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umbria
The combination of elements which there is in Umbria makes it the ideal place for the traveller looking for hidden artistic treasures and beautiful, unspoilt countryside. This is the land of harmony, spectacular natural landscapes, rich green hills and strong colours. Umbria is not only the home of medieval villages and saints; it is much, much more. We recommend some alternative tourist routes which unveil the charms of the Lake Trasimeno area, contemporary art museums and numerous renaissance masterpieces.the lands of Perugino
The territory around Lake Trasimeno has very much maintained a dimension of environmental harmony where the sweet hills, the quiet reflection of the lake, the olive groves, vines, oaks, towers, castles and abbeys have woven a subtle web of territorial individuality. It is this individuality which makes this area a coveted destination for those visitors wishing to spend time close to nature and enjoying peace and tranquillity. This individuality and harmony was captured by the one of the region’s most renowned artists: Pietro Vannucci, known as “Il Perugino”, who contributed heavily to the history of art and literature. In order to fully appreciate the poetic dimension of the convergence of art and nature, it is necessary to follow a lesser known itinery that leads from Città della Pieve out towards Paciano, Panicale and Fontignano which have works of art by Perugino and members of his school. It is an itinery which immerses you in the stunning landscape – the green hills, the lake and the huge open space of Valdichiana on the horizon, and it is this image which was stamped into the mind of the Maestro of Città della Pieve. This itinery also gives you the opportunity to see the most prominent and outstanding moments of Vannucci’s life and works - just take a look at “l’Adorazione dei Magi” in the Oratory of Santa Maria dei Bianchi in Città della Pieve and the “Martirio di San Sebastiano” in Panicale. Along the way, Perugino is flanked by many other artists of the Umbrian school (15th and 16th century) such as Benedetto Bonfigli, Giannicola di Paolo, Domenico Alfani, Giovan Battista Caporali and Giovanni Spagno.the renaissance cycles
In Umbria, it is possible to see a number of masterpieces by some of the greatest Italian painters from 14-1500AD: Pietro Vannucci known as “Il Perugino”, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippo Lippi, Luca Signorelli and Bernardino di Betto know as “Pinturicchio”. The end of the 15th century saw Luca Signorelli (from Cortona) busy decorating the chapel of San Brizio in the Duomo of Orvieto; work that had been started 50 years earlier by Beato Angelico and Benozzo Bozzoli. The result was and still is an art masterpiece. The Orvietan frescos revolve around the theme of the apocalypse and the end of the world; there are vast representations of the sermon of the antichrist, the end of the world, the resurrection of the body, the Last Judgement, and hell. The scene of the resurrection of the body is stunning and hugely famous; human bodies are raised up with such force and energy that, when we consider that Michelangelo had Signorelli’s frescoes present during the realization of the Sistine Chapel, we can appreciate how important this work of art really is.During the same years, Pietro Perugino,commissioned by the Collegio del Cambio, had made a return to Perugia to work on the frescoes in the Sala delle Udienze (court room). This room was one of those which made up the town’s office for powerful money-changing companies and which between 1491 and 1500 underwent a huge decorative operation. In these frescoes, Il Perugino succeeded in harmonising classical culture, represented by the Centre-piece of the four cardinal virtues, and Christian culture, expressed in the Allegories of the three theological virtues, and even left a self-portrait which is hung like a painting on the left-hand wall.
Lastly, in Spello in 1501, Bernardino di Betto known as Pinturicchio was enlisted by Troilo Baglioni to decorate the family chapel (also known as ‘Cappella Bella’ – beautiful chapel) in the high church of Santa Maria. The frescoes which on the walls show the Annunciation, the Nativity and Jesus amidst the Doctors, and on the vaults, the four Sybils are some of the more cheery of the Perugian painter’s works.
places of contemporary art
Città di Castello is the host of a collection by its most illustrious citizen: Alberto Burri. The collection was started based upon donations by the artist himself at the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini and today can be seen in two premises which form part of the Palazzo Albizzini in via Albizzini 1, and at the ex Seccatoi del tabacco (tabaccho drying-rooms) in via Pierucci. Burri, who was one of the most important personalities on the art scene after the Second World War, left the 50s by abandoning the traditional medium of oil and colour and by choosing materials which become the protagonist of his art. With his series of Sacks, Metals, Plastics, Wood and Fissures, the artist showed all of the expressive possibilities of the materials which taken for themselves are poor and uncommon.History of art in the 1900s also left a sign on Perugia. In the first few years of the 19th century, a group of young artists began to explicitly challenge the teaching of the Accademia di Belle Arti and, tired of the suffocating public climate, showed interest in the theories of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the father of Futurism whose echoes, despite being slightly confusing, were arriving in the provinces. The indisputable leader of the Perugian group was Gerardo Dottori, one of the protagonists of Italian futurism and a founder of ‘Aeropittura’. The originality of Dottori’s art comes from his ability to merge futurism with landscape representation. Clearly it is the Umbrian landscape which remains Dottori’s principle inspiration. Palazzo Penna, an elegant and recently restructured building in the heart of Perugia, hosts some of Gerardo Dottori’s best works: for example, the celebrated “Trittico della Velocità”. Another interesting and unusual modern art venue is the Villa Fidelia in Spello which has a contemporary art collection and which hosts many engaging temporary exhibitions.
In the heart of Trevi, found close to Spoleto, inside the Palazzo Lucarini (1500s), is the Trevi Flash Art Museum of Contemporary Art, which organises temporary, personal or collective exhibitions of the most interesting artists on the Italiana and international art scene. In Spoleto, you can pay a visit to the Galleria civica di arte moderna e contemporanea. The Galleria, which since 2000AD has been accommodated in the splendid palazzo Collicola – the ancient residence of the noble Collicola family. Four of the museum’s 15 rooms are dedicated to the Spoletino sculptor Leoncillo. The central element of the collection is comprised of works from the “Premio Spoleto” (Spoleto prize), an important artistic review which took place in the city between 1953 and 1968. In this section works by Mario Ceroli with his wooden profiles and by Pino Pascali with one of his most celebrated installations: “Il Mare” (1966) can be found. Lastly, a whole room is dedicated to Sol Le Witt – the American conceptual artist who liked the Umbrian city so much, he resided there more than once.