Overview
Also known as the ‘green heart of Italy’, Umbria contains a vast and varied array of what visitors most love about central Italy: ancient streetscapes crammed onto hilltops, exquisitely undulating countryside of olive, cypress and vine, and an abundance of wonderful art.
Rarely can the spirit of the Middle Ages be so potently felt as in the hill towns of central Italy. That such small communities could have built each dwelling so massively, raised churches and public buildings of such magnificence and created works of art of such monumentality inspires awe bordering on disbelief among today’s visitors.
This is also the heartland of the Renaissance, and several of the leading artists of the era were natives who worked here before being inveigled to the great metropolises of Florence and Rome.
Many of the most important and beautiful of Italy’s incomparable patrimony of paintings and frescoes are included on this tour. The great Giottesque cycle at Assisi stands at the beginning of the modern era of art, and the Last Judgement frescoes by Signorelli in Orvieto are on the cusp of the High Renaissance. While in the field of architecture Romanesque and Gothic predominate, there are many major Renaissance buildings, including the centrally planned church at Todi.
The man-made environment melds with the natural in a picturesque union of intense beauty. It is a landscape of rumpled hills, sometimes rugged and forested, sometimes tamed in the struggle to cultivate, always speckled with ancient farmsteads, fortified villages and isolated churches. Even from the central piazze of many of these towns there are views of countryside which seems scarcely to have changed for centuries.
Day 1
Fly at c. 10.45am (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Rome Fiumicino and drive (3 hours) to Perugia.
Day 2
Perugia, capital of Umbria, is one of the largest and loveliest of Italian hill towns and has both major works of art and architecture and the authentic, age-old liveliness of a prosperous market town. Morning visits include the Palazzo dei Priori, the medieval town hall now housing the National Gallery of Umbria, and a merchants’ hall. An afternoon walk includes an impressive Etruscan city gateway, the medieval walls and the richly carved façade of the Renaissance church of S. Bernardino.
Day 3
Assisi. Drive to Assisi and spend much of the morning at S. Francesco, mother church of the Franciscan Order. Here is one of the greatest assemblages of medieval fresco painting, including the controversial cycle of the Life of St Francis. In the afternoon, walk through the austere medieval streets and visit the church of Sta. Chiara and the Romanesque cathedral.
Day 4
Montefalco, Foligno, Spello. Drive to Montefalco, a delightful hilltop community with magnificent views of the valley below and hills around. In the deconsecrated church of S. Francesco are frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli. Known to the Romans as Fulginium, Foligno lies on the banks of the river Topino. It offers a range of exceptional attractions and yet is little known to tourists. See the restored palace of the Trinci family, lords of Foligno, and home to extensive frescoes now known to be the work of the greatest Italian master of International Gothic, Gentile da Fabriano. Return via Spello, which has fine Roman remains.
Day 5
Todi. Visit Sta. Maria della Consolazione in Todi, a centrally planned Renaissance church influenced by Bramante’s ideas. Walk through the town, seeing the cathedral and the church of S. Fortunato, with its richly decorated central doorway and frescoes by Masolino. Return to Perugia at c. 3.00pm for some free time.
Day 6
Gubbio. Spilling down a hillside and offering sensational views across Umbrian countryside, Gubbio is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved ancient towns in Italy. The Palazzo dei Consoli is an austerely magnificent medieval town hall located beside a square with one side open to the view; it houses the art gallery of the Museo Civico. Higher up, the Palazzo Ducale was built by warlord Federico da Montefeltro, one of the greatest patrons of the arts in the Early Renaissance.
Day 7
Orvieto. Spend the day in this entrancing hilltop town, with its glistening marble Gothic cathedral. Among its treasures are the low relief sculptures by Maitani and the apocalyptic Last Judgement frescoes by Signorelli (1505). Visit also the cathedral museum, richly endowed with art, sculpture and religious artefacts.
Day 8
Spoleto. A morning walk in Spoleto includes the Ponte delle Torri, a medieval aqueduct famously painted by Turner, and finishes at the cathedral square. One of the most imposing in Italy, it slopes like an auditorium towards the cathedral façade with its mosaics and rose windows; inside there are frescoes by Pinturicchio and Filippo Lippi. Continue to Rome Fiumicino airport for an evening flight arriving at Heathrow c. 8.15pm.
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott mixes scholarship with accessible discourse, with reasoned opinion, and is highly sought-after as an art history lecturer. He has lectured for New York University (London campus) and Birkbeck College, University of London, specialising primarily in 16th-century Italian art and architecture. He studied at the Courtauld and Birkbeck College and lived in Rome for several years. He has written articles for Arte Veneta, Burlington Magazine and the Journal of the Warburg & Courtauld Institutes.
Price, per person
Two sharing: £3,310 or £3,030 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,740 or £3,460 without flights.
Included
Flights (Economy Class) with British Airways; travel by private coach throughout; hotel accommodation; breakfasts; 1 lunch and 4 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Accommodation
Hotel Brufani Palace, Perugia: a grand 5-star hotel 5 minutes’ walk from the main square in Perugia. Situated on the edge of the hill-top historical centre, it has spectacular views down over the surrounding countryside. There is a good restaurant, small indoor pool and roof terrace. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
How strenuous?
Many visits take place in hill towns, with very steep, uneven inclines leading from the coach park. Agility and sure-footedness are particularly essential. There is a lot of coach travel. Average distance by coach per day: 82 miles.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Group size
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Travel advice
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Combine with
In April 2024:
Morocco, 11–22 April
Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity, 17–26 April
Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes, 18–24 April
Genoa & Turin, 20–26 April
Malta: prehistoric to present, 22–28 April
In May 2024:
Salzburg String Quartet Festival, 7–12 May
Two Spains: The Spanish Civil War & its Aftermath, 8–16 May
Art in Scotland, 10–17 May
Madrid & Toledo, 10–17 May
Classical Greece, 11–20 May
Gastronomic Le Marche, 13–20 May
The Western Balkans, 13–26 May
'Our lecturer and tour manager were excellent – complementing skills but both contributing greatly to the positive feel of the tour.'
'Very much enjoyed the balance between holiday and study!'
'Excellent. I had wanted to visit some of these hill towns before but wasn't aware of any way it could be done.'
'Well planned, each destination easily reached, allowing ample time for official guiding and personal exploration; enjoyed each day very much.'
'Michael has a wonderful way of bringing to life centuries old sights. Never boring or dull, but always witty and on point.'