Itineraries

Exploring the cities of the Umbrian Valley SPELLO Perched on a spur of Mount Subasio, rich with Roman traces (including the Consolare, Arco Romano and Venere gates, imposing entry ways to the Roman city), at one time Spello was under the Baglioni rule. This family commissioned their noble chapel, next to the church of S. Maria Maggiore , to be sumptuously frescoed by the artist Pinturicchio, thereby giving life to one of the most important masterpieces of 16th century painting. FOLIGNO The historic centre of this busy, lively city rotates around its grand Romanesque Duomo, which underwent various restorations up until the Neoclassical Age, and the nearby Palazzo Trinci, built between the 14th and 15th century for the city's nobility. The church of S. Maria Infraportas (11th & 12th century) houses numerous pieces of Medieval frescoes. The Sassavivo Abbey rises up just outside Foligno (approximately 6 km ). It was founded by Benedictine monks in the 11th century around a spring by the same name. During the Middle Ages it served as an important study centre. BEVAGNA is famous for its splendid town square, a virtually perfectly intact example of the Medieval environment. The important Romanesque churches of Saints Silvestro (1195) and Michele Arcangelo (late 12th century) look out towards the square. The town also has an impressive expanse of Medieval walls that were built on top of pre-existing Roman walls. MONTEFALCO "A little piece of heaven fallen to earth", , Montefalco gave life to an impressive eight saints over the centuries. This charming, compact Medieval village is arranged in a spiral around the Piazza del Comune square which is 'presided over' by numerous churches. Of particular interest is the 14th century church of St. Francis with its myriad of frescoes from various Umbria artists from the 14th and 16th centuries. CLITUNNO SPRINGS . Praised by poets, the limpid waters of these springs, dedicated to a god famous for his prophetic wisdom, form a peaceful pond strewn with little islands, with an idyllic charm. Approximately 1 km from the Clitunno temple, a Paleochristian church dedicated to St. Salvatore, it was built in part using materials taken from the pagan sacella temples that surrounded the springs.The Holy Places In the highlands of Colfiorito and in the area surrounding the Foligno and Apennine mountain range, there are an impressive number of sanctuaries along the region's frontier. These places of worship include churches, chapels, hermitages and shrines which have become a destination for annual pilgrimages and, for this reason, considered to be therapeutic sanctuaries. One of the most significant destinations of popular devotion is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Gicaccobbe, at Sasso di Pale, built in a place where the popular belief holds that the Saint sought refuge in prayer and penance. It is important to note that this holy place constituted a true sanctuary along the frontier between the religious community of Foligno and the area of the Plestini people. In the Menotre Valley in Scopoli there's the Madonna delle Grazie sanctuary and the shrine dedicated to Madonna del Sasso. The therapeutic sanctuaries in Verchiano include the church of San Salvatore and San Lazzaro, which served as a leper colony in the past. Along the Chienti Valley , on the border between Umbria and the Marches region, the sanctuaries Madonna di Valleverde (in Cesi), Madonna del Sasso (in San Martino) and Madonna di Mevale (in Mevale) rise up. There are an additional two therapeutic sanctuaries in the territory of Dignano : the church of San Lorenzo , where the crucifix on the altar is an object of great popular devotion, and the church of Santa Maria di Plestia, located precisely on the border between the two regions. The community of Annifo is home to two sanctuaries: San Pietro and Madonna del Piano.