Umbria

I started hearing about Umbria a few years ago as a place that was still a bit unspoiled by tourism and well worth the visit. I new very little about this region of Italy and was only aware that it bordered Tuscany to the southeast. Once we arrived in Florence last August and began making friends, a common question we would be asked was “Have you been to Umbria? You must go, it’s so beautiful.” Umbria soon soared to high on our list of places we wanted to visit. The region itself is smaller than Tuscany but boasts some pretty well known cities, with Perugia (Famous all over the world for its chocolates “Perugina”), Assisi (Known all over the world for its favorite son Saint Frances) and Orvieto (Known for its great white wines).

When the Switzerland thing came to a halt, we decided that if the kids recovered in time that we would take a few days and head to Umbria. It’s not often that we venture on a vacation of any kind without a reservation but traveling in the winter in Italy is tailor made for this type of exploration as the crowds are non-existent and the accommodations are very affordable. As we made our way into Umbria the landscape changed quite a bit from that of the Tuscan countryside, which is checkered with rolling hills, cypress trees and olive orchards. Umbria’s terrain is a bit flatter and seems to be very well suited for the growing of fruits and vegetables, but has nothing to apologize for in the way of beauty. In fact its drop dead gorgeous and very much what was described by many in the way of being more pure and less overwhelmed by tourists. The largest city in Umbria is Perugia, which we bypassed for no particular reason (You simply have to pick and choose your battles in Italy as there are more places to see than one can ever visit even in a year of living here.) We ended up landing in a little known town (I have still yet to find a Florentine who knows of this place) called Bevagna. This charming little walled city of no more than two thousand people boasts ancient Roman ruins including an old Roman Theatre which is owned by the hotel that we stayed in and has been converted to a restaurant. Imagine having dinner in what is now a two thousand year old underground dwelling dating back to Roman times! It was really cool. In fact all the meals that we had in Umbria were off the charts good. What shock I know!

Assisi – Assisi is a very famous city known throughout the world for its beloved Saint Francis. Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Italy and those of Catholic faith pilgrimage to Assisi every year to pay homage to the founder of the Order of Friar Monks (Hence the term Franciscan). Never have I visited a place that is more dedicated to any one individual as Assisi is to Saint Francis, nor have I in all of my travels throughout Italy visited a more beautiful village than Assisi! The village itself is set on a huge hilltop overlooking the Umbrian countryside, giving the feeling that you are on top of the world. Like many other Italian villages it is encompassed by walls, however what makes Assisi unique in appearance is the stones that were used to build the entire city. Unlike many Tuscan towns the stones used to build Assisi are much smaller bricks and moreover are either a pale pink or white in color, giving the city a tranquil and pristine feel.

Following a long stroll through the winding and hilly narrow streets we came upon one of Italy’s most famous churches, Basilico Di San Francisco. The ancient church is actually two churches (One on top of the other) and the bottom church boasts the underground tomb of Saint Francis. For those unfamiliar with Saint Frances of Assisi, he was the son of a wealthy textile family in the 12th Century and denounced all worldly possessions one day when he was spoken to by God. He dedicated his life to helping people and lived a life of poverty. To use the term loved would be inappropriate when describing Assisi’s feelings toward Saint Francis, adored would be more accurate!

When you visit the Tomb of Saint Francis, you must enter the bottom church and then descend down numerous stairs to what is one of the most spiritual places that I have ever been. The shrine is lit entirely by candles and the stone walls that are below ground provide for a chilly feel, especially on a cold winter day. I cant quite pinpoint what was so spiritual about this underground shrine, but the feeling that I had when in quiet admiration is one that I will never forget.

Orvieto – Following another night in Bevagna, we ventured further South in Umbria to the city of Orvieto, another unique and amazing walled village that sits high up on a hilltop overlooking the Umbrian landscape. The great distinction regarding Orvieto is that the entire city is built on yellow volcanic rock, giving the buildings and walls a beautiful yellowish appearance. Orvieto’s main church is particularly beautiful and boats some wonderful frescos inside.

The most interesting thing about Orvieto is the soil that it is built upon. The volcanic rock is porous to the touch and when you run your hands down the sides of the buildings and walls that surround the city, tiny particles crumble in your hands! Additionally due to its porous nature the city itself has beneath it hundreds of secret caves, giving the city a very mysterious feel to it. The highlight of Orvieto for us was Saint Patrick Well, which was completed in 1537 to accommodate the arrival of Pope Clement the II who took refuge in Orvieto. The well is 62 meters deep and inside has two “Double Helex” stairwells that were built to accommodate donkeys for the transportation of fresh water for the Pope. The two staircases allow for one to walk down the well in a complete spiral (247 steps) and then back up never retracing a step along the way! The temperature drop from the top of the well to its bottom (Where water still exists) was nearly 20 degrees and the views back up to the surface were breathtaking. Trey and Olivia in particular really loved the experience of descending that far underground.

Even though it would have been great to experience the snow and mountains of Switzerland, our trip to Umbria proved to be a great backup plan for the kids time out of school.