Orvieto: the rock of Orvieto is an important etruscan city, and it’s one of the chief cities of etruscan confederation. In 264 B.C. the town was destroyed by the romans and the inhabitants went on the north-east side of Lago di Bolsena. In the Middle Ages the town became a municipality.

Guided tour: magnificent Orvieto

The Dome is one of the most important building of gothic style. It has a splendid façade with beautiful 14 C. carvings and it contains the chapel of the Holy Corporal.
In 1264 the ope Urban IV institued ehe Festival of Corpus Domini, to celebrate the Transubstantiation.
The other masterpiece ist the “Cappella della Madonna di San Brizio”: it contains frescoes by Signorelli. The chapel was built in 1409-1419 by Fra Angelico and his helper Benozzo Gozzoli. Between (1499-1504) Luca Signorelli represented the Day of Judgememt and life after death.
Opposite the façade of the cathedral ist the Palazzo dell’Opera del Duomo, next door is Plazzo Faina, which houses a museum and the Museo Civico Archeologico.
Near the Junction with via del Duomo is the tall Torre del Moro (12C.). From Corso Cavour, via Piazza del Popolo leads to the large peaceful Piazza del Popolo, dominated by the impressive Palazzo del Popolo (12C.)
Corso Cavour ends in Piazza della Repubblica, the central square of Orvieto. Here the 12C. Chrch of San Andrea has a fine 12-sided campanile. Next to the church the Palazzo Comunale, built in 1216, with a façade of the 1580 by Ippolito Scalza.
At the easternmost part of the town is piazza Cahen with the funicolar. To the left an avenue descends to the Pozzo san Patrizio built by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1527-1537)

Assisi is an umbro-etruscan settlement and it became the important roman town of Assisium.
Numerous and famous painters worked in the basilica of S. Francesco in the 13-14 C.: Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini.
In 1226 St. Francis died in the transit chapel in S. Maria degli Angeli.
His body was buried in the church of S. Giorgio. In 1230 the tomb of St. Francis was transferred to the new basilica. This wonderful building was consecrated in 1253.
The lower church has a renaissance porch by Pietrasanta and a gothic portal. The interior is in Romanesque style and has a tau cross.
The oldest frescoes are in the walls of the nave and they represent the passion of the life of St. Francis.
A staircase descends to the crypt where a stone coffin houses the Saint’s body. Two more staircases continue up from the terrace to the transepts of the upper church.
The upper church full of light, unlike the lower church, is rich of masterpieces painted from 1277 to 1300 by Cimabue, Jacopo Torriti and Giotto. In the lower register of the nave are famous scenes from the life of St. Francis painted by Giotto and his assistants. Towards in the upper part are frescoes of stories from old and new testament by Cimabue and Jacopo Torriti. The medieval stained glasses are the most important in Italy.
The façade of the upper church has a beautiful rose window and a fine gothic portal. The street of S. Francis leads towards the centre of the town.
Walking along the way up on the right you can see the “Oratorio dei Pellegrini” of the 15 C. It has a fresco on the façade by Matteo Da Gualdo. On the left a 16 C. Palace “Bartocci-Fontana” and opposite the porch called Monte Frumentario.
The main square was built above a roman settlement, and nowadays the temple of Minerva of the 1 B.C. has a preserved pronaos of six Corinthian columns. In 1539 this building was transformed into a church and in 1634 it became in baroque style. Next to it in the 13 C. the tall Torre del Popolo and the Palazzo del Podestà were built. Opposite the temple there’s the town hall and “Palazzo dei Priori”.
From the town hall square, via S. Rufino leads up to a splendid roman square, which houses the wonderful façade in Romanesque style. All its interior was transformed in 1517 by the architect Galeazzo Alessi.
In Piazza S. Chiara built in 1257-1265 there’s a fantastic view of the Valle Umbra. Inside the church there’s a chapel which houses the crucifix that is said to have spoken to St. Francis. In the crypt there are S. Chiara’s relics.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

This masterpiece was designed in 1569 by Galeazzo Alessi to cover the little 11 century oratory la “Porziuncola”.
Behind there’s the Cappella del Transito where St. Francis died the 3 October 1226. The roses chapel is a barrel volted chapel built by St. Bonaventura over the cave of St.Framcis.

Norcia is a little town of roman origins, it was the birthplace of S. Benedict and his twin sister Santa Scolastica.

Porta Romana is the main entrance to the town that leads to Corso Sertorio that is the main street.
In Piazza S. Benedetto there’s St. Benedict’s Basilica. Its façade of the 14 C. has two statues in tabernacles.
All the church was restored in the 18 C.
Stairs descend to the crypt which was the birthplace of the twin saints.
The town hall houses the wonderful Cappella dei Priori and its porch dates back to the 1st century.
The enclosed Loggia above was rebuilt by Domenico Mollaioli.
Opposite is the fortified palace called La Castellina. Vignola was commissioned by the pope in 1556 to do this work.
On the upper floor there’s the civic museum. Beside the Castellina there’s the Dome, S. Maria Argentea, built in 1560. A road on the left hand side of the dome leads to St. Lorenzo’s church built in the middle ages. Opposite is the fine 14 C. gothic church of St. Francis.
At the foot of the walls of the town there’s a beautiful valley known as Marcite.