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Tour Part 2

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Day 1

You will be met at Rome airport by your host and the driver. The journey to Casa Fontana takes just over two hours with a stop for lunch* on the way. The road skirts Rome and offers views of rolling countryside with olive groves and avenues of cypress trees. You will have glimpses of medieval hilltop towns and will leave the motorway and stop at one of them for lunch*. The journey ends up a windy road over hills and forests at panoramic Casa Fontana. After you have settled in, had a nap or a dip in the pool, a welcome dinner will await you with a glass or two of vino to help ease you into a leisurely Italian lifestyle. Over the meal we shalll outline the week’s programme, with next day’s events in detail. Throughout the week, we'll brief you about the art you’ll see the following day and discuss the schedule. After lunch there will be time to settle in, have a swim or a siesta.

Day 2

Assisi – a Feast of Magnificent Art
Our first visit will be to the Basilica di San Francesco, the burial place of St. Francis, which was decorated by the foremost artists of their day. The lower church contains frescos by Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini. The glory of the upper church is the celebrated twenty eight frescos of the Legend of St Francis by Giotto and his followers. This will be followed by visits to the Duomo di San Rufino, the Basilica of Santa Chiara and the Tempio di Minerva. After lunch* we will drive to San Damiano where Saint Francis reputedly first heard the voice of God and to Santa Maria degli Angeli located just out side Assisi.
Return to base for a relaxing time in a tranquil spot. Enjoy a good dinner in good company.

Day 3

Perugia - Renaissance capital of Umbria

We will visit the hidden catacombs of the old underground mediaeval city beneath the Rocca built by Pope Paul III in the 16th century; the Duomo; and the Collegio del Cambio, the Banker’s Guild Hall, whose walls are covered with superlative frescos by Perugino. After lunch we will study a superb achievement of 13th century sculpture, the Fontana Maggiore by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano,. There will be time to visit the National Gallery, the highlights of the collection include altarpieces by Piero della Francesco and Fra Angelico. The gallery is housed in the Palazzo dei Priori, the great Gothic city hall a fine example of mediaeval communal architecture. To round off the day you will have an unhurried meal at the Casa, enjoying a picturesque sunset over the olive grove.

Day 4

Lake Trasimeno, The Umbrian Riviera

A relaxing day commencing with a gentle stroll through the ancient lakeside town of Castiglion Fosco. Its 16th c. fortress and the Della Corgna Palace built by Ascanio dominate the peninsula that juts far out into the blue-green waters of the lake. It is market day and there will be time to explore the many winding narrow streets full of vendors selling everything from handbags to wild boar salami. Lunch* will be on the largest of the three islands of Trasimeno, after a half hour boat trip on the placid waters of the lake. It is said that St Francis once spent forty days on Isola Maggiore with nothing more to eat than half a loaf of bread. Fortuitously, you will have no need for saintly self denial: there are several excellent restaurants right by the water’s edge. For a little post-prandial exercise, you might like to take a walk through the olive groves to the church of San Michele Arcangelo on the island’s highest point. Enjoy the view and the 12th c. building decorated with frescoes and a Crucifiction by Caporali. Afterwards another boat trip, this time to the lakeside spa town of Pasignano with a selection of shops selling the famous Deruta china of the region. Coffee* by the lake will complete the trip. Afterwards your transport will pick you up to get you back for some quiet time before drinks & dinner..

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