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Sant’Angelo enjoys a strategic position ideal
for all those wishing to visit, during their stay in
our house, the main towns of cultural, historical and
gastronomic interest of Umbria and Tuscany as most of
them are close and easy to get to. For this reason we’d
like to suggest to you a few tourist itineraries that
will help you see most attractions and taste most delicacies
offered by the area.
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of Tuscany’s most charming spots from an artistic
and gastronomic point of view is certainly the Siena
area. Amongst the towns in this area closest to Poggio
Sant’Angelo are Montalcino and Pienza. The first
is world-famous for its Brunello (one of the world’s
most celebrated wines) and other local wines whilst
the latter is well-known for its wide selection of tasty
pecorino-cheeses (seasoned cheeses, cheeses covered
in ash and walnut leaves, grape-flavored cheeses, fossa
cheeses, etc.) as well as for their palaces, their squares
and their churches. Pienza boasts the magnificent Piazza
Pio II onto which face the Cathedral and the Palazzo
Piccolomini. Worth seeing in Montalcino the Museo Civico
e Diocesano housing paintings of the Sienese school
from the 14th and 15th century and the Palazzo Comunale,
built in the 13th-14th century. Only miles away from
the above towns Siena is one of Tuscany’s major
cities and world-famous for its art, its history and
its traditions. The Cathedral of Siena (the Duomo) standing
tall at the top of the town in its black and white majesty
is one of the most celebrated masterpieces of the Italian
romanesque-gothic architecture. The famous, shell-shaped
Piazza del Campo is the centrepiece of the town. Onto
the square face the Palazzo Pubblico, current home of
the Municipality and the City Museum as well as the
elegant Torre del Mangia at whose foot stands the Cappella
di Piazza. World-known amongst many different events
happening in town is the Palio, a spectatcular horse
race held twice a year (July 2nd and August 16th) in
the Piazza del Campo and run in turns by all seventeen
historical “contradas” vieing for the Palio,
a painted silk cloth. |
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further itinerary may take us, after visiting old Cortona
and its churches, museums and steep alleys, to the Lake
Trasimeno district and the towns looking onto it such
as Castiglione del Lago, Tuoro e Passignano. Amongst
these Castiglione del Lago is certainly the best known
and is, in the summertime, a pleasant holiday destination.
Amongst the events taking place in town the Rassegna
Internazionale del Folklore (Foklore festival - end
of July-August) and Coloriamo il Cielo, a kite-flying
event (late April-early May).
At the far end of the hill of Castiglione del Lago stand,
surrounded by olive-trees in a position enjoying a stunning
view over the lake, its two main buildings: the Palazzo
Comunale and the Palazzo Ducale of the Della Corgna
family, built in the 16th century to plans by Vignola
and housing in its rooms frescoes by the Pomarancio.
Symbol of Castiglione del Lago is the 13th century castle
with its four towers and its massive donjon tower known
as the Rocca del Leone.
In the southern edge of the Valdichiana visitors will
find the town of Chiusi whose original appearance was
preserved almost untouched: in the town centre, dominated
by the romanesque Duomo visitors will have a chance
to witness the Roman and Etruscan lay-out of the town.
Worth visiting the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (to
the left of the Duomo) housing remarkable collections
of Etruscan finds. Well-known all over the world the
painted burial tomb of the Leone (6th century B.C.)
and the tomb of the Pellegrina (4th century B.C.).
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Another suggested itinerary is the one touching Perugia
(main city of Umbria located about 30 miles away from
Poggio Sant’Angelo) and its surroundings. An
Etruscan city, Perugia is still to this day ringed
by massive walls erected by its founders; heart of
the town is Piazza IV Novembre from which starts the
Corso Vannucci, the town’s main street, and
onto which face its most significant and best known
monuments: the Fontana Maggiore, the Cathedral and
the Palazzo dei Priori.
Amongst the events taking place in town worth mentioning
are Umbria Jazz, an international jazz festival (first
half of July) and Eurochocolate (end of October).
After visiting Perugia both Assisi and Gubbio are
definitely worth a drive to.
Assisi, known all over the world to be the town where
Saint Francis was born, is undisputedly the main tourist
religious centre of Central Italy. Worth visiting
just outside town the convent built around the humble
church of San Damiano, the Eremo delle Carceri, dipped
in the green of the Monte Subasio and the Basilica
of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Within the city walls stands majestic the Basilica
of Saint Francis, a church complex consisting of an
upper and a lower church. The lower church houses
in its crypt, behind the altar, the tomb of Saint
Francis.
Visitors may then procedd to visit the Basilica of
Santa Chiara housing the body of the Saint friend
of Saint Francis and founder of the Order of the Clarisse.
Gubbio enjoyed its heyday in the 13th century. The
charming Piazza della Signoria is overlooked by the
Palazzo dei Consoli and the Palazzo Pretorio. On May
15th, on the eve of the patron Saint of the town,
the streets are filled with thousands of people cheering
for the traditional race of the Corsa dei Ceri.
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