves with large ogival arches, in the presbytery there is a famous Polyptych executed in 1320 by Pietro Lorenzetti. Along the side of the parish church, the Via di Seteria, interesting for its row of medieval shops, leads to the scenic Piazza Grande. Immediately to the left is the fabulous Romanesque apse of the parish church, beyond which follows, preceded by a flight of steps, the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici, with its façade in Gothic style but with pleasant Renaissance elements. On the top of the square dominates the grandiose Palazzo delle Logge, designed by Vasari (1573). Every year the traditional Giostra del Saracino (Saracen Joust) takes place in Piazza Grande, a medieval re-enactment in costume during which the different districts of the old town challenge each other. In Piazza Fossombroni stands out the gothic church of San Domenico (end of the 13th century), which contains some lovely 14th and 15th century frescoes, but above all a Crucifix by Cimabue; not far away is the Casa di Giorgio Vasari, seat of the Masariano Museum and Archive. In Via San Lorentino there is Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi, with an elegant courtyard, which houses the Gallery and the Medieval and Modern Museum, where there are works by the greatest exponents of the Arezzo school of the 15th and 16th century, first of all: San Francesco di Margaritone d’Arezzo, Madonna della Misericordia by Bernardo Rossellini, Adoration of the Child by Signorelli. In Via Margaritone there is the entrance to the Roman amphitheatre, a stone and brick construction of the second century A.D., elliptical in shape with the main axis 121 metres long. On the right of the amphitheatre stands the former monastery of San Bernardo, seat of the Archaeological Maecenas Museum; to be admired in particular is the collection of coral vases, decorated in relief.

(at 50min)

A small town surrounded by walls and characteristic for the 14th and 15th century towers on which the ancient keep stands; the structure of the village is well preserved, with its narrow streets flanked by ancient houses and palaces. In the central Piazza del Municipio there are the Logge del Vasari of the 16th century, made of sandstone with coats of arms of commissioners and podestà and a fresco of the Annunciation; in front of the loggias, there is the Palazzo Comunale (it contains the municipal picture gallery, with valuable works of art). Following the road to the right of the palace you go up to the Cassero (XII century), with a massive tower with hewn stones. At the end of Corso Italia, you reach the Porta Fiorentina, flanked by a mutilated tower, before which you climb up to the square on which the Romanesque church of San Francesco, containing a beautiful painting of St. Francis, by Margheritone d’Arezzo. On a hill parallel to that of Castiglion Fiorentino, stands the Castle of Montecchio Vesponi (XI century very suggestive the crenellated walls, 263 m long).

(at 60min)

Situated at an altitude of 500m above sea level, on a steep buttress of the Alta di San Egidio, Cortona is a large medieval village with buildings mainly made of sandstone, typical for the façades of the dwellings facing outwards and supported by characteristic wooden corbels; the ancient part of the town is enclosed by grandiose Etruscan walls dating back to the 4th century BC. The centre of the town is Piazza della Repubblica, where the Town Hall (1241, with a clock tower) stands and, opposite, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo. In Piazza Signorelli there is the Palazzo Pretorio (XII century), where the Museum of the Etruscan Academy is located; the museum houses ancient Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian remains, as well as various works by artists of the calibre of Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio and Signorelli (the latter was originally from Cortona). In Piazza del Duomo, in front of the cathedral, there is the former Church of Jesus, now the Diocesan Museum, with a valuable collection of paintings by Tuscan artists, including those by Signorelli and Pietro Lorenzetti; also worth seeing is the lower church, a room with frescoes by Doceno designed by Vasari. Via Santa Croce goes up to the hill where, in a very suggestive site, there is the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita (basic interior with three naves, there is the body of Santa Margherita, in a silver urn of 1646, and the ancient marble tomb of the saint of 1362). Just outside the walls stands the Madonna del Calcinaio, a Renaissance church of simple and harmonious elegance, surmounted by an octagonal dome covered in lead.

At 3,5 km from the town there is the Convento delle Celle, founded by Saint Francis around 1220, with a cell where the saint stayed and a small church of 1573.

(60 minutes away)

In the green heart of Umbria on horseback with Tuscany, among the reeds and the enchanting white water lily, lies Lake Trasimeno, a real natural paradise where wild ducks, cormorants, kites and kingfishers flock. Beyond the flat slope, there are gentle hills with woods alternating with sunflower and corn fields, vineyards and olive groves.

Here agriculture is very much practised and in the traditional way. There are several towns in the Lake Trasimeno area: Castiglione del Lago, Passignano, Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Magione, Panicale, Castel Rigone, some of which overlook the lake, others are not far away but are affected by the charm and attraction of this stretch of water.

(35 minutes away)

In the very name of the village, it bears the memory of the famous Michelangelo Buonarroti, who was born here on 6th March 1475. The territory is made up of a green valley, dominated by the wooded mass of the Alpe di Catenaia, called Alpe della Faggeta or, simply, Faggeto by the people of Capri, and crowned on the top by the vast and restful grassy expanse of the Prati della Regina. From this mountain rivers and streams descend very clear.

Because of its serene and secluded beauty, far from the clamour of the world, this valley has also been called “God’s little valley”. Caprese Michelangelo is not centralized in a single nucleus but the population lives scattered in various small villages and groups of houses, like in a crib. Here and there are characteristic villages, ancient stone buildings and centres of faith and spirituality scattered in the woods or meadows, such as the Eremo della Casella, the Santuario della Selva, the Abbazia di Tifi and the Pieve di San Cassiano.

There are countless itineraries that can be done in the middle of nature, both on foot and by mountain bike.

(at 75 min)

The history and artistic fortunes of Urbino are closely linked to the Montefeltro family, who had it as a feud in 1213. The most illustrious personage was Duke Frederick (1444-82), a perfect example of a Renaissance prince, who made his court a cenacle of artists and men of letters. Under him was erected the splendid Ducal Palace, the greatest monument of the city, begun in 1465, equipped with two characteristic cylindrical towers with conical points. The palace is home to the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, whose entrance leads into the magnificent porticoed courtyard on columns with beautiful capitals; the monumental staircase, decorated by Barocci, leads up to the loggia, where the beautiful inlaid doors of the various rooms that house the Gallery open. The Gallery contains first-rate works by artists of the calibre of Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Giusto di Gand, Titian, Barocci. The Cathedral, almost entirely rebuilt at the end of the 18th century in neoclassical forms, has a three-aisled interior with a dome and a beautiful crypt made up of 4 chapels. The Oratory of St. John the Baptist (dating back to the end of the 14th century) is also worth a visit, with a wooden ceiling entirely covered with valuable frescoes, and contains Brandani’s crib, a work in stucco of the finest modelling. If you have time, you can also see the church of San Francesco (dating back to the 14th century, it has a beautiful portico with wide arches and a cusped bell tower) and the house of Raffaello (where the famous artist was born and some of his minor works are preserved).

FOSSOMBRONE E LA GOLA DEL FURLO (at 90min)

Once you have finished your visit to Urbino, if you still have time, we suggest you go to Fossombrone and the nearby Furlo Gorge. Just 15min from Urbino, Fossombrone boasts a valuable historical centre adorned with Renaissance buildings such as: the Corte Bassa (ancient residence of the Dukes of Urbino), the Corte Rossa (it was the residence of Cardinal Giulio della Rovere), the Corte Alta (it houses the Vernarecci Civic Museum) and the Palazzo Pergamino (it houses the Quadreria Cesarini and the Pinacoteca Comunale). However, the greatest attraction of the area is undoubtedly the Furlo Gallery: situated in the gorge of the Candigliano river, it was dug into the rock by the Romans in 76 A.D. to allow the passage of the Via Flaminia; the passage is 39m long by 6m high.