Here is a small selection of the places close to Santa Chiara that our guests may like to visit:
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Lake Trasimeno (25km, approx 35 minute drive)
The fourth largest lake in Italy, an area of great natural beauty and historical significance; Hannibal defeated the Romans on the shores of Lake Trasimeno in the first century BC.
The lake is no more than 7 metres deep and the temperature of bath water during the summer months, making it ideal for swimming.
There are life guarded beaches around the lake, the best of which is in Passignano.
You can take a ferry to several islands on the lake; Isola Maggiore is a small fishing community and former refuge of St Francis, Isola Polvese is home to a nature reserve. |
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Assisi (40 km, approx 30 minute drive)
Assisi’s medieval centre was founded by the Umbrians and is one of the best-preserved in the world with its distinctive pink stone. Famous for its association with St Francis, Assisi is the third most visited pilgrimage site in Italy and is a “must see” for any trip to the region.
The Basilica is one of the wonders of medieval architecture and contains frescoes by the greatest artists of the age. The lower church contains the crypt that houses St Francis’ remains. |
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Gubbio (20km, approx 30 minute drive)
Gubbio is another beautiful Umbrian hill town; often described as the Umbrian Siena. It has a well preserved Roman Theatre, built in the first century AD and one of the largest in the Roman world (112m diameter) seating up to 6,000 spectators. Today most of the seats and the lower arcades remain. In the summer the theatre is used for a festival of classical concerts and Shakespeare plays. The town is a maze of winding streets set out in four quarters with many bars and restaurants. You can take a funicular to the top of Monteingino to visit the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo. The summit offers magnificent views of the town and the Apennine Mountains beyond. |
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Perugia (25 km, 35 min train journey to Sant’ Anna station from Pierantonio)
The largest city in Umbria, the Etruscans settled here in the 5th century BC however it was conquered by the Romans in 308 BC. It has a young, cosmopolitan feel about it these days with plenty of shops and lots of festivals throughout the year, including Umbria Jazz, Italy’s top Jazz festival and the Chocolate festival held in October.
Highlights include the Palazzo dei Priori, an imposing medieval building in the pedestrian heart of Perugia. Inside the palazzo is the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria with works of art from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Fontana Maggiore, one of Italy’s top Romanesque monuments, is a superb fountain built on three levels featuring intricate bas-reliefs and sculptures by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. |
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