L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 ,2016 www.italoamericano.org 17 L'Italo-Americano SIMONE SANNIO T he Umbria region sur- rounding the city of Perugia has long been called the "Green Heart of Italy" because of its central location in the Italian peninsula, its lack of an access to the sea, and its nat- ural landscapes. But how many have ever visited Umbria's own heart? There is surely much to discover in this area that the great writer Henry James once described as a real "chain of cities", a sum of all that is most beautiful about Italy. Starting from the town of Foligno, not far from Assisi, together we will now take a tour of some of the most interesting Umbrian ham- lets: Spello, Montefalco, and Bevagna. Given these premises, it seems reasonable for our trip to begin in a place once defined as the "Center of the World": locat- ed along the ancient Via Flaminia, Foligno is at the center of both Umbria and Italy, which – in turn – was formerly at the heart of the known world (hence the town's nickname). Nowadays the third most popu- lous town in the whole region, this is also the most important center in the Umbrian Valley, so that it provides us with the per- fect starting point to visit the nearby hamlets. It only takes a few minutes to go from Foligno's historical main square – with its Romanesque Cathedral of San Feliciano and its beautiful Trinci Palace – to the outer walls of Spello, our first stop. This is really a little gem of a place, as one may deduct even before entering the actual ham- let, by reading the inscription on one of its main gates: "Spello, Splendidissima Colonia Iulia". These words include the ancient nickname of the town, known as a "wonderful colony" in Emperor Augustus' times, when it was called Hispellum. Much seems to be left from that age, to begin with the remains of a Roman Amphitheater and as much as six surviving gates: in particular, the majestic Porta di Venere (Venus' Gate) that includes the so-called Torri di Properzio (Propertius' Towers), named after the eponymous ele- giac poet, probably born here. But Spello's treasures are defi- nitely not limited to its remote Roman past. As soon as one enters the hamlet, the tiny lanes rapidly begin to go up. Just imagine how these silent uphill alleys might look like when they are com- pletely covered with multicol- ored fragrant flowers for the famous Infiorate di Spello, a tra- ditional event celebrated every year on Corpus Domini feast. All Piazza Municipio in the centre of the small village in Umbria region on September 20, 2014 in Montefalco, Italy— Photo by edella around, the pretty stone houses seem like the right place to spend a lifetime, while irre- sistible delicatessens catch all Medieval building in the small town of Spello, Italy— Photo by edella ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES A Tour of Three Hamlets in the Heart of Umbria visitors' eyes with visions of local cheese, salamis, truffles, olives, and strangozzi (typical Umbrian shoelace-shaped pasta). After yet another rise, one reaches the town's main church, Santa Maria Maggiore, in which Spello's greatest artistic treasures hide: the Baglioni Chapel and its wonderful frescoes realized by the Renaissance master Pinturicchio around the year 1500. But an even steeper lane still waits those of you who are willing to enjoy the view from the top of the hill. With the impressive Mount Subasio on one side and the vast Umbrian Valley on the other, the panora- ma from Spello is such that it took an American poet, Charles Wright, to describe it: "High in the Umbrian sky, the ghosts / Of true saints pinwheel and congre- gate like pale afternoon clouds / Ready to jump-start the uni- verse". Both our second and third destinations – namely, Montefalco and Bevagna – can be easily reached from Foligno, too. Even at first sight, we learn that – if there is anything these two little towns have in common with Spello – it is their being sur- rounded by their ancient walls. At the same time, it is probably worth-noticing that both of these hamlets are located on the hills of the Sagrantino, an indigenous grape variety which only grows in this small area of Umbria: from these very grapes, a high- quality red wine known as Sagrantino di Montefalco is made. Needless to say, the first thing you notice in approaching Montefalco is exactly the multi- tude of grapevines that surrounds it. Then, as you enter the hamlet by way of the monumental Porta Sant'Agostino, the roads begin to climb just like the ones in Spello. But it is only in the astonishing circular main square, Piazza del Comune, that one may finally notice how the whole town is in fact built exactly at the top of the hill! From here, you can also enjoy the gorgeous view of the whole Umbrian Valley from Perugia to Spoleto: in other words, it is not by chance that Montefalco is called the "Balcony of Umbria". And there are even more beauties to this uphill town: before leaving for Bevagna, do not forget to visit at least the Chiesa di San Francesco, frescoed by the 15 th century painter Benozzo Gozzoli. Similarly to Montefalco, the third and last of our destinations is also especially wort-visiting because of its main square: Bevagna's medieval Piazza Silvestri is probably just as fine, with its curious central fountain and its two main landmarks, the Palazzo dei Conti and the Romanesque Church of San Silvestro. The setting really looks perfect and everything is silent as the Umbrian sun goes down: at the end of the day, this seems like the right place to complete our brief but intense exploration of this region's real heart.

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