From the elegance of Arezzo to the most evocative part of green Umbria. Art, history, spirituality – and good food
Day 1
We’ll meet at your hotel and leave for Arezzo.
Visit with a guide to the discovery of the hometown of some famous personalities such as Petrarca or Pietro Aretino, and of the rich testimonies left by the genius of Piero della Francesca. We’ll visit the Basilica of San Francesco, the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve, the Cathedral, the House of Giorgio Vasari with its magnificent frescos, and the Mecenate Archaeological Museum, where one can admire rich relics of a glorious Etruscan and Roman past. If we are lucky enough to be in Arezzo on any month’s first weekend, we’ll be able to wander through the stalls and booths of antiquarians for one of the most important fairs in Tuscany. Lunch on your own.
Late in the afternoon, checking into a B&B (breakfast included), and dinner in a typical tavern.
Day 2
Meeting and leaving for Gubbio. The Umbrian small town near Tuscany is always full of recollections of its glorious medieval past, and strolling through its steep alleys and narrow streets will allow us to admire, in turn, the beautiful Palazzo del Console, the Palazzo Ducale, the Cathedral, and many, many splendid churches. And Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo is easy to reach by the railway to the top of Monte Ingino.
Lunch on your own and free time in the afternoon
Dinner in a typical tavern and checking into a B&B (breakfast included).
Day 3
Meeting and then leaving for Assisi
A day with much free time (and lunch on your own), wholly dedicated to an in-depth personal visit to the city of Saint Francis, where the great works of Giotto and his School are kept, and to the crypts, where also the mortal relics of the Saint can be seen. Beyond this, the small town is very rich of magnificent churches: the Basilica di Santa Chiara, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo, the Chiesa Di San Rufino, of splendid palazzi and mansions: Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo; and there is also the great temple of Minerva and rich medieval relics: the Rocca Maggiore and the Torre del Popolo (People’s Tower).
Dinner in a typical tavern and back to the B&B.
Day 4
Meeting and then leaving for Perugia.
Perugia is a small jewel that keeps within itself monumental and artistic treasures that are ample testimonies of its rich past. We will visit the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Fontana maggiore, the Rocca (Tower) Paolina with all its fascinating underground spaces and relics, the oratory of San Bernardino, and the Pozzo Etrusco (Etruscan Pit, or well).
Lunch on your own, and in the afternoon, return according to your preferences.