Assisi and the St. Francis Basilica
Home of St. Francis, the most beloved saint in Italy, Assisi has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Built in pink and white stone from Mount Subasios's quarries, Assisi strikes for its incredible preservation and time seems to have stopped in the Middle Ages. Crowned by a 12th century fort, spreading along Mount Subasio's western flank, Assisi is especially known for its Papal Basilica of St. Francis, one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage and worship in the world. With its accompanying Franciscan friary, the Sacro Convento, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi and stands out in L'Attico B&B's view.
Built in the 13th century on three different levels - Upper Church, Lower Church and the crypt where Saint Francis' remains are interred - its interiors are completely covered with frescoes by late medieval art masters, including Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti, rendering this church one of Italy’s most outstanding art museums.
With its restaurants and artisans' shops, its museums and its narrow allyways, the town is a perfect place to wonder around, enjoy food and wine and gaze at its stunning views over the Umbrian valley.
Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli
L'Attico B&B is a few minutes walk from the town of Santa Maria degli Angeli, just 4 km (2.5 mi) away from Assisi. The town owes its name to the Papal Basilica built in the 16th-17th century to house a smaller chapel, known as the Porziuncola, (meaning “small portion of land”), where the Franciscan movement started. St. Francis built himself a small hut near the Chapel and was soon joined by others, forming first Franciscan convent by erecting other small huts of straw and mud, enclosed by a hedge. Feeling his end approaching, in September 1226 St. Francis asked to be brought to the Porziuncola to die. After the death of Francis, the spiritual value and the charisma of the Porziuncola became even greater. The church offers frescoes, paintings and ceramic and stone sculptures of many masters from Renaissance to late 19th century.
Adiacent to the Basilica is the Rose garden, where according to tradition one night St. Francis, feeling the temptation to abandon his way of life, rolled naked in the bramble thorns in an attempt to overcome doubt and temptation. In contact with his body, the bramble bushes turned into dog roses without thorns. Since then, the Rosa canina assisiensis has been grown in the garden.
The town offers shops, lovely cafes and connections by bus or by train to Siena, Florence, Rome and many other places of interest.
Spello
Spello is a well preserved and extremily attractive hilltop town just 10 minutes away by train from L'Attico B&B. The old walled town lies on a sloping ridge that eventually meets the plain. From the top of the ridge, Spello commands a beautiful view of the Umbrian plain and at the bottom of the ridge, the town spills out of its walls into a small modern section where the train station is located.
Spello offers many historical places of interst as well as beautiful artisan shops and restaurants. Known for its precious olive oil, visitors may taste it in the various wine sellars and restaurants.
It is especially famous for its incredible Infiorate, a town festivity taking palce each year for the Corpus Domini feast, usually in June. The night before, thousands of people work incessantly to create carpets and pictures made of flower petals along the narrow cobble stone streets.
The floral creations cover the streets throughout the historical centre in preparation to the procession of the Blessed Sacrament carried by the bishop on Sunday morning. The result is a unique one mile long path of beautiful floral creations with an explosion of colours and scents. Differently from other similar manifestations, Spello’s Infiorate creators compose their splendid carpets using flowers collected in the wild. The gathering, meticulous collection and processing of these natural materials starts several months before their actual use, becoming often a year around effort in order to tap into the variety of seasonal floral species.
See L'Attico's Events to find out when this year's Infiorate are
Perugia and its nightlife
Perugia is the capitol city of Umbria and its largest city. Known for its two universities, its population is of one fourth made of students from around the world, contributing to Perugia's lively and diverse nightlife.
The city is furthermore gorgeous. While traveling through Italy, Henry James, baffled by Perugia's multiple panoramas, renames it "the city of infinite views". Founded by the Etruscans, a pre-Roman ancient civilation and flourished in late Medieval and Renaissance times.
The National Gallery of Umbria is one of the region's most important museums for Medieval art and continuously houses temporary exhibitions. Perugia also offers a great Contemporary Art musem, Palazzo Della Penna and a stunning Archeoloical Museum.
Some of the best restaurants in Umbria are found in the narrow streets of the city, as well as literay cafés, pubs and music clubs.
Perugia is famous worldwide for its chocolate (ever heard of Baci Perugina?) and its 10 day long Jazz Festival.
The Umbria Jazz Festival is one of the most important jazz festivals in the world and has been held annually since 1973, usually in the month of July. Free concerts on the streets and in the main squares start at 2 pm and finish late at night. All the theatres and arenas and jazz cafés host concerts of the best voices, gospel choirs, sax-players and jazz/blues/soul musicians in the world. The city fully books very fast and every night it's a party and a feast. In the past thirty years, Perugia has heard music by Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Enrico Rava, Paul Fresu, Eric Clapton, James Brown, John Lewis, Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Paolo Conte, Prince, Erykah Badhu, Alicia Keys and many others.
See L'Attico's Events and find out when Umbria Jazz is held this year!
Parco del Monte Subasio
Mount Subasio is treferred to as 'The Mountain of Assisi", as the town and the mountain have lived in symbiosis since antiquity. The park was created in 1995 and the entire historical centre of Assisi lies within the Park.
At its peek M. Subasio is 1290 mt high and its cap provides for pasture for horses and cows. Below the pastures a forest of oaks and maple trees takes over reaching the lower belt of the mountain traditionally cultivated with olive trees providing some of the best olive oil in Italy.
Hunting and shooting has been banned since decades favoring the new colonisation of the gray partridge, wild cats, squirrels, magpies, jays, hedgehogs, porcupines, badgers, foxes, weasels, and the wild boar. Royal eagle and quail nestings have been recently spotted and from time to time wolfs have been reported. Among the birds of prey, the goshawk and the horned owl are often seen gliding over the woods.
The park offers numerous itineraries, guiding hickers into the forest, up to the top, allowing incredible views stretching all the way to Tuscany, the Abruzzi and with full views of the Appenine mountain range. For a hiking guide go to our Activities page.
On the way, religious and historical sites may be visited, such as the Sanctuary of Madonna della Spella near Spello, the Abbey of San Benedetto and the Eremo delle Carceri near Assisi where St. Francis would retire in pray and contemplation of Nature.
The park also offers a very interesting paleontology and geology museum for those interested in the science of the area, as well as paragliding for the bravest, which will take you gliding down the western flank of the mountain and over Assisi, possibly in the sunset.
For more information contact the Park’s headquarter at Ca’ Piombino (Assisi), Tel. +39 075.8155290 E-mail foxilgump@libero.it - or ask Alessandra at L'Attico B&B.
L'Attico B&B is in a strategic position allowing our guests to easily reach the Medieval town of Assisi and its stunning Basilica of St. Francis as well as other Umbrian hilltowns, natural parks and breathtaking itineraries. L'Attico B&B is the perfect place where to stay while traveling throughout Central Italy, with the Assisi train station at just a 3 minute walk, connecting to Rome, Florence, Siena, Perugia, Lake Trasimeno and more.
Nearby Attractions
Montefalco and the Sagrantino Wine
Montefalco is yet another gorgeous Medieval hilltown, only a 20 minute drive from L'Attico B&B, especially famous for its unique red wine, the Sagrantino. Sagrantino grapes are protected and may only be grown on the rolling hills surrounding Montefalco and Bevagna.
Many of the vineyards are ancient and have been taken care of througout centuries by the same families. The properties thus offer beautiful country-side villas and farms, partly transformed into modern and tasteful wine bars, where visitors can sip and taste a wide range of full-bodied red wines. The Sagrantino grape is in fact used in various combinations allowing a wide choice to please any palate.
One of the most famous properties is the Castelbuono vineyard. At its center stands the incredible structure of the Carapace - a wine bar designed by internationally renown Italian sculptor, Arnaldo Pomodoro, in a unique combination of contemporary architecture, ancient landscape and delicious wines.
Visit our Activities page if you wish to learn about the most special wine tour in Umbria, Monte Vibiano's Eco-tours and wine tastings.
