Central Italy Main | Description | Map Rome and Florence, wonderful cities of magnificent art, architecture and history, are the only places in Central Italy most tourists visit. But there are scores of small to medium size “art cities” throughout the area that boast their own collection of priceless treasures that can be enjoyed in a more private and relaxed fashion. Many famous painters decorated the churches and small country chapels in the countryside: Giotto, Il Perugino, Pinturicchio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Signorelli, Tintorreto, Andrea della Robbia, to name just a few. Their works can be seen in the medieval walled towns, strategically built high on the tops of hills to protect the powerful noble ruling families from their enemies. Within these towns the fortified castles and church spires dominate, but remnants of other civilizations can be seen: for example, Lucca, enclosed by not one but three sets of walls, has architecture ranging from Roman to medieval to 16th century, with a little Baroque, neoclassical and Art Deco mixed in! In Tuscany, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Siena and Pienza are treasures. In Umbria, one of Italy’s best preserved and largest medieval hill towns is Perugia, but Gubbio, Spello and Spoleto are fascinating towns to explore. Though often very crowded, Assisi is worthy of a visit, as is the charming town of Todi. The Etruscans, who arrived in Italy several centuries before Rome was built, settled in parts of modern Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. All that is known of this highly refined civilization comes from the excavation of its burial grounds, virtual cities of underground chambers with streets, houses and dome-shaped tombs painted with frescoes depicting everyday life: hunters, dancers, family scenes, dolphins, birds. Cerveteri and Tarquinia in Lazio are the major sites, but traces of the civilization are quite common: in Perugia, one entry to the city is through an Etruscan arch, and in Orvieto are beautifully painted tombs. Two of JDB’s hotels offer a close look: underneath La Posta Vecchia are Etruscan ruins that guests can visit, and the Etruscan caves under La Tana Dell ‘Istrice are used to age their wines. Travel in the countryside offers special pleasures: buy some of Italy’s best olive oil in Spello, truffles in Gubbio, the famous pecorino cheese in Pienza. Some of the finest wines are produced in the area: the whites of Orvieto and Frascati; Montefalco’s award winning Sagrantino; the Vino Nobile of Montepulciano; and of course the wines of the Chianti area: Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Giaole in Chianti. Visits can be arranged to many of the vineyards, and in Torgiano near Perugia there is a fascinating wine museum. Spoleto has interesting antique shops, and many towns are known for their unique ceramics: Radda in Chianti in Tuscany, Deruta and Gubbio in Umbria. Tuscan ceramics tend to be bright, intricate designs in blues, while those in Umbria are more rustic, typically with a rooster in the center. In Pietrasanta near the Tuscan coast, you can stroll through the alleys of this medieval town and find tiny artist studios where some of the world’s finest sculpture is being created. The artist Botero lives in Pietrasanta part of the year, and as a gift to the town painted frescoes depicting heaven and hell in the local church. Those interested in art should also visit the Florence showroom of “Il Ritratto,” a group of international painters living and working in Tuscany. Festivals, fairs and concerts are held throughout the year: many small towns have antique fairs, Spello has an olive oil festival in February, Gubbio, a truffle festival in November and in Orvieto in May and June, a wine show. Carnevale takes place in Viareggio the three weekends before Lent, and in August Puccini’s music is celebrated in an open air theatre in nearby Torre Del Lago. In Montepulciano in July and August there are candlelight midnight concerts, the famous Umbrian Jazz Festival takes place in Perugia in July, and from April to June in Lucca is the Sacred Music Festival. Two of Italy’s most important festivals of the performing arts (opera, concerts, ballet, drama, art) are the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence from May to June and the Festival of the Two Worlds in Spoleto in June and July.