A city of Etruscan origin, Perugia was flourished in Roman times when its was known by the name of Augusta Perusia. After the fall of the Empire, the city fell victim to the barbarian invasions and was almost completely destroyed by the Goti in 547 A.D. Under Byzantine rule, it became one of the most powerful strongholds against the expansion of the Lombard Dukedom of Spoleto. Perugia maintained its Byzantine identity until the 8th century when it passed under the power papal state. The city remained faithful to the Roman Catholic Church until the 14th century when Perugian forces devastated Foligno, at the time one of the Pope’s most important allies. From that moments onwards, the history of Perugia recalls a continuous string of battles until the arrival of Pope Paul III in 1531 when the Church definitively regained its hold on the city. From that moments Perugia was denied any autonomy and each and every attempt to rebel against the Pontifice where violently quenched. In 1860 Perugia became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Gubbio and surroundings
From a distance, the medieval city of Gubbio appears as if sculpted in to the mountain face from where it gazes out over the plain below.
Numerous the buildings which have survived so as to bear testimony to the history of this great Umbrian city: the basilica of San Ubaldo clinging to the slopes of Monte Ingino above the historic center; further down, the old perimeter wall to the north; the hermitages of S.Girolamo and San Ambrogio. In the low valley, as the bird flies to the North, lie the impressive cement works, important expression of industrial activity in an area the economy of which still relies heavily on agriculture.
Here, in the low plain, the modern city of Gubbio has developed, lying at the feet of the historic center. Looming on the horizon, the barren peaks of Monte Cucco and Monte Catria indicate the territory where Umbria ends and the Marche region begins.
Assisi
and Foligno
The city of Assisi rests on a series of terraces buily on the soft green slope of Monte Subasio dominating the high Umbrian valley between Topino and Chiasco. The view of the city is particularly impressive when seen from the old cobbled street which leads from the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli to the Church of San Pietro.
As the sun sets the pink stone of Subasio, material used in the majority of the buildings in the historic center, takes on a warm amber tone, so that the whole city is bathed in a charming yellow light. Equally enchanting is the surrounding countryside, scattered with numerous sites of worship all dedicated to Saint Francis, religious figure to whom Assisi is inexorably linked.
Casentino
The tour comprises visits to the Verna Franciscan Sanctuary, the Camaldoli hermitage, and the castles of Romena and Poppi.
in Siena
