ASSISI

Universally famous for having given birth to the patron saint of Italy, Assisi draws its origins from a small village inhabited by the Umbri in the Villanovan period (9th – 8th centuries B.C.). The town was eventually taken over by the Etruscans, and was under their control up to 295 B.C. when the Romans imposed their dominion over much of central Italy. For Asisium (as it was called by the Romans) it was a prosperous period. As a Municipium or municipality of Rome it became an important economical and social centre of the Roman Empire.

With the sudden fall of the empire, Assisi declined into a dark age of Barbaric invasions and, in 545, was plundered from the Goths. Conquered then by the Byzantines, it passed after a short time under the dominion of the Lombards, eventually becoming a “free commune” in the 11th century. After a long period of wars, in 1174 the town was besieged and won by Federico Barbarossa who gave the town over to imperial rule under Duke Corrado of Lutzen. Just a few years later, between 1181 and 1182, Francesco, son of Pietro di Bernardone, was born, the future Saint who, with his work, was to mark the history of the place, and of humanity.

Subsequently, the town became a dominion of the Church, under the rule of some important signorie, Perugini, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Montefeltro family, Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone and finally, Francesco Sforza.

Assisi was permanently assigned to the Church in the time of Pope Paul III in the 16th century. In 1860, following a unanimous vote of the general populace, it became part of the new Italian State.

The Basilica of Saint Francis and the Sacred Convent

The Basilica complex is made up of two overlapping churches – the Lower (1228-1230) and the Upper (1230-1253). The crypt, excavated in 1818, holds the tomb of the Saint. The Lower Basilica, with its floor plan in the shape of a double “T,” is entered first from the lower courtyard that is lined by a portico dating to the 1400s. It is decorated by the greatest painters of the 13th and 14th centuries: Cimabue, Giotto, Lorenzetti, Simone Martini. The Upper Basilica, with its central nave, is embellished with the beautiful and famous frescoes of Giotto, illustrating the life of the Saint. The cloisters also hold many remarkable treasures including rare miniatures, paintings, reliquaries, tapestries and sacred furnishings.

CARSULAE

The ancient Roman town of Carsulae is, without doubt, deserving of the appellation of the “Pompei of Umbria.” This fascinating archeological area, situated between Terni and Sangemini, has, in fact, still not been completely brought back to life but, like Pompei, it was very likely abandoned because of a significant landslide. Carsulae was one of the “way-stations” along the via Flaminia and owed its fortune not only to the fact that the via Flaminia was one of the most important consular roads leading to Rome and that Carsulae was in a relatively strategic position along that road, but also to the mineral waters of San Gemini that the Romans already knew and appreciated for its superior quality and purity.

It was thanks to Prince Federico Cesi of Acquasparta in the 16th century, founder of the Academy of Lincei, that the first excavations of the countryside around Carsulae began. From then until now, they have excavated and reclaimed the area of the forum, along with the church, the temple of the twins, the theatre and ampitheatre, and the beautiful Arch of San Damiano.

BOLSENA AND CIVITA DI BAGNOREGIO

Even though situated geographically in the province of Lazio, these two small cities have always had a strong connection with Umbria and above all, with Orvieto. Both, in fact, like Orvieto are situated in the same volcanic zone originating thousands of years ago. Bolsena moreover provided shelter for the Orvietan population when they were driven away after the Roman invasion of 264 B.C. In Bolsena in 1263, a well documented miracle happened that is recalled every year in Orvieto as the celebration of the Corpus Domini.

The north eastern shore of the lake was populated in 265 B.C. by the Etruscans who had been exiled from Velzna (current-day Orvieto). The lake of Bolsena (which has the same name as the town) is the second largest in central Italy and certainly the cleanest, and the largest volcanic lake in Europe, being formed from the main crater of a complex volcanic system. The waters of the lake are today as they were in Roman times, a rich source of fish that form the basis of many local recipes; fish like the coregone (a white lake fish), pike, perch, carp, tench and eels.

The perfectly preserved medieval town of Bolsena is dominated by the rocca or fortress with its four square towers built by the Orvietani in the 12th century. The fortress now houses Bolsena’s Territorial Museum with many interesting displays of artefacts from the Villanovan period, the Etruscans and Roman, as well as many didactic panels illustrating the fortunes and viccisitudes of the people who have inhabited the great basin of the lake.

Civita di Bagnoregio, is an enchanting place, where the time seems to have stopped. The small town is entirely isolated and is attainable only by a long pedestrian bridge in reinforced concrete. The cause of this isolation is through the progressive erosion of the hill on which it sits and of the neighbouring valley, causing the typical and strange land form shapes known as calanchi. The risk of further erosion continues still today, threatening the eventual loss of this small place. For this reason, Civita is called "the dying city". Inside the town there remains still a number of medieval houses, the church of Saint Donato (situated in the main square), the Bishop's Palace, an oil mill from the 1500s, the house where Saint Bonaventura was born and the door of Santa Maria, with two lions that hold between the feet a human head (in memory of a popular rebellion by the inhabitants of Civita against the Monaldeschi, a powerful Orvietan family.