How many times have you felt like you needed a break from work and the everyday? And how many times has the best solution been to just set off to discover new places? If you too feel this urge, know that the answer to your problems has a name: Umbria.
You need only spend two days in this wonderful land to come back feeling completely regenerated. The itinerary we suggest today starts from Orvieto, one of Italy's most ancient towns. Its past has left us many monuments and churches to visit.
We begin with the Duomo, a dazzling example of Gothic-Romanesque architecture. Inside, the cathedral holds the Sacred Body and is adorned with unique frescoes painted by Lucal Signorelli. Also worth seeing just a few metres away are the Palazzi dei Papi, the Palaces of the Popes, imposing buildings which testify to the prestige of three great personalities of the Papal State: popes Urban IV, Martin IV, and Boniface VIII.
The ideal to-do list has to include a trip to the subterranean city, made out of caves and wells dug over the centuries by local inhabitants.
After visiting the Etruscan Necropolis, we recommend an aperitivo, or a wine tasting in one of the local cellars, as excellent wine grapes are cultivated in this area.
The following day we start our tour from Città della Pieve, where absolute must-sees are the house of the artist Perugino and his frescoes, such as the Madonna with Saint John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Gervase, and Protasius, the Baptism of Jesus, as well as the works of Pomarancio, such as The Eternal and the Angels.
After all this art, let us reward ourselves with a delicious lunch on the shores of Lake Trasimeno. An escape into the greenery is just what we need to relax and enjoy the local products.
We end on the second evening at Maggiore Island, which still today boasts the typical look of a 15th century fishing village. The characteristic local lace-making, the Casa del Capitano, and the Church of San Salvatore render this place magical and evocative, the perfect last stop of a journey that is bound to remain in your hearts.
