Hail, green Umbria!

Our trip begins in Citta di Castello, on the border with Tuscany, a town with a medieval flavour and well-preserved walls. We cross into Tuscany; in the distance Lake Trasimeno is already visible, and we reach Cortona, where both the Cathedral and the Medici Fortress are closed for restoration. Next stop is by the lake, at Passignano sul Trasimeno, where the parking meter grants us an hour and a half; we take the boat to Isola Maggiore and walk right around the island, amid dust and a touch of neglect. We continue towards Assisi. We find somewhere to sleep in a private house near Santa Maria degli Angeli, right below Assisi, perfectly placed the next day to climb the famous Mattonata. Assisi shines in its mystical aura, the Basilica enchants us and the morning breeze cools the air.

After visiting all the churches of Assisi, we climb to the Rocca Maggiore and the Rocca Minore along picturesque stairways, among stone houses and oleanders; there is also a path to the Eremo delle Carceri, but we take the car. Here the calm is absolute. A stop in Gubbio, to taste the "crescia", a kind of flatbread that is truly excellent. Dinner at an agriturismo. A stop in Spello, a medieval village perched on a hill; it feels like another era. "Hail, green Umbria, and you, god of the pure spring, Clitumnus!" Carducci's ode echoes in the air as we go down to cool off at the springs of the Clitunno, a spectacular, romantic landscape made even gentler by the presence of so many ducklings. Spoleto, by contrast, seems a little chaotic to us, but the Festival dei Due Mondi is on and the stage blocks the view of the Cathedral; the Roman House is lovely to see.

In the afternoon we head north and stop in Urbino, where we find an agriturismo ("Al bosco") just outside the city but surrounded by greenery.