Orvieto is probably Umbria's most peculiar town, built high up on a vulcanic rock of tufa-stone. It was founded by the Etruscans more than 2700 years ago. In the heart of the medieval town is one of Italy's most astonishing gothic churches, the Cathedral. Among the precious paintings inside, the frescocycle in chapel of San Brizio is a masterpiece by the renaissance masters Beato Angelico Luca Signorelli. Also famous the incredible Saint Patricks well (Pozzo di San Patrizio) 16th century. The streets, the noble and public palaces, the ancient houses, all built in tufa stone, give Orvieto an original and unique atmosphere.

Deruta The local clay was good for ceramics, whose production began in the Early Middle Ages, but found its artistic peak in the 15th and early 16th century, with highly characteristic local styles, such as the "Bella Donna" plates with conventional portraits of beauties, whose names appear on fluttering banderoles with flattering inscriptions. The lack of fuel enforced low firing temperatures, but from the beginning of the 16th century, Deruta compensated with its metallic lustre glazes in golds and ruby red. In the 16th century Deruta produced the so-called "Rafaellesque" ware, decorated with fine arabesques and grottesche on a fine white ground.

Spoleto, ancient Umbrian settlement, became an important Roman colony and later capital of the Longobard Duchy. Its many monuments range from archaeological remains to sublime examples of medieval and renaissance art. Walking through the narrow streets you will find yourself suddenly in front of the breathtaking view on the Cathedral, a most complex building with magnificent frescoes by Filippo Lippi (15th century) in the apse. Further uphill, the Ponte delle Torri, imposing masterpiece of medieval engineering and the elegant and majestic Rocca Albornoz, papal fortress and magnificent example of military architecture of the 14th century

Clitunno Park It is a stretch of water with a perimeter of approximately 400 meters for a total surface area of almost ten thousand square meters. In this small lake numerous vegetal species contribute to provide to the Fonti del Clitunno with the features they are most renown for. The musk, the phanerogams, the horsetails, the water plantains, the crispy brosca, the pond waterstar worts, the water forget-me-nots, and the nasturtium, also called watercress are some of the plants living inside the small lake. The trees surrounding the shores characterize the environment, first of all the Lombardy poplars, which during the summer time cover themselves with dense foliage. Then, the weeping willows trees, whose diffusion has been attributed to a 40's fashion during the 19th century in Paris since it is said it was the tree providing shade for the grave of Napoleon in Saint Helena.

Perugia The capital of Umbria was founded by the Etruscans in the VII century b.C. The historical centre is one of the largest and interesting in Italy. From the ancient Etruscan remains to the Middle-Ages, from Renaissance to Baroque, every period produced absolute masterpieces. This beautiful town will surprise and charm every visitor with unexpected sites and views. Piazza IV Novembre is the heart of Perugia. It's a large, open square where locals and visitors congregate. In the center is a beautiful fountain, the Fontana Maggiore, surrounded by the Duomo (said to hold the Virgen's wedding ring), the Palazzo dei Priori, and medieval buildings with shops and bars. The Fontana Maggiore, made of pink and white stone, is decorated with intricately carved panels showing the months of the year, astrological signs, Aesop's fables, mythical monsters, and more. The Palazzo dei Priori, where the town councilors used to meet, has some beautiful 13th century frescoes and wooden furniture. It houses the National Art Gallery of Umbria and three other museums. The Corso Vannucci is the main pedestrian street and is lined with elegant shops, bars, and eating places. The Rocca Paolina is a fortress built by Pope Paul III over the houses and buildings he destroyed. You can wander through the underground remains of the streets and houses. There are also art exhibits held in the building. Etruscan remains include the 3rd century BC Etruscan well, the Etruscan Arch (one of the city gates), and remains of the massive Etruscan wall around the city. There are also remains of the Roman wall and Roman city gates and the Tempio di Sant'Angelo, a 5h century Roman temple.

Perugina chocolate factory a large, white-roofed factory building in the San Sisto suburb of Perugia. One of the first things you notice is the distinctive aroma surrounding the plant - it smells like someone is baking a large batch of brownies. Once inside, the smell of fresh chocolate envelops you like a warm blanket.

Spello

Built with the local pink limestone taken from Subasio mountain, Spello was anciently called "Hispellum" by the Romans. Walking through the medieval piazzas, the Roman arches, and the narrow streets overlooking the Umbrian Valley, it is possible to take in one of the most splendid Renaissance fresco cycles in Umbria, painted by Pinturicchio, kept in the Romanesque Collegiata of St. Mary the Major. The frescoes cycle was commissioned by the Baglioni family in the 16th century and was soon recognized as one of the most impressive works of art made by Pintoricchio.

Assisi

Home-town of Saint Francis, peacefully set on the slopes of the Subasio Mountain, Assisi is famous all over the Christian world. The Basilica of Saint Francis is one of Europe's most important sanctuaries and undoubtedly the cultural highlight of the entire region. We will show you the most important monuments, the roman remains, the charming intact medieval town, surprising views and the town's hidden treasures.

Gubbio the Festival of the Ceri

It is not easy to "tell the story" of the Festival of the Ceri. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest Italian folklore display. The festival has always played a fundamental role in the heart of the Eugubina community. An in-depth study of the festival's origins and numerous meanings is something that we are happy to leave to scholars. Its origins are obscure, it is enough to know that there are two basic hypotheses: one religious and one pagan. The first, which is well-documented and set, out sees the festival as a solemn act of devotion on the part of the Eugubini towards their Bishop Ubaldo Baldassini which started in 1160, the year of his death. Since then, every 15th May, the eve of the day of mourning, the devotional offering to the patron Saint is a fixed appointment for the people of Gubbio who are said to have taken part in a great mystical procession, carrying candles all around the town and up Mount Ingino (where since 11th September 1194 the body of Saint Ubaldo lies, in the church which bears his name). Certainly, the Eugubini dearly loved their important townsman, especially from 1154 onwards, when Gubbio conquered no less than 11 allied cities. The victory seemed miraculous, and was also thanks to the intervention of Bishop Baldassini. The wax candles, offered by the Arts and Crafts corporations, probably became difficult to transport with the passing of time, and towards the end of the 16th century were substituted by three wooden structures, which were agile and modern. They have been replaced a number of times. They have kept their original form up until today and on the same date; they follow the same route to the same place. The second theory, which is more suspect and hypothetical, sees the festival as being a continuation of a pagan festival in honour of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, reaching us after having come through the glory of communes, renaissance power, papal domination and the battles of the Risorgimento.

Cantina Caprai

The Company estate extends for about 150 hectares (370 acres) 136 of which (about 220 acres) are currently in production. The vineyards are located in the area of Montefalco, Gualdo Cattaneo and Bevagna, and it is part of the production zone of the DOC Montefalco and DOC Colli Martani as well as the DOCG Sagrantino di Montefalco. The vines are exposed to a continental climate featuring warm summers and potentially dry and cold winters with occasionally some snow.

Bavegna

Cut off from the industrial development in the region, Bevagna has preserved virtually intact its medieval urban structure, which for the most part follows the plan of the ancient Roman town. This pure solitude has made it a tangible symbol of a city on a human scale. One need only go to Piazza Silvestri, sublime in its irregularity, to understand how harmony can be created from an apparent chaos of styles, histories, and periods mixed together. This is one of the most magnificent piazzas in Italy. It is the square of sleeping memories, because the perennial changing of powers, which still confront each other here with their symbols, seems to subside in the supreme synthesis of beauty.

Market of the Gaite is a re-enactment of daily life of the commune among 1250 and 1350. With the term Gaite or Guaite the four districts (St. George, St. Giovanni, St. Pietro and Saint Maria) is pointed out in which was anciently separated Bevagna. But it is not only a party, is also a competition: the Gaite, in these ten days, organize their own markets independently, competing with each other in four challenges (competition of the market, competition of the professions, gastronomic competition, competitive sport-shooting with the bow) to win a prize, the palio of victory, which goes to the district who plays more closely the role it plays in the Middle Ages. The city in the days of the feast becomes animated some noises of the shops, and anywhere taverns they are prepared whether to taste local products. In these ten days Bevagna blends modern with the medieval and its inhabitants, abandoned their daily dresses, fabrics and materials of nobles, peasants, lawyers and craftsmen wear, reviving the traditional activities of their ancestors.

Tuoro sul Trasimeno

Tuoro lies at the feet of a hill called Mariottella. It is one of the lakeshore's villages and was the site of a very important battle. Tuoro lies at the feet of a hill called Mariottella. It is one of the lakeshore's villages and was the site of a very important battle, the Battle of Trasimeno, that pitted Hannibal against the Romans, leaving tens of thousands of soldiers dead on the battle field. Twelve informational boards mark the most important events of the battle in several languages. Campo del Sole is an architectural collection of sculptures created from "pietra serena", a typical local stone, situated at Punta Navaccia, at Lido di Tuoro. Numerous artists, such as the great sculptor Pietro Cascella and art critic Enrico Crispolti, contributed to the work in the course of five years from 1985 to 1989. The exhibit is in the form of a largespiral marked by 27 sculpted columns leading to a central table surmounted by a solar symbol.

Isola Maggiore

It is the only island with a fulltime population in a village that still retains its 15th century fishing village architecture. Located on the lake near the shore of Tuoro sul Trasimeno it is the only island with a fulltime population in a village that still retains its 15th century fishing village architecture. In 1213, Saint Francis of Assisi went there on retreat for the Lent fast, and one can still visit the chapel that marks the place where he stepped off the boat after having crossed the water during a storm and kneeled down in thankful prayer. The tradition of Irish lace-making on the island is one of its points of pride and is still practiced by many women as they sit on their doorsteps and watch their quiet world stroll by. Museo del Merletto Lacemaking is still a tradition on the Isola Maggiore and the museum dedicated to it includes some of the finest pieces to emerge from this long standing tradition. In the early 20th century the Marchesa Elena Guglielmi, whose staff included servants from Ireland, founded the Irish lace and embroidery laboratory on the Isola Maggiore of Lake Trasimene. Today the Museo del Merletto houses a collection of some of the finest pieces made over the decades by local lacemakers.

Castiglione del Lago

Set on a promontory overlooking the Lake Trasimeno, Castiglione del Lago still keeps its original 13th century medieval structure with its well preserved city walls and fortress built by the German emperor Frederick II. Its main attraction is the famous Della Corgna Palace, a 16th century building planned by Gian Galeazzo Alessi and frescoed by Niccolò Circignani (known as "il Pomarancio"), which is linked to the medieval Fortress (known as the Lion Fortress) by a corridor. From the fortress, you will enjoy one of the most astonishing views of Lake Trasimeno.

Trasimeno Music Festival

The festival venue is the Castle of the Knights of Malta in Magione, with its stunning 15th-century courtyard. The festival brings together musicians and music-lovers from all over the world for a week, artists making music in an intimate and inspiring setting. It is the opportunity to experience a different concert every night while at the same time becoming familiar with the beauties of Umbria.

Città di Castello is the main town in northern Umbria. During the XV and XVI centuries, the ruling Vitelli family gave an elegant character to its historical centre by building several Renaissance mansions and commissioning important artworks by famous artists. The many museums contain a surpisingly rich artistic activity and we advise to visit at least one of these. Home town of Alberto Burri, one of Italy's most famous contemporary artists, Città di Castello remembers his production in two museums dedicated to and set up by the artist himself.

The Old Tobacco Dryhouses The industrial complex opened between the end of the 50's and the mid 60's of the XXth century. It was used for the exsiccation of tropical tobacco that was produced in a special field and which quickly spread covering vast sections of the valley in white gauze. Proper warm and humid conditions were so reproduced to enable the plants to grow; it was a different kind of farming for which unique architectural structures were built, and have now been saved from certain destruction by its present destination. The establishment served many other purposes while operative. In 1966, after the flooding of Florence, a disastrous event that caused the loss of essential documents on the history of European civilisation, the Fattoria Autonoma Tabacchi had the chance to demonstrate its commitment to cultural values not confined to the local area. It thus offered its facilities and personnel in the drying up process of the precious Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale's damaged books, the paperwork of the Civil and Criminal Court and "La Nazione" publishing society. With the aid of specialised personnel, thousands of books were saved; a delicate operation that was made possible thanks to the professional experience of the workers. An exceptional job since it was carried out in a short period of time in comparison to the incredible size of the dryhouses. In the 70's the cultivation, which was no longer profitable, ceased and with it the use of the dryhouses. In 1978 the owning company granted free use of one of the sheds to the Artist. In 1979 the shed was used to open the first vast pictorial cycle to the public and critics. It was called "Il Viaggio". The purchase of the whole complex by part of the Palazzo Albizzini Foundation, made possible in 1989, started the primary project for restoration and convertion into a museum. The use of such unique buildings allowed equally unique paintings to be exposed, unique even in their size. It is a further gift from the painter to his hometown, a cheerful meeting point of ancient cultures that during the course of time produced distinctive evidence of a great civilisation. The exposition space inaugurated in July 1990 houses 128 works created between 1970 and 1993, including pictorical cycles and monumental sculptures, which can also be found on the lawn outside. The "cycles" start at the end of the 70's: not single works but sets of inseparable works. All of the cycles (Il Viaggio, Orsanmichele, Sestante, Rosso e Nero, Annottarsi, Non Ama il Nero etc.) now permanently exposed in the former dryhouses, were initially created for specifically chosen spaces among many suggested.