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Umbria
- a fascinating region of history and culture by Roger Coombes
Featured
Umbria Self-Catering Accommodation / Perugia
Hotels
Assisi
Hotels
Umbria is located in the
geographical centre of Italy, between Tuscany and Le Marche. The capital
is Perugia, a city founded by the Etruscans. Umbria is the region where
in a relatively confined space the visitor can enjoy the best aspects of
Italian life, history and culture. Improved communications are opening
up the region to new types of visitors attracted by the artistic and cultural
heritage as well as the opportunities for having a second home, taking
holiday breaks in peaceful country locations, or enjoying outdoor sports
in attractive settings.
 The
hills, covered with evergreen oak, account for the traditional description
of Umbria as 'the green heart of Italy'. Between the Tiber valley and the
Tuscan towns of Cortona and Arezzo there is an attractive area of wooded
hills. Just west of Perugia is Lake Trasimeno, Umbria's largest expanse
of water, and scene of the battle where Hannibal and his elephants defeated
the Romans in 217 BC. South of Lake Trasimeno the landscape changes, becoming
gently undulating rather than hilly or mountainous and the houses are built
of terracotta bricks rather than stone, which gives a different look to
the countryside.
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Perugia is home to the National
Gallery of Umbria with a rich collection of paintings by Renaissance masters
such as Duccio, Giotto, Gentile da Fabriano, Fra Angelico, Piero della
Francesca and Pinturicchio. Città della Pieve to the south was the
birthplace of Pietro Vannucci, the Umbrian painter also known as 'Il Perugino'.
In Assisi the Basilica of Saint Francis is famous for its amazing set of
frescoes by Giotto.
For
sports-oriented visitors, Monte Cucco above Gubbio, and Monte Vettore near
Norcia, are centres for hang-gliding enthusiasts. Gubbio is home to an
annual international Arab horse endurance riding event. White water rafting
and kayaking are available in the Val Nerina near Spoleto, as well as skiing
in winter. |
Country walking, bird and
nature watching, and pony-trekking can be enjoyed almost everywhere in
Umbria. There are also several golf courses in the region.
Umbria has plenty of good
food and wine: there are truffles in the Val Nerina, as well as fresh and
smoked trout. Wild boar are hunted every autumn and the meat is turned
into prosciutto and sausages . Olives grow all over the region and Umbrian
olive oil is prized for its low acidity and delicate flavour. Montefalco
red wine and Grechetto white have a justly merited international reputation.
Alongside the genial and
hospitable Umbrians there is now a sizeable population of resident and
holidaying foreigners. Most have come for the countryside lifestyle and
settle in old farmhouses. Many of these have now been restored to levels
of comfort the previous inhabitants could only have dreamt of, mixing traditional
building materials such as stone, terracotta and chestnut wood fittings
with state of the art Jacuzzis and fitted kitchens. There is also no shortage
of town houses and apartments in historic buildings in very attractive
towns such as Città di Castello and Assisi.
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/ Featured
Assisi Area Self-Catering / Perugia
Hotels
Assisi
Hotels
About the Author - Roger
Coombes is a Director of Cluttons Italy, specialist Italyian Realtors and
Estate Agents with particular experience of buying
and selling property in Umbria. |
FEATURED
ASSISI AREA, UMBRIA SELF-CATERING / VACATION RENTAL ACCOMMODATION
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Casa
Rosa Holiday apartments with pool near Assisi (Ref: 50828)
Self catering
apartment in Assisi, Italy
CASA ROSA is
a traditional stone farmhouse set high in the green hills of Umbria, central
Italy, some 10 km (6 miles) north-east of Assisi. The house is divided
into three holiday apartments - one large apartment occupying the whole
of the first floor, and two smaller apartments sharing the ground floor.
It is surrounded by woods and farmland. The hills and forest hide
martens, porcupine and wild boar, all of which have been seen on the farm.
The wealth of bird life includes buzzards, goldfinches and hoopoes. In
spring the meadows, fields and verges abound in wild flowers, among them
poppies, cyclamen, wild gladioli, and many types of orchid. From May to
July fireflies dance in the night, and through the summer the Farm is home
to thirty varieties of butterfly. Sleeps 5. |
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Charming
villa near Assisi (Ref: 3402)
Self catering
villa in Rivotorto di Assisi, Italy
An elegant stone
farmhouse, in the untouched heart of Valle Umbra, Villa Rosy is located
in the midst of a nine hectare olive grove on the gentle hills of Mount
Subasio. Only 3 km from Assisi, the estate enjoys splendid views over the
valley with the towns of Perugia and Montefalco in the distance.
The original structure has been divided into two apartments furnished and
equipped to a high standard with a mixture of modern and antique furniture:
Mimosa and Magnolia. Both have an independent entrance. Villa Rosy is the
ideal place for a restful holiday whilst being central for exploring Umbrian's
interesting art towns. And the views over the plain below is astonishing.
Sleeps 10. |
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La
Casa Piccola, Umbria
Self catering
villa in Assisi | Property ref: 27286
This delightful
country house is set on the lower slopes of Mt Subasio, a regional park,
in the area known as the green heart of Italy. It is in a quiet rural setting,
one of a group of four houses, with Italian country people as its neighbours.
The Australian/English owners are sometimes in residence next door and
are available to help with any local information you may need. The house
has every comfort, with attractive modern furniture and a new kitchen.
Set on two floors, the living room with TV, CD player, books etc and the
separate kitchen are on the ground floor and the three bedrooms (two King-size
double, one single) and bathroom on the lower ground floor. There is also
a wood-floored inner balcony room, with a day bed. Sleeps 5. |
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Villa
San Gregorio (Ref: 50993)
Self catering farm house
in Passaggio, Italy
The stone farmhouse is a
typical rural Umbrian construction, with ceilings of chestnut and elm beams
and a tiled terracotta floor. Completely renovated with the utmost
respect it is characterized by a tower dating back to 1200 with additions
in 1700 when it became habitable. The house is encircled by an portico,
where animals were once bred to support the family. In the kitchen there
is another fireplace with a majestic wooden beam and a selection of copper
utensils used by the typical Umbrian family (a bed-warming pan, bowls to
make jam and conserves, etc), a spinning wheel dating back to 1700 used
by women to spin wool and weave cloth at home; an antique dish-washer is
also in the kitchen; in the 2 bathrooms beautiful basins one in travertino
the other in marble made in 1700. Sleeps 7. |
Use
the quick search feature for many more options in all areas of Umbria and
Italy
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