In the Footsteps of St. Francis
Medieval Assisi and Umbrian hill towns with a local art collector
In Brief
| Assisi - 3 nights. |
Day 1 Depart from London Stansted on Ryanair to Perugia. Transfer to the Hotel Fontebella for a three-night stay. An evening aperitif at the private home of an art collector who will tell the story of St. Francis and accompany guests throughout their stay.
Day 2 A morning tour of Assisi visiting the places associated with St. Francis including his Basilica, with frescoes by Cimabue, Giotto, Lorenzetti and Martini. Afternoon visit to the picturesque town of Spello, visiting the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Day 3 Visit Bevagna and the Romanesque churches of San Silvestro and San Michele, a tiny 19th-century opera house, a 15th-century merchant’s house furnished with historical accuracy, and a Roman mosaic floor. Afternoon drive to Montefalco with spectacular views over the Umbrian valley, to see the frescoes of the life of St. Francis by Benozo Gozzoli.
Day 4 Depart from Perugia for the return flight or extend your stay for four nights.
Extension - 4-nights
Day 4 Drive to Perugia, the capital of Umbria, visiting the underground medieval streets below the Rocca Paolina, the National Gallery, the Piazza IV Novembre with the Palazzo dei Priori and the 13th-century Fontana Maggiore, a 1st-century Roman mosaic of Orpheus and the Etruscan Arch. This afternoon, drive to Lake Trasimeno where Hannibal defeated the Romans in 217 BC.
Day 5 Half-day visit to the mountain fortress of Gubbio with its Roman amphitheatre, Palazzo dei Consoli and the Basilica of Sant' Ubaldo.
Day 6 Drive to Orvieto and visit the Duomo which a Pope described as ‘the golden lily of Italian cathedrals’. Stop at the charming little town of Todi en route.
Day 7 Drive to Spoleto and visit the cathedral, with its 12th-century façade and frescoes by Lippi, the Romanesque Churches of Sant’Eufemio and San Gregorio; a 1st-century Roman house and the Ponte delle Torri, a 14th-century bridge spanning a 250-foot ravine.
Day 8 Depart from Perugia on Ryanair for the return flight to London Stansted.
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