Assisi, Todi, Bevagna, Montefalco, and Spello in Umbria
12, 13 and 15 September 2019
Thanks to Luciana for recommending Bevagna, Montefalco, and Spello.
Yes. More medieval towns. We are now feeling as if we are experts on medieval towns. Here is what we have learned.
Start your town even before the medieval ages. Locate it on a high hill or promontory above the surrounding countryside with views on all sides to be aware of enemies who might be approaching. Build a short wall around the town. When defending yourself gets tough or you are overtaken by a rival power, build a fortress, increase the height of the wall and perhaps expand the wall to take in the growing community. Make sure to have a supply of water in the fortress. If the Etruscans were there before, the Romans probably enlarged the Etruscan gates and walls and and put in place better water and road systems.
The community’s buildings must be on what little land is available within the walls, so build above three stories and maximize the building footprint on the land you have. This will result in narrow streets that usually run up and down the hills. Side passages can be even narrower. This will have implications for cars 800 years in the future, but who cares?
If the old wall is not enough, build one or two more walls to enclose the expanding community. You will want to use hard stone now that cannons have come into use. Brick and soft stone no longer do the job of protecting you. If you haven’t increased the height of the wall, now is a good time to do that. It is ok to use stones from the old walls for constructing new buildings, or, what the heck, use the wall as one side of your new home or business. You can use the ground floor to keep your animals. It will serve as a garage in the future, but be sure not to own a car bigger than an ox.
As a tourist today, you are faced with parking distant from the place you stay, and narrow winding streets make you remember muscles you haven’t used since high school gym class. Large open areas in the town are mostly designated now as pedestrian zones—no cars allowed, thank goodness—but don’t be surprised if you hear a Fiat 500 approaching from behind. Plazas are still used for commerce—the weekly mercato and festivals—but are mostly places for tables under canvas canopies with lots of locals, tourists, and students sipping beers, proseccos, or Aperol spritzes.
In 2019, be happy if some rival power of 500 years ago or a misplaced incentive to modernize did not take down the walls or the fortress in your town. Wander around these amazing examples of medieval architecture and be sure to remember that the Etruscans and Romans were likely there first. Oh, and be sure to take a seat at one of those tables to rest your feet and enjoy your spritz.
Assisi
We have been to Assisi several times before but this time we found it a stark contrast to Perugia. Assisi is FILLED with tourists, mostly evidenced by the abundance of shops selling everything from magnet images for your refrigerator to decorated plates for your walls, and, of course, jewelry. Bonnie read that luxury spas have established themselves in town. So much for spiritual reverence.
Assisi—Chiesa Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Sopra means over. And yes, that means over a place of pagan worship—a Roman temple.
Assisi—Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
The upper basilica with frescos by Cimabue and others was heavily damaged in an earthquake and aftershocks in 2011. The YouTube link below gives you a better understanding of what a 5.5 quake did to Assisi.
Assisi—Cibo e bibite
Todi
Santuario di Santa Maria della Consolazione
We don’t normally lead off our posts with churches, but this church is emblematic of Todi. Pure Renaissance in form. Some baroque snuck into the interior.
Todi—Wanderings
Todi—Basilica Cattedrale della Santissima Annuziata
Todi—Chiesa e Campanile di San Fortunato
Todi—Olive oil workshop
We signed up for four hours of Olive Oil 101. And it was great. We were the only two “students” that day on an estate out in the countryside. Robert did not take a lot of photos because he was busy listening to (and tasting) the detailed review of olive oil making. Let us tell you about the fragility of polyphenols.
The owners have “started from scratch” buying an old family farm that has olives and vineyards. They are planting new varieties and have consulted with experts in making olive oils and wines—applying science and craft to their product. It is very much a boutique business with orders made only directly with the owners. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. They offer accommodations to stay. Great people. Great views. Great olive oils and wine.
| Frantoio Passo della Palomba Localita’ Boschetto 47 Cecanibbi, Todi, Umbria 06059 |
https://www.passodellapalomba.com
Todi—Cibo e bibite
Bevagna
Sleepy little town with a lot of charm that happened to have a small Sunday antique (stuff from people’s homes) mercato going on. Bonnie found a cashmere outlet and bought a scarf. There seemed to be lots of high-end restaurants.
Montefalco
We visited Montefalco once before. That time a chilly rainstorm forced us into a restaurant for lunch and an unforgettable meal of pasta with truffles. Montefalco was sleepy then, but now it is full of tourists.
This time we also got a lovely surprise because we arrived on the last day of a three-day wine-tasting event with a pranzo (lunch) going of local foods. We tasted local wines and had lunch.
The other surprise was that the town was having a festival celebrating the end of the wine harvest—Festa di Fine Vendemmia—although we still saw grapes on the vines. It was more for local people than the tourists up the hill. We found more than a dozen tractors arranged in a large parking area. Each towed a flatbed trailer decorated in some wine-related theme, like floats for a parade. All draped in bunches of fresh grapes. Each had folks dressed in “native” costumes handing out some sort of free food or glasses of wine. The place was mobbed. Accordion music added to the liveliness of the experience. One of the best images for Robert was a young woman dressed in “grapes” with a LARGE bottle of wine on the trailer behind her. Her father/uncle/friend handed out wine from a large wine jug. See her below.
Montefalco—Festa di Fine Vendemmia
Spello
On our drive back to Perugia we fit in a stop in Spello. Arrived late afternoon. Parked at the base of the hill and were not sure how to get through the medieval wall and up to the town. Met a old guy who directed us to the stairs leading to the center of town. Nice fellow. Saw him when we returned to our car a few hours later, and he asked how our walk had been and updated us on his Sunday trying to get the family olives to the mill. He and past generations of his family grew up in Spello.
The town stands out when driving past on the autostrada. Multiple gates touched by the Romans. Spello is worth a quick visit. It has a touch of tourists too.
