Entries about umbria.

I spent some nights in Assisi; as I did a couple of years ago. I did it in order to do some day trips from Assisi and to explore the town itself.

Assisi is situated 19 kilometers (12 miles) east of Perugia. It is famous as the birthplace of saint Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order. Assisi is situated on a spur of Monte Subasio.

Assisi was also the birthplace of St. Clare, the founder of the religious order known as the Poor Clares.

A good visit to this town could start from piazza Matteotti. You can go to this square by bus from Santa Maria degli Angeli; a village situated some four kilometers from Assisi.

From piazza Matteotti walk down one of the streets to your left.

There is a good choice of shops in Assisi and especially of souvenirs shops.

There is a cake worth to try in Assisi. It is the dolce di san Francesco. It is sold in several confectioneries in this town. I had a piece of this cake at Gran Caffè in corso (avenue) Giuseppe Mazzini at N. 16.

Saint Francis basilica is undoubtly the main sight in Assisi.

The construction of this large church began two years after his death in 1228. It is made of two churches built one above the other; the lower dating from 1228 and 1230 and the upper one from 1230 to 1253.

This is the final resting place of sain Francis. He was buried in the crypt below the church.

In my opinion Assisi is a quite large town. It is not small as you can read on the web.

I did a day trip to Foligno from Assisi. This is one of the few towns in Umbria to be built on flat land.

You can go to Foligno from Assisi in around ten minutes by train.

I didn' t like much this town, but there are two beautiful sights not to miss there.The Oratory of the Nunziatella and the Trinci Palace.

An event is held in this town on june and september; every year. It is the Giostra della Quintana. It is practically a knights tournament. Ten entrants representing the ten neibourhoods of the town fight for a trophy.

In this picture you can see part of the Foligno cathedral (duomo). It is currently closed due to the latest earthquake.

The Trinci Palace was the residence of the family who ruled Foligno from 1305 to 1439.

This palace is the result of the restructuration and fusion of some buildings dating from the first half of the XIII century and the beginning of the XIV.

Inside this palace you can enjoy some rooms with frescoed walls. Moreover you can spend lots of time exploring its three museums.

Here you can visit a museum of paintings, an archeological museum and a multimedia museum of tournaments and jousts.

In this picture you can see (pope) Sisto' s IV Hall.

Here you can see part of the Liberal Arts (grammar, rhetoric, logic, philosophy...) and Planets Hall.

This is another picture taken inside the Liberal Arts and Planets Hall.

Another room you should not miss in this palace is the Giant' s Hall; also called the Imperators Hall.

Here there are many ancient Roman famous people painted on its walls; as emperor Augustus and Tiberius. These men are painted in Reinassance clothes

A very tall statue at the archaeological museum into the Trinci Palace.

A painting; part of the paintings collection at this palace.

A visit to the palace should take at lest a couple of hours. I' d recommend to buy a guide book of the palace.

The Oratory of the Nunziatella is a small church which was built in 1492. Here you can see a fresco by Perugino depicting Jesus' baptism.

Pietro Vannucci called Perugino was one of the most popular Umbrian painters of the XV century. It seems he was born between 1448 and 1450.

The oratory is situated in largo Carducci; a narrow street some meters from the main square.

The fresco by Perugino.

This is another painting (not by Perugino) you can see into the oratory.

I re visited Spello.

Spello is situated at the feet of mount Subasio; between Assisi and Foligno.

This village has some well preserved Roman monuments, such as the city gates Porta Consolare and Porta Venere,

The main sight of Spello is a large fresco by Pinturicchio. It is house in the Baglioni Chapel into Saint Maria Maggiore church. in via Cavour.

The day I visited Spello the church was closed. Luckily I had already seen the beautiful fresco.

Have a look at my old post about Spello if you like to see some pictures of this masterpiece.

The old core of this village is made of stone houses and narrow streets.

It is a pleasure to get lost in Spello. The village is not very large.

San Severino church is one of the churches in Spello. I think there are at least three churches in this village. It was built in the XII century.

Probably the main event in Spello is the Infiorata. This is a religious festival occurring on the Corpus Christi in June; every year . The main streets in Spello are decorated with flowers petals and various herbs.

I haven' t attend this event, but I hope to be able to do it one day.