back to Towns and Cities
Umbertide
Umbertide is a friendly working town on the Tiber River. It’s close to many of our properties and is useful for supermarket shopping and the Wednesday market held in the old part of town.
Montone
Montone is a short drive from many of our properties. As you approaching, signs tell you that it is one of the most beautiful borgos (walled villages) in Italy. You’ll probably agree when you get there. The views from the walls are fantastic and the town is a great place to stroll around and enjoy a drink in the piazza. There are also several good restaurants here.
Città di Castello (Umbria)
A working town built on the Tiber,tourists often pass Città di Castello without a second glance. Those that do are missing out on a charming old centre (with some good bars and restaurants) and two art galleries, the Pinacoteca Comunale and the Burri Collection, located in two buildings around the town.
Pinacoteca Comunale
Located in the Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, the town art gallery has works by Luca Signorelli (from Cortona) and Raphael. A member of the Vitelli family (who used to own the palazzo) is mentioned in Macchiavelli’s book of how to suceed in politics, The Prince. The unfortunate mercenary captain is garroted on the orders of Cesare Borgia.
Burri Collection
If you fancy a break from medieval and Renaissance art, the Collezione Burri is the ideal place. Alberto Burri was born in Città di Castello and was leading member of the Arte Povera movement, using cheap and recycled materials to create abstract works of art. The collection of 257 pieces is located in the Palazzo Albizzini in the town centre and in buildings previously used for tobacco drying, south of the town centre.
SANSEPOLCRO (Tuscany)
Once part of the Papal States, Sansepolcro was sold by a cash-strapped pope to the Dukes of Tuscany. The famous painter and mathematician, Piero della Francesco was born here and two of his paintings (The Resurrection of Christ and The Madonna della Misericordia), can be seen in the town’s art gallery. Today Piero della Francesca is claimed by both the Tuscans and Umbrians as their painter due to the sale of his town. The centre of Sansepolcro was reportedly saved from destruction during World War II because of the presence of his paintings; a British officer had read Aldous Huxley’s description of the Resurrection as “the greatest painting in the world” and delayed shelling the town. The story goes that the Germans withdrew before he was forced to comply with his orders. Today the centro storico has several good restaurants and bars and is a pleasant place to wander around.
Things to See
Museo Civico
The main reason that people come here is to see Piero della Francesca’s paintings in the Museo Civico. The fresco of the Resurrection of Christ is still in its original position. It is painted with two vanishing points, you are looking up at the sleeping soldiers but straight at the figure of Christ. The effect is almost to make Christ jump out of the painting. The Madonna della Misericordia is a more traditional painting, using a lot of gold leaf in the background and with a large Madonna sheltering the smaller images of the artist’s patrons under her cloak.
Anghiari (Tuscany)
A pleasant hilltown close to Sansepolcro, art lovers might have heard of it because of Leonardo da Vinci’s lost (and probably never completed) painting of the Battle of Anghiari which depicted a Florentine victory over Milanese forces. In reality the mercenary forces employed by both cities fought a staged battle and only one man was killed! Watch out for the hard to spot speed cameras!
Monterchi (Tuscany)
Famous for another Piero della Francesco painting, the Madonna del Parto (Madonna in Labour). It’s thought the village was associated with a pagan fertility cult and was also the home of Piero’s mother, so the depiction of this unusual subject in this place has some relevance both to Piero and the village. The painting is very simple but has a strange beauty which never fails to impress visitors. Monterchi is a pleasant enough village but without the painting it would be a lot quieter. Again, watch out for the hard to spot speed cameras!
Citerna (Umbria)
Again, a lovely hill town worth a quick stroll. There’s a bar in the centre of town if refreshments are needed!
Monte Santa Maria Tiberina (Umbria)
A hilltop village that was once an independent state, one of two places in Europe where duels were legal (don’t ask me where the other place was!) If you are in the area it’s worth a drive up here for the views and beautiful buildings. If the weather’s good, a drink on the panoramic terrace outside the bar / restaurant is a pleasant way to pass the time.
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