 |
|
|
| Italy - Rome - Venice - Car Hire - News - San Marino - France - Switzerland - Austria - Slovenia - Croatia - Bosnia & H. - Montenegro - Albania - Greece - Malta - more - City Travel | ||
Regions Italy : Umbria - Hotels Umbria | |
|
When we think of Umbria we think of the Italian word ombra. Shadow. One of Italy's smallest regions, Umbria lies in the shadow of its more illustrious neighbor, Tuscany. The many Umbrian hills and mountains cast long dark shadows over river valleys which are already darkened by lush chestnut groves and elm forests. This landlocked region's overwhelmingly medieval character harkens one back to the mysticism and mysteries of the Dark Ages. In so many ways, Umbria has lain in the shadows for centuries. The very identity of its original inhabitants, the Umbrians, is so clouded that we still have no clear understanding of the meaning of their name. Perhaps self-imposed modesty is an inbred trait here. That would explain the relative obscurity of this beautiful region, a land whose rolling hills are dotted with castles, fortresses and watchtowers, whose well-preserved hill towns produce world-renowned handmade ceramics, whose many monasteries were founded by a host of local saints, whose valleys are laced with countless gleaming rivers and host Italy's largest lake. In Umbria, halfway up the slopes of Monte Fumaiolo, a trickle seeps out of the ground and wanders southward, gaining breadth and notoriety to become Rome's mighty Tiber. Any traveler who goes from Florence to Rome by land passes through the Tiber Valley, whose Umbrian locales include such towns as Assisi, Spoleto and Orvieto. 5-Day Best of Italy Trip Take your time with five days to explore the best of Italy! After a taste of Italy's capital, venture north of Rome and navigate your way through Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padua, and Venice. Your journey will take you away from modern highways and ... Palazzo Seneca Norcia Palazzo Seneca offers modern, elegant accommodation in an antique palace located 50 metres from the main square in Norcia?s historic centre, right by the enchanting National Park of Monti Sibillini. The palace that houses Palazzo Seneca was ... Private Tour: Perugia and Assisi Discover all that the green Umbria region and its eternal cities have to offer on this private day tour from Florence. Accompanied by your own private guide, enjoy personalized attention as you travel in style through Perugia. Admire the Maggiore ... More Italy News | |
 | |
 Perugia - Perugia dominates the Tiber Valley from a high, irregular and rough hill: the particular feature of the land has generated a wide variety of urbanistic situations, giving the town a very special aspect.
The rich artistic and cultural patrimony and the natural environment make Perugia an unique city of major importance, and this from the beginning of its history.Admire the Maggiore Fountain, the gothic Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Town Hall within Palazzo dei Priori. Hotels Perugia - Last Minute Hotels Perugia
| |
GastronomyUMBRIA is known as "the green heart" of Italy. Its best known wine, Orvieto, is great with fish. Black truffles are a specialty – order spaghetti alla spoletina to sample. Other specialties are paglia e fieno (pasta with prosciutto and cream), oxtail in red wine and crumbed trout. Perugia and Terni are the major towns here. In the Marches, on the Adriatic Coast, squid, lobster, sausage and cured pork are specialties and the local wine is verdicchio. |
Assisi - Assisi, famous all over the world for being the native town of St Francis. Visit the Basilica of St Francis. Choose to explore the interior of the Basilica and listen to commentary about the frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue, via hired ear phones. You can also visit the Basilica of Santa Chiara, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and other important places.
Norcia - Pastoral northern Umbria, with its dulcet coronet of hill towns (Assisi, Orvieto, Todi, Perugia et al) is well known. The south of the region, while far less visited, is scenically far more spectacular, dominated by the steep valley of the Nera and the national park-protected Sibillini mountains, which rise more than 8,000ft. Norcia is the region's obvious base, with road access to the Piano Grande, a vast upland plain and one of the area's most striking natural features. The town has history aplenty and serves as a base for Spoleto, Spello, Montefalco and the hill towns of central Umbria. It is also a little relic of the Italy of old, set in a Fifties time warp, with the added bonus of being one of Italy's key gastronomic centres. Many of the country's black truffles come from the area and the town has long been known for its ham, salami and wild boar, plus tiny, sweet Castelluccio lentils from the Piano Grande.