Back to Umbria.

Last month I spent ten days in the Umbria region. I chose Perugia and Assisi as a base for my holidays. I have already ben to these places a couple of years ago.

Perugia is the capital of the region Umbria. It is located almost halfway from Rome and Florence. Its old core is situated on a hill.

I didn' t visit any museums or churches in this city on my stay, but I visited some of these last time I was there.

The main square in Perugia is Piazza IV novembre. Here you can see part of the cathedral and part of Palazzo dei Priori.

Palazzo dei Priori was the seat where the town cuncilors used to meet. It was built between the XIII and the XV centuries. Today, part of this huge building is used as town hall.

On the third floor of this palace the Galleria Nazionale dell' Umbria is housed. It is a very rich art collection with paintings, statues and lots of other art works from the XIII to the XIX centuries.

Inside Palazzo dei Priori; on the ground floor there are also two rooms that belonged to two Medieval guilds.

Between the Palazzo dei Priori and the cathedral you see a very large fountain. This is the fontana Maggiore. It is carved with panels depicting the astrological signs, the months of the year; Aesop' s fables and mythical monsters.

This fountain was created between 1277 and 1278.

There are several view points in Perugia where you can enjoy great landscapes!

There are many narrow streets in the old core of the city to explore.

One of the places I visited as a day trip form Perugia was Castiglione del Lago.

The main street in Castiglione del Lago.

This small village is situated on a hill on the eastern shore of the lake Trasimeno. It is or Etruscan origin.

Its old core is surrounded by walls built between XII and XIII centuries with three doors.

Palazzo della Corgna is the main sight of Castiglione del Lago. This palace was built in 1560. I didn' t visit it because it was closed when I was in Castiglione. It is usually closed from 1 p. m to 3 p. m every day.

The palace is linked via a passageway to the Rocca del Leone. It is a fortress made of five towers. It was built in 1247.

Even in Castiglione del Lago you can walk along some narrow streets.

There is a small fountain in the old core of the village if you are thisty.

The lake!

I suppose the old core of Castiglione should be around one kilometer from the lake Trasimeno.

This is a staircase you have to climb to get to the old core of Castiglione. There is also a road that takes there.

I visited a village I didn' t like much; Magione.

I thought Magione was one of the villages near lake Trasimeno, but it is not. The old center of Magione is some three kilometers far from the lake.

The main sight of Magione is the castle of the knights of Malta.

A constuction already existed where the castle is situated today before 1100. It was originally a residence and a "hospitium" for the pilgrims travelling to Rome or Jerusalem. This building was managed by the Hierosolymitan knights. Towards the end of 1300 the kinights of Malta turned the "hospitium" into a castle.

The courtyard of the castle is opened to visitors. You can visit some rooms into the castle prior an appointment.

The main square in Magione is a bit uphill. There is the town hall here. It looks like a castle.

Magione is a place to spend two or three hours; maybe more if you are going there to visit the castle.

Both Castiglione del Lago and Magione are easily reachable by coach from Perugia.

I also re visited Gubbio. This town lies at the foot of mount Ingino.

There is a palace to visit in Gubbio; the Palazzo Ducale. It was built betwen 1474 and 1482 on orders by duke Federico di Montefeltro (see my
post about Urbino).

There is not much to see inside this palace, but there is a collection of paintings dated from the XIII to the XVIII century.

Gubbio was built on a hill. You have to climb a bit if you like to explore it properly. There is an lift that takes to the upper area of the town. You can see its entrance in this pic; on the left of the staircase.

This is the Palazzo dei Consoli. It stands in the main square of Gubbio; piazza Grande. This palace houses a museum.

I had a very good crescia for lunch. It is a typical local flatbread sandwich. My crescia was filled with lot of gongorzola cheese.

There is an area I like a lot in Gubbio. It is where there is the Camignano river.

There are some houses near the river. This one has a door that is shorter than me.

Another house near the river.

This is the lunatics' fountain (la fontana dei matti). If your turn around it three times in the presence of somebody who lives in Gubbio you can go to a shop and buy a lunatics' degree.

I went to Gubbio by coach from Perugia. The journey took around one hour and it was not comfortable.