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Art itineraries


In Umbria the traces of the Etruscan civilization are remarkable, as visitors can see in Todi, Bettona, Orvieto and Perugia. Spoleto has important Roman remains. Other important Roman works can be found in Assisi, Spello and Gubbio. The Romanesque architecture thrived in thins region at the beginning of the twelfth century. The Gothic style reached very high levels, and imposing examples are present in almost every city. The Renaissance can be seen in magnificent monuments in Perugia, Gubbio, Todi, but it enjoyed a smaller development than other styles.


Archaeology itineraries - Umbria




Archaeology itineraries
Thousands of years of history, peoples, and civilisation have left an archaeological patrimony in Umbria that is diffi cult even to quantify. Virtually every city and town, large and small alike, has traces of the ancient Umbrians, Etruscans, or Romans. ight in the centre of Perugia, for example, are the Etruscan Arch (or Arco di Augusto) dating to the 3rd century B.C. . But the most important sites are the Hypogeum of the Volumni (2nd c. B.C), one of the most important Etruscan monuments in
Italy. Other important monuments are: Temple of Minerva (Assisi), Etruscan necropolises (Orvieto), Bridge of Augustus (Narni), Roman amphitheatre (Terni), Petrified forest (Avigliano Umbro), Carsulae Roman site (San Gemini). There is also a subterranean Umbria to discover other archaeological treasures: Orvieto Underground and Narni Underground.


Middle Ages in Umbria

 



Mystical Umbria
The Middle Ages brought a mystical fervour that is still spreading today after hundreds of years. Umbria was already pervaded by a deep religious spirit much earlier: in the Roman era, the river god Clitumnus spoke through the oracle, the Sybil prophesised in the celebrated cave, Jove could enjoy the ilex groves in Monteluco consecrated to him, and Mars was venerated in ancient Todi. With the advent of Christianity, Umbria became a land of saints, churches, monasteries and convents. Assisi’s Basilica of San Francesco, hastily erected in 1230, is as huge and imposing as St. Francis was poor and humble. Its walls have been frescoed by a young Giotto with delightful scenes from the life of the saint, who was born here in 1181. Orvieto’s stupendous cathedral took centuries to build; its ornate facade will take your breath away, especially at noon when it basks in the full glory of golden Umbrian sunlight.


The renaissance cycles - Umbria Italy

 

 




The renaissance cycles
In Umbria, it is possible to see a number of masterpieces by some of the greatest Italian painters from 14-1500 AD: Pietro Vannucci known as “Il Perugino”, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippo Lippi, Luca Signorelli and Bernardino di Betto know as “Pinturicchio”. The end of the 15th century saw Luca Signorelli (from Cortona) busy decorating the chapel of San Brizio in the Duomo of Orvieto; work that had been started 50 years earlier by Beato Angelico and Benozzo Bozzoli. The result was and still is an art masterpiece. During the same years, Pietro Perugino, commissioned by the Collegio del Cambio, had made a return to Perugia to work on the frescoes in the Sala delle Udienze (court room).
Lastly, in Spello in 1501, Bernardino di Betto known as Pinturicchio was enlisted by Troilo Baglioni to decorate the family chapel (also known as ‘Cappella Bella’ – beautiful chapel) in the high church of Santa Maria. The frescoes which on the walls show the Annunciation, the Nativity and Jesus amidst the Doctors, and on the vaults, the four Sybils are some of the more cheery of the Perugian painter’s works.


Contemporary art - Umbria Italy

 

 






 Places of contemporary art 
Città di Castello is the host of a collection by its most illustrious citizen: Alberto Burri. The collection was started based upon donations by the artist himself at the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini and today can be seen in two premises which form part of the Palazzo Albizzini in via Albizzini 1, and at the ex Seccatoi del tabacco (tabaccho drying-rooms) in via Pierucci. Burri, who was one of the most important personalities on the art scene after the Second World War, left the 50s by abandoning the traditional medium of oil and colour and by choosing materials which become the protagonist of his art.
The indisputable leader of the Perugian group was Gerardo Dottori, one of the protagonists of Italian futurism and a founder of ‘Aeropittura’. The originality of Dottori’s art comes from his ability to merge futurism with landscape representation.
In the heart of Trevi, found close to Spoleto, inside the Palazzo Lucarini (1500s), is the Trevi Flash Art Museum of Contemporary Art, which organises temporary, personal or collective exhibitions of the most interesting artists on the Italiana and international art scene.