Hill Town Trekking, Part 2

This is the second part of a 2-part series on the hill towns we visited in Tuscany and Umbria. You can read Part I here. 

Assisi

This was the furthest afield we drove to reach a hill town, a solid nintey minutes from the farmhouse and through the traffic of Perugia, Umbria’s largest town. Staying true to form, GPS navigated us to a parking lot very close to the city wall, albeit along a one-way dirt road that made us a bit nervous for a while. We arrived mid-morning, and loaded up the Rick Steves audio guide for Assisi. We had tried to hire a tour guide for Assisi, but just didn’t get it together in time, so we decided to guide ourselves through this pious hill town, with Rick Steves as our guide. We started at the ruins of the roman forum and baths, and the newer buildings in the center that dated to the 1300s, and then followed the path to the outer wall, for a view of the valley below. From there we made our way into the historic center of the city, stopping first for a cappucino. Groups of campers and Boy Scouts were in Assisi that day, but it did not feel crowded or touristy. We also saw many friars, and a group of nuns visiting the many places. After coffee, we walked across the square to the Cathedral of San Rufino, Assis’s patron saint. The church itself was interesting, but we really enjoyed the crypt and museum beneath the church, with numerous religous artifacts. Our tour continued through the heart of the town, stopping at the Basilica of St. Clare to appreciate the view from the square, and wandering through the shops lining the road to Piazza del Comune, Assisi’s main square. We stopped there for a quick peek in Minerva’s Temple, and to enjoy lunch on the square. We continued walking downhill through the town, dutifully stopping at the designated spots to listen to Rick and his assistant tour guide enthrall us wtih the history of St. Francis. We eventually ended up at the Cathedral of St. Francis, with its magnificent upper and lower basilicas. By that time, we were losing the attention of Cupcake and Steve, which is unfortuante, as you could easily spend the better part of a half day exploring the Cathedral and its many beautiful works of art. As it was, Potter and I focused on the frescoes lining the walls of the upper basilica, recounting the inspirring life story of St. Francis. It was boiling outside by the time we finished with the Basilica, so we stopped for gelato about halfway back up through the town, at a gelateria that Cupcake had specifically insisted we try!

Orvieto

We hired a local guide for Orvieto, arranged entirely through email. Lucianna actually lives inside the city walls, in the district known as Stella, just a few short blocks from the Duomo. One of the fun facts Lucianna shared with us was how the city was divided into four quadrants, and they competed each spring in a flower festival. Outside judges are brought in to evaluate each district’s color-coordinated displays (each district has specific color schema – Stella is red and white). We walked part of the perimeter of the Old Town, learning about the importance and significance of Orvieto, from Etruscan times through the Rennaissance. She highlighted church artwork with complex three-dimensional perspectives from before the Middle Ages, that were then rediscovered during the Rennaissance. We climbed the Torre del Moro – no one knows why there is a tower dedicated to the Moors of north Africa – for the aerial view of Orvieto; and to have the bell ring in our ears unexpectedly. She showed us several expansive villas where the town’s most important people lived, including the leading politican, and the ‘man of the people.’ She explained the architectural details of the villas – the arched doorway leading to the main courtyard, to the terraced window above the arch for addressing visitors, to the increasingly smaller windows as you climb to upper levels meant to denote the diminishing status of the people who lived within. The tour concluded at the Duomo, one of the more magnificent churches we’ve seen in Italy, particularly the intricate Gothic facade featuring incredible mosaics, and the frescoes in the knaves of the interior.

Civita di Bagnoregio

We visited the “dying city” on a late afternoon, also with our tour guide Luccina. Built over 2,500 years ago by the Etruscans, the plateau on which itPerched atop a plateau overlooking the Tiber river valley, Its perfect to visit with the kids because its small, and its accessible only by foot, across a long, dramatic footbridge. The tufo on which the town is built is slowly giving way, eroded by winds and moisture seeping through the rock from two rivers that run beneath it. Many bulidings, and the main road in, have been lost to the elements, sliding down the cliffs. Crossing the valley to the city gate is as dramatic a walk as you will find in Italy, and once inside, its equally impressive. The entry itself has moved back into the town, as part of the cliff have given way. In fact, when you’re in the first square, and look back behind you, you will see the facade of what was once an impressive villa. Today, just a wall remains, the cliffs below having claimed the rest of the building. The door and open windows literally lead right off a cliff. Today, only four people live in Civita full time, though it remains a popular weekend getaway and there are many restuarants and several small shops that cater to tourists. You can walk the entire town end-to-end in 30 minutes, marveling at what remains of this impressive little town. The small church in the main square (San Donato) features a painting of Saint Bonaventure, born in Civita and said to have been miraculously cured of a serious illness by Francis of Assisi (Bonaventure was a great scholar, and wrote many books on Assisi’s life). Kids may be a bit spooked by the glass-enclosed body upon which a side altar sits (the skull sits in a museum, but the facial hair is real). There’s also a wall of miracles dedicated to Mary. Luccina explained that during the great earthquake of 1695, the wall of the church crumbled, revealing a nearly perfectly preserved fresco of Mary with Baby Jesus. Upon its appearance, the shaking stopped. Thereafter, believers would pilgrimmage to the church to pray for miracles. Small silver hearts adorn the wall to represent the miracles granted. When leaving Civita, don’t miss the gelateria across near the entrance to the footbridge into town, across from the ticket office. You’ll need to recharge to climb up the hill to the parking area (luckily for us, Luccina has a pass that allows her to park near the bridge, saving us that uphill climb on what was a very hot afternoon).

Cetona

Visting Cetona was a very different experience than the other hill towns we specifically sought out. I was on my own without the family, and I had no idea I’d be going there. Cetona was at the end of the private mountain bike tour with Andrea, owner of the Seven Cafe in Monteleone d’Orvieto, where Potter and I trekked in the mornings for coffee and pastries. The tour itself was perfect for a novice like me: straight downhill over dirt roads, through olive groves and fields of sunflowers, then a long mostly flat ride on backroads until a final climb into Cetona. The scenerey was beautiful, and lunch on the main square afterward was rewarding after riding 25 km (I know, not a lot, but it was HOT)…but the highlight was spending a few hours talking with a local. Andrea speaks reasonably good English, but some words don’t translate. I did my best to piece it together, and that was what really made the experience. I learned that Andrea is a bit of a celebrity in those parts, as he was a professional soccer player before becoming a businessman. I learned about the two bars he managed, and the recent addition of a kitchen featuring his brother’s pizzas. We talked about his business philosophy, and how he did not believe in taking advantage of tourists with different prices; and why he did not adorn his bar with sports memorabilia (the ‘Seven’ in Seven Cafe represents his jersey number, but you’ll otherwise find no reference to his athletic career in the bar). I learned that he vacationed in Sardinia with another Italian that played in the NBA. I learned about his wife, the pilates instructors, and his two young children. Or at least I think I did. All over the course of a 2+ hour bike ride and long leisurely lunch at a trattoria in Cetona’s main square owned by his friend. I did no sightseeing there, but when we came out of the fields, Cetona was there, perched on a hill, a private castle peeking above the treeline. We climbed the outer road into the city center, working up a good sweat that made the beer afterward particularly refreshing. Not touristy at all, Cetona is a small town with an expansive main square and numerous alleyways and narrow roads that weave around the hill. It fills a bit anonymous, in a way, which made discovering it all the more rewarding.

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Grand Poobah

Master organizer of this grand adventure, and father to this raucous bunch of kids. Armed with camera and a tablet, I aim to capture the memorable moments that will allow this trip to live on forever.