Perugia
Perugia
useful information to the sights of Umbria, links, mail/questions,
Getting there
When driving by car you have to consider the road toll in Austria and Italy, which is about 85-120 Euro (return). In Austria the 10 days vignette costs 7,60 Euro (if available), the Brenner pass costs about 16 Euro return and the road toll in Italy to Rome is about 70 Euro return. Driving through the Swiss costs 27 Euro. You can skip the Brenner road toll by taking the national road, it is nearly as quick as going by highway, but be careful, each time I was driving there was a speed limit radar control.The best deal is flying with budget carriers like Ryanair or Easy Jet to Rom Campino. In Austria is a road toll of 25 Euro (10 days vignette 7,60 Euro and Brenner 16 Euro) to be paid and in Italy around 60 Euro. A rental car is available from 20 Euro per day.
Links: easyjet.com, ryanair.com,Accommodation
Italia was getting rather expensive after the Euro. You can't get a double room in Rome for under 100 Euro and also the prices in the provinces have risen. The quality of rooms in Italy is often worse than in the rest of Europe, but the buildings often are very old.A nice holiday flat is in Bessano in Teverina near the small town Orte, around 100 km from Rome.
We were charged 220 Euro for a week in autumn. The owners are friendly people. The lodging was new, spacious and I can really recommend it (get no provision!). German friends of them arrange renting the rooms. You can book also a rental car from a local company by them. There is a big free commuter parking place at the rail station in Orte from where local trains depart for Rome-Termini each hour. The trip takes 45 minutes and costs less than 10 Euro, which is cheaper than parking in Rome. The link to the holiday flat is:..
holiday home (click to enlarge)
bassanoferien.de.vu, podere-girasole.de.vu,
Food
Italian food offers more than Pizza and Pasta, which are actually starters in Italia. Italian restaurants (Ristorante) are quite expensive (like British restaurants) nothing for small budgets. Really cheap is red table wine "vino di tavola" for dinner, mostly cheaper than the same quantity of beer. You have to add some Euros for the cover fee (pan e copierto) and the service fee, which is charged even if you eat a small salade or drink a beer in a restaurant. Aside the Ristoranti there are the less elegante Trattorias or the Osterias, which used to be open only for lunch. But today there is hardly any different in quality and price of the meals. It is not a good behaviour to eat only Pasta or Pizza in a Ristoranti, also calculate the cover and service fees. For eating cheaper you can go to Pizzerias, often a Ristoranti declared themselves also as a Pizzeria. In bigger towns you find snack bars, which sell Pizza pieces from baking tins, a piece costs only about 1-1,50 Euro and is delicious!
In Norcia are offered meals made with in the surroundings harvested truffles to reasonable prices (compared to other noble restaurants elsewhere)Sitting in a café is much more expensive than drinking at the bar. Often you have to pay 4-5 Euro for a small glas of beer or Coke sitting in front of a café.
You can also by pasta and pasta sauce in a glas in a "supermercado" nearby. Very delicious is also the spicy cheese "Gran Padano".
Shopping
most small boutiques, with very elegant clothes. Prices are in between German boutiques and stores. Other articles are mostly more expensive than Germany or US, but has the price level of UK. Wine and local specialities are rather cheap.Warning!!
Be careful and don't buy faked products of famous brands! Italian design is as famous as the influence of these companies in politics. You might think that police tolerates the selling of these articles, because they are offered openly (especially in Rome). But not the traders (who mostly work for the Mafia) are fleeced, but the customers, who buy those articles. Some European tourists have paid thousands!!! of Euro (Danish girl 10.000 for imitated glasses) for buying imitated handbags or other stuff.
Transport:
Rental car
the best way to explore Umbria. Rental cars are cheap from 20 Euro per day.Railway
Going by train is very much cheaper than in Germany or in Britain. There are special offers and discounts. There is a supplement for ICE or other faster trains.trenitalia.it (Italian railway),
Sightseeing
Historical towns
Perugia (pop ~150.000)
Capital of Umbria and vivid university town with ancient historical center. Beautiful is first of all the place at the cathedral with the Palazzo de Priori (15th century) and the georgious fountain Fontana Maggiore (13th century).Assisi (pop ~ 24.500)
An important pilgrim destination for catholics, because San Francesco was born here in 1182 A.D. Parking places are available only outside the historcal center with moderate parking fees (2 Euros for 2 hrs).Basilica di San Franscesco
The basilika S. Francesco comprises two churches, one is built on top of the other. The lower church was built from 1228 AD immediately after the death of San Francesco, the upper church two years later. It was a result as a compromise after a dissent among the Fransicans how big the church should be. The upper church contains 28 frescoes depicting the life of San Franseco, the lower church is darker and more magnificent. Today around 50 monks are still living in the cloister behind the basilica.
There are more churches in the centre historico, the basilica Santa Chiara is devoted to Santa Chiara, a female fellow of San Francesco, in the romanesque duomo S. Rufino (13 th century, named after a local Saint) were Friedrich the Staufer, San Franceso and Santa Chiara baptised and the Church S. Damiano is the place, where San Francesco heard the voice from the cross and where Santa Chiara founded her orden.
Above the town is enthroned the medieval castle Rocca Maggiore (11th. century).In the lowlands app. 10 km before Assisi is the big Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli, built in the 16 Jhd. to take up the many pilgrims. The Basilica was built around the small chapel, which was the first Franciscan church. There happened the "miracle of the roses".
around AssisiS. Maria del Angeli click to enlarge
Spello (pop ~ 8000)
small medieval hill town, very nice view from the distance and historical centerBevagna: (pop ~ 4.500)
most interesting is the medieval market place "Plazzia Silvestro"Abbazia di Sassovivo:Plazzia Sivestro click to enlarge
abandonded ruins of a benedictine abbey
Orvieto (pop 22.500)
Orvieto is built enthroned on a hill. A viewpoint is at the road from Lago Bolsena to Orvieto. We parked before the historical centre at the cable car and near the fountain well Pozzo San Patrizio ( modest parking fees)Dom S. Maria Assunta
The highlight is the splendid Gothic dome S. Maria Assunta of Orvieto, one of the most impressive churches of the world. The building work started in the 13th century, the rosette and the facade is from the 14th century and the mosaics from the 17-19th century. The interior is more artless than the facades.Duomo
Detail from the Dome click to enlarge
In a right side chapel is Signorelli's fresoco cycle The last judgement (15/16th century). It is a picture of the prophecy from the Marcus evangel that a false christ will appear before the end of the world, whose reign of terror will be demolished by the appearance of the real Christ. Tickets are available outside the church, a short glance from the side might be enough, if you are not very interested in culture.
Pentecoast and Genocid
Once a monk doubted the catholic doctrine of transsubstantation that hosts and the mass wine blood transform in the body and blood of Chris. He went for asking the pope. On the way some blood should dropped down on a mass cloth and pictured a cross. The pope Urban IV in Orvieto then founded the Pentecoast fiest and started with building the basilica. The mass cloth is carried around on Pentecoast. Also a dove is levitated down by cords from the dome and freed after it was drizzles with fire by one of the dome figurines. Urban IV motion was also doing something against the church of the Catharer, who came from the South of France and who founded more and more supporters. That church was opponent to the remission for money business and denied the authority of the pope. Massacres had ended that movement, villages were obliterated and all its inhabitants included children killed.Basilica San Domenico
Pozzo San Patrizio (entrance fee)with tomb (13th century ) of the architect of the florence dome Cardinal Guillaume de Brayes
a fountain well (62 m deep) and 13 m wide built in the 16th century, we couldn't visit it because of film producingNecropoli Crocifisso del Tufo (entrance fee of 3 Euro)
Just before Orvieto are the Etruscian Tombs, which are 2.500 years old, so built between 600 and 300 B.C. Over some tombs are the names of the death chiseled in the stone. Not very much to see there, but surely interesting for historic freaks.Necropoli Crocifisso del Tufo
Etruscan scripture click to enlarge
The Etruscans
their time of prosperity was from 8th to the 1st century B.C. The Etruscans were the founders of Rome. Their kings were driven out by the tribe of Romans and the people were assimilated in the Roman society. Before the Etruscans lived in twelve independent city states in the area of Latium, Toscana, Umbria under the rule of priest-kings.
The Etruscans invented aqueducts, drainages, vault buildings, they were traders, process ore and invent Gladiator fights.
Women were respected and the upper society liked carnality and luxus. The Etruscan scripture is, because of the few documents, difficult to decrypt. Delegates from all Etruscan cities had each year a meeting in the area of Orvieto.
Viterbo (pop 59.000)
Viterbo's medieval center is completely surrounded by a ancient city wall. In the 13th century AD Viterbo had the same population of 60.000 and was bigger than Rome with its population of 40.000. Viterbo was consequently the seat of the popes.Palazzo Papale
The first conclave
In Viterbo occured the first conclave. After the death of Clemens IV in 29. November 1268 in Viterbo, the cardinals couldn't decide who became the new pope even after the had consulted for more than two years. That also meant loss of profit of the tradesmen in Viterbo. Shorthandly it was determined to lock up the cardinals with a key "cum clave" in a room. As this noteither led to a result, the roof was uncovered for the holy spirit could come unhindered to the congregation. Better was the idea of shorten the food, then a new pope was elected, which was Gregor X. He decided that this procedure had to be for the next elections.Worth a visit are the medieval buildings around the Palazzo Papale and a walk through the medieval alley Via San Pelligrino.
Some days for swimming
Lago Bolsena
Pleasant opportunities for swimming are at the Lake Bolsena. The water was shallow, ideal for kids, but the ground of the lake was at some places very stony.Lake Bolsena
Tarquina Lido
100 km from Orte is Tarquina, it's historical center has some "medieval scyscrapers". There are more Etruscan tombs some km out of the town.The beach "Tarquina Lido" is in 10km distance of Tarquina. There is a wide, fine, black and sandy beach.
A trip to the mountains
Spoleto (pop 38.000)
Goethe was very enthused as he saw the Ponte delle Torri during his Italian Journey . Less enthused of Spoleto was the Italian rambler Johann Gottfried Seume, who called the town with its narrow alleys a dark, dunk, miserable and ugly hole. Another opinion had Herman Hesse in 1911, for him was Spoleto "the prettiest discovery of Italy". You judge by yourself.Spoleto- Ponte delle Torri click to enlarge
Over the town is entthroned the medieval castle Rocca Alboroz, a former fortress of the popes (built from 1359-1370, now a museum. A walking path leads around passing the 80 m high and 230 wide bridge Ponte de Torri, which connects the valley of tessino with the mountain Montelucco. The brigde can be walked (no entrance fee). Also the Dome S. Maria Assunta (1175-1227) and the church San Pietro (in the valley) with its Romanic fassade embossements are from interest.
In summer there is a well known international music festival in Spoleto.
Norcia (pop 5.000)
Norcia is a dreamy old small town at the foothills of the Sybillian Mountains. A historical town wall goes around the town center that you enter by one of the seven gates. The prettiest place is the centrale Piazza de S. Benedetto with the monument of Saint Benedict of Nurcia (480 - 547 n.Chr), who founded the occidental monasticism.Piazza S. Benedetto click to enlarge
Norcia is alos known for its truffels, which grow in the forests around, and its delicatessen from pork. A lot of shops sell truffles, gammon, salami and other and goods from pork. In one of the restaurant you can eat dishes spiced with slices of truffles.
Living as a Monk
Benedict loathed pride, gluttony and also laughter. The human body was evil that has to be formed and tortured. The monk should devote to labor and prayer instead of mediation ad idleness ("ora and labora"). The monks shouldn't leave the monasteries at best, therefore monasteries ought to be autark. The monasteries developped so to high organized agricultural and craft undertakings centers that got rich, later also scientific studies were done there.
In the 13th century more and more orden was founded, for example the Franciscan friars (founder: Franz von Assisi), the Dominicans (founder: Dominikus) and the Cistercienser (founder: Bernhard von Clairvaux).Monti Sibillini / Castelluccio
South American pampas landscape admidst Italy. A curvaceous road leads from Norcia to the mountain village Castelluccio, which is surrounded from a pampas like plateau and the peaks of 2000 m and more from the Mt. Sibillinis. After Castelluccio is situated a ski resort. Shorty before Castellucio a road branch off leading up to the left to the pass Forca di Presta in the alitude of 1540 m. There you pass a school of hang gliding, in summer many hanggliders are floating like butterflys in the sky. After the bath you have breathtaking views to the valleys below and the sea "Adria" in the distance. Coming down the pass in the valley you can return through tunnels to Norcia to the right or drive further on 60 km to the Adria to the left.Castellucio
A side trip to Rome (pop 3-4 Mio)
Getting there
at Orte railway station is a huge free commuter parking place for passengers to Rome. It is signposted to the left over the rails, when you come from the North. You go through a tunnel directly to the platfor. Going by train is rather cheap, with a local train you pay less than 5 Euro from Orte to Rome. Parking in Rome is in the city for tourists -without hotel there- ionly allowed in parking houses, which is more expensive. The rail trip takes 45 minutes to Rome- Termini, which is midst the city center of Rome.Here a short report of Rome (only some pictures yet) hier: ROME
Links
Accommodation:bbitalia.it (bed and breakfast), ostellioneonline.com (Youth hostels), camperweb.it (camping)
Transport: trenitalia.it (Zug),
Umbria: umbriaonline.com, umbria2000.it,
Toscana: toskanababy.de, toskana-ligurien.de,
Marken: diemarken.com, regione.marche.it,
Vatican: vatican.va, pilgerzentrum.de,
Rome: roma-online.de, romeguide.it, romecity.it, enjoyrome.com,
Mail me
Questions, feedback, criticism, news, your links, your experiences, hints to mistakes and better English etc. are welcome!
mail me!!Excuse my English, that is not my native language, thanks!
If you translate part of my homepage in correct English, Italian or another language, I could translate part of your English/Italian written homepage in German!
