Page 97 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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Umbria ART AND CULTURE

vs Tuscany

A land of atmospheric ancient towns, lingering mists, and long lunches, Umbria gazes serenely across its western
border at its Tuscan neighbor, watching as it suffocates beneath the weight of mass tourism

Flanked by Lazio, Tuscany, and the Marche, this as Perugini, Spoletani, and Assisiati. However, this
NEED TO KNOW
beautiful region has some of the finest landscapes parochialism hasn’t fostered a sense of inwardness
LOCATION Umbria is a .JMBO in Italy. But, beyond its natural charms, Umbria also as it might elsewhere in Italy, but a fervent desire
land-locked region in central
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Italy, flanked by Lazio, has a hundred towns and villages blessed with to outdo one’s neighbors. This is manifested in
Tuscany, and the Marche (FOPB outstanding works of art. Places like Trevi, Narni, ragús (meat-based sauces) that change flavor from
*5"-:
AREA 3,265 square miles and Montefalco, which anywhere else in Europe one valley to the next and towns outbidding each
(8,490 sq km) 5VTDBOZ "ESJBUJD
-F .BSDIF 4FB would be mobbed like rock stars, are left largely other to put on world-class music festivals. More
DAYTIME 1FSVHJB
TEMPERATURES 6.#3*" 4QPMFUP alone on their lofty hilltop perches. dramatically, the evidence of this proud, republican
Jan: 46°F (8°C); Apr: 52°F Then there are the region’s heavy hitters, spirit lies before you in some of the finest secular
(14°C); Jul: 77°F (25°C); 3PNF
5ZSSIFOJBO
Oct: 60°F (16°C) 4FB -B[JP prominent on the tourist itinerary. The frescoes in buildings in the world. The town halls of Perugia,
the Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi paint vivid Gubbio, Todi, and Città di Castello are all signs in
stories. The cathedral at Orvieto crowns a tufa crag, pink and gray stone of a spirit of independence
Umbria is well used to tourists. However, unlike its reflecting shafts of golden light across the valley. nurtured since the Dark Ages.
next-door neighbor Tuscany, it has not yet grown Pinturicchio and Perugino seduce with the silver- Mention Umbria to an Italian and they’ll say
weary of them. While Tuscany’s San Gimignano blue haze of their landscapes, framing Madonnas approvingly “You’ll eat well there,” a grudging mark
orders urgent measures to stop the hordes as beautiful as any in Florence, while Roman and of respect from this most parochial of nations. And
clogging its precious medieval streets, Umbria’s Etruscan remains watch proudly over the plains. you can be assured of a feast – from Castellucio’s
Gubbio enacts its centuries-old rhythms barely But what really distinguishes this region from tiny sweet lentils and hams from Norcia that melt
conscious of the tourists strolling wide-eyed in others in Italy is its spirit of “campanilismo,” the on your tongue, to wild boar hung for days, and
wonder through its equally ancient thoroughfares. idea of bearing allegiance to the church bells simmered to tenderness in a rich Sagrantino wine.
If Italy really was a booted leg, then Umbria of your mother town. The people of this region
would be somewhere around the calf muscle. scarcely regard themselves as Umbrians at all, but
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Getting There and Around must be one of the most
FORGET TUSCANY? Umbria has a small international captivating places to stay in Italy.
airport at Perugia, but you are When to Go
THE BUILD-UP Without Tuscany, there would have been no more likely to fly into Rome. The best times to visit are spring
Renaissance, fewer Merchant-Ivory movie adaptations, and fewer There are fast trains from Rome and fall. Although spring can be
places for your maiden aunt to go on holiday. Some of man’s to most of the major tourist wet, the flowers in the hills are
greatest artistic achievements are here, from Brunelleschi’s destinations. Italy’s principal truly spectacular. Fall is warm
Dome to Michelangelo’s David and it has magical landscapes motorway, the A1, runs along and dry, and the dinner table
and stunning towns that look down from their rounded hilltops. Umbria’s western border. groans beneath the newly
Where to Eat arrived game, truffles, and
THE LETDOWN Unfortunately, someone forgot to keep quiet The more informal the better. mushrooms. Assisi is particularly
about Tuscany. Camera-wielding crowds ruthlessly tick off The Locanda del Cantiniere in magical in December during
Gubbio (tel. +39 075 927 5999)
lists of endangered statues, leaning towers, famous frescoes, is typical of a thousand excellent Christmas.
and historic squares. Then there are the costs, which have Umbrian trattorie. Budget per Day for Two
sky-rocketed in the last 20 years. For US$265, you can sleep
Where to Stay
ABOVE Snap-happy visitors surrounding the majestic With monks’ cells, a secluded comfortably, drink well, and eat
GOING ANYWAY? Thankfully, parts of Tuscany still remain sculpture of David in Santa valley, and your very own like a king in Umbria, which is
unknown, from the mysterious lands of the Etruscans in the 12th-century frescoes, the around 40 percent cheaper for
southwest to the majestic marbled mountains above Lucca. But if it is San Gimignano or Pisa you want former monastery of San Pietro a tourist than Tuscany.
to visit, then go in winter, when you can enjoy them without hordes of tourists spoiling your view. in Valle, near Terni (www. Website
sanpietroinvalle.com/eng) www.english.regioneumbria.eu

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