Castles of Umbria

Japanese version

Umbria ウンブリア州の城　日本語PDFダウンロードはこちらから

Umbria, located in the centre of Italy, is a green region of forests and fields, lakes and rivers, and numerous castles and fortified towns full of medieval atmosphere. Some castles are now picturesque ruins, but many fortresses can be visited as museums or have been converted into luxury accommodations.

We suggest a selection of castles located in towns that are well worth a visit.

Three towns – Spoleto, Narni and Assisi – preserve fortresses built by Cardinal Albornoz in the 14th century; all three fortresses are now museums, and each town offers visitors other interesting attractions:

Spoleto: a charming small art city with a beautiful cathedral, a scenic medieval bridge, and some Roman remains. The fortress overlooking the town has spectacular views and is home to a museum with interesting frescoes, sculpture and paintings, and a graffito about Lucrezia Borgia.

Narni: a lovely village with a dramatic position overlooking a precipitous gorge. Hiking and cycling trails circle the town, in part along a Roman aqueduct, in part along a section of turquoise-coloured river (an effect caused by the mineral springs feeding into it). The fortress is open as a museum.

Assisi is a beautifully preserved village built in pink and white stone, and famous for its native son, Saint Francis. The Basilica of San Francesco is decorated with a magnificent fresco cycle by Giotto illustrating the life of the Saint. The fortress can be visited as a museum.

Lake Trasimeno, on the border with Tuscany, is ringed by olive groves, vineyards and lovely villages. The town of Magione is home to the Castle of the Knights of Malta that today is owned by a winery. Across the lake in Castiglione del Lago, the Palazzo della Corgna museum and Lion fortress welcomes visitors who can explore the tower with its views over the lake. Polvese Island, reached by ferry, is a favourite destination in warm weather because of its sandy beach, and visitors can see a 15th century fortress, a nature reserve, and the remains of a monastery.

The relatively undiscovered Nera River Valley (Valnerina) is home to many watchtowers, abbeys and fortified villages. In Scheggino, visitors strolling along the riverfront can see trout in its clear water, and walk a path alongside the spring that flows into the river in the centre of town, below a watchtower and the remains of a fortress. Nearby Vallo di Nera retains its fortifications, and there are wonderful viewpoints around town. The church of Santa Maria Assunta is decorated with colourful frescoes (covered over for centuries but recently restored).

Many other Umbrian castles can be seen, such as those in Alviano, San Giustino, Gualdo Tadino, Perugia and Campello Alta.

1. Create and learn: from chocolate-making lessons from the famous Perugina Chocolate experts to workshops in traditional ceramics or glass, have a fun learning experience.
2. Rafting, canoeing, sailing: in the Valnerina and around the famous Marmore Waterfalls (created by the Romans and among the highest in Europe), enjoy the rapids of the Nera or Corno rivers. If you’d rather go sailing or kite-surfing, Lake Trasimeno is the perfect place for you. Do you prefer a more relaxed experience? Lake Piediluco is a canoeing paradise (some national teams use it as a training base!)
3. Great music: the Spoleto Festival, held in early summer, has brought world-class performing arts to Umbrian audiences for over 60 years. Classical music concerts on the lakeshore are the specialty of the Trasimeno Music Festival. In Città di Castello, the Festival delle Nazioni highlights the music of a different country each year. And Umbria Jazz (in Perugia) and Umbria Jazz Winter (in Orvieto) delight music-lovers with performances held in venues around town.
4. Incredible historic events: the Ceri festival has been passionately celebrated by people of Gubbio for almost 900 years.
5. Nature’s bounty and beauty: visiting a winery is always a chance to taste and discover excellent wines, and in the autumn the leaves of Sagrantino vines turn scarlet. The silvery green leaves of olive trees are seen almost everywhere, and extra virgin olive oil puts the finishing touch on traditional Umbrian soups, pasta, fish and meat dishes.

1. Discovering Umbria

1. umbriatourism.it