Spring in Umbria

the medieval world of Bevagna, between taste and typical crafts (4 days)

DAY 1: Welcome in Umbria!

Arrival of guests at the airport and transfer to Bevagna. Welcome cocktail and hotel accommodation. Welcome dinner with a typical seasonal menu. Overnight

DAY 2: the art in Spello and the medieval Gaite in Bevagna

Breakfast and excursion to Spello, on the lower southern flank of Subasio Mountain, whose particular calcareous rock has been used through centuries to build the most important houses and buildings of this town, by giving its historical centre a particular pink aspect. Spello is considered “a wonderful book of history of art” for the rich past and the art tradition visible everywhere in town. We’ll start to admire a mosaic of a Roman patrician house that has been recently found in town, to proceed then through one of the most ancient and characteristic streets of the centre, the Roman Iulia Hispellum, passing through Porta di Venere, flanked by two imposing ramparts and reaching Porta Consolare, part of the town walls, the Roman amphitheatre and the acropolis, belvedere of Spello. The medieval period has mainly influenced the aspect of the town, by developing a texture of roads and places that still allow to experience the magic of an ancient period. During this period the famous Umbrian painter Bernardino di Betto, also called Pinturicchio, worked in Spello and linked his success to the town. The Capella Baglioni (frescoed in 1501 and dedicated to Baglioni family that ruled in Spello in the XIV-XV centuries) in Santa Maria Maggiore Church, is the location of one of Pinturicchio’s most impressive masterpieces. Palazzo dei Canonici is near the church and was built in 1552 and houses the Pinacoteca Civica.Palazzo Cruciali is today the Town Palace. The narrow streets of the centre are always coloured with the multicoloured paintings by famous local artists that open their laboratories to tourists so that they can appreciate their original art, deeply linked to the spirit of the town. Lunch in the Azienda Agricola Sportoletti with a typical seasonal menu and DOC wines. Visit of the company wine cellars. (Option: cooking lesson with the chef to learn the preparation of a typical menu and following tasting-lunch with this prepared menu). Following return to Bevagna to enter the suggestive medieval atmosphere of the historical centre, taste typical menus and admire the involving historical parade that passes through the streets and starts the Mercato delle Gaite (Gaite’s Market), a local event of ancient appeal. During the evening, local people dressed with historical costumes recall past times by eating, working and playing through the streets and in the many corners of the village.

DAY 3: discovering Perugia and the ancient crafts

Breakfast in the hotel and following departure for Perugia to visit one of the most important town in central Italy. Perugia was a very important Etruscan town and this is still visible in many monuments such as the Etruscan Arch, the Etruscan well and the Porta      Marzia, one of the Etruscan city gates. In the II century a.C. Ottaviano took possession of the town and this, after being heavily destroyed, was given the name of "Augusta Perusia". In the XI century, Perugia became a powerful independent city-state allied to the Papal State till 1860 and it

was enriched with splendid palaces, valuable sculptures and paintings. Heart of the upper part of Perugia is Palazzo dei Priori, the town hall that grew from a modest foundation between the end of the XIII and the beginning of the XIV centuries. It’s one of the most important and imposing example of the Italian Middle Ages. The main portal with a monumental staircase, facing Piazza IV Novembre, leads to the Sala dei Notari. We can admire two levels of three-light windows and a wonderful gothic portal enriched with the statue of the three patron saints: Sant'Ercolano,San Costanzo and San Lorenzo. The Palazzo dei Priori houses on the ground floor the Collegio del Cambio and the Collegio della Mercanzia and on the third floor the National Gallery of Umbria. Near Palazzo dei Priori, the Fontana Maggiore can be found. This represents a 13th century masterpiece and was carved by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, together with Fra’ Bevignate da Cingoli, between 1277 and 1278. The Main Fountain is composed of two polygonal basins, the upper one with a smaller diameter. Over the upper basin there is a bronze round vessel with three bronze statues, the nymphs representing the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity). Centuries have left many remains in town: the Etruscan tombs and walls, Roman gates, medieval churches and Renaissance palaces: a fascinating puzzle of styles, periods and histories that turns Perugia into an excellent Italian example of town. Time at disposal for lunch and, after the visit to the Paolina Fortress, afternoon return to Bevagna for relax and medieval dinner in one of the many trattorie of the historical centre. Following walk through the suggestive historical centre, where it is possible to start the Circuito Culturale dei Mestieri Medievali (guided tour of Medieval Crafts) from “gaita” (as here the districts of the town are called) San Giovanni, the Cartiera (paper-mill), where to learn the ancient methods for the production of the cotton-wool paper, Gaita Santa Maria, the Setificio (silk mill) where to learn the life cycle of a silkworm and the production of textiles with a loom, Gaita San Giorgio,the painter workshop where to admire the tempera painting with the use of coloured powder pigments joined together with the egg-yolk. Return to the hotel.

DAY 4: art pottery in Deruta and the culture of wine in Torgiano

After breakfast, excursion to Deruta, located on a hill dominating Tevere valley. It’s considered the land of pottery production not only in Umbria but also in Italy. Walk through the historical centre among shops of typical gourmet products and local craft items,  comparing medieval with modern proposals. En-route stop to plunge into the artisan tradition of pottery’s production, and learn the processing, cooking and decoration techniques as well as the differences among the materials used. Walking through the centre of Deruta, we can meet numerous characteristic alleys and reach Piazza dei Consoli with its palace, that hosts the town hall, whose fourteenth-century tower has Romanesque double lancet windows. It also hosts the Pottery Museum with wonderful local ancient majolica objects and the Pinacoteca with valuble paintings of different periods. Free time at disposal for lunch. In the afternoon, excursion to Torgiano to visit the Museum of Wine and Olive Oil belonging to the Lungarotti Company. Following departure of guests with facultative stop for light lunch. End of the tour.