Page 355 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italy

CENTR AL IT AL Y  353

UMBRIA

Long dismissed as Tuscany’s “gentler sister”, Umbria
has finally emerged from the shadow of its more
famous western neighbour. Forming an expanse of
gentle pastoral countryside and high mountain
wilderness, the picturesque region has been dubbed the
“Green Heart of Italy”. Umbria is also well known for the
beauty and profusion of its medieval hill-towns.

The region was inhabited in the 8th Italy’s oldest churches. Assisi, the birthplace
century BC by the Umbrians, a peace able of St Francis, contains the Basilica di San
farming tribe, and later colonized by the Francesco, frescoed in part by Giotto. At
Etruscans and Romans. In the Middle Ages, Orvieto, magnificently situated on its
the Lombards established a dukedom volcanic crag, there are Etruscan remains
centred around Spoleto. By the 13th and one of Italy’s finest Romanesque-
century much of the region was scattered Gothic cathedrals.
with independent city-states, most of them Umbria’s oak woods, ice-clear streams and
eventually absorbed by the Papal States, rich soils yield many delicacies. Chief among
where they remained until Italian unifica- these are trout and truffles, olive oils to rival
tion in 1860. those of Tuscany, prized lentils from
Today the old towns are Umbria’s chief Castelluccio, cured meats from Norcia and
glory. In Perugia, the region’s capital, and the tangy mountain cheeses. A variety of well-
smaller centres of Gubbio, Montefalco and regarded wines are produced from the
Todi, there are numerous Romanesque vineyards of Torgiano and Montefalco.
churches, civic palaces, vivid fresco cycles Sadly, this beautiful area is also frequently
and endless medieval nooks and crannies. hit by earthquakes (such as the devastating
Spoleto, renowned for its summer arts tremors of November 2016, for example),
festival, blends grandiose medieval monu- which cause consider able damage to its
ments with Roman remains and some of many artistic monu ments.

A shop in Norcia selling a selection of Italy’s finest hams, sausages and salamis
The Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio, as seen from the Palazzo Ducale’s hanging gardens

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