The best known image ofUmbria is the medieval one, but I can assure you that it is precisely in this land that archaeology holds the most beautiful surprises, taking you into the basements of small and large cities and with the impression of retracing the axis of time backwards.
Umbria through the centuries has maintained a centrality that is reflected in an impressive stratification that you can easily measure with your own eyes. This is what I call experiencing history, guided by the voice of a guide capable of making the ancient remains of the civilizations that have succeeded one another in this territory speak.
Umbria “Etruscan”: itinerary between Perugia, Orvieto and Bettona
- “Augusta Perusia”: “Etruscan” Perugia is truly unique because it preserves important monuments of the “city of the living” and not only those related to the necropolis: the walls on a 2-kilometer route, two monumental entrance gates to the ancient city, water supply facilities such as the famous “Etruscan Well” and the remains of the Acropolis found below the Cathedral. Do not miss in the spaces of the Convent of San Domenico a visit to the “Etruscan Museum” and the famous Tomb of the Volumni in Ponte San Giovanni, a few kilometers from the city.
- Orvieto, or the ancient Velzna: The identification of Orvieto with the “mythical” Velzna of Roman sources is one of the achievements of contemporary archaeology. We look forward to the opening of the Fanum Voltumnae, a federal sanctuary of the peoples of Etruria of which Velzna was the capital. Exciting is the itinerary that allows us to get out of the all too obvious Orvieto-Duomo binomial to rediscover the enormous heritage of this ancient city. The remains of the Temple of Belvedere, the excavations under the Church of St. Andrew, no less than two museum collections (Faina Museum and National Archaeological Museum) and the necropolis are just some of the stops on a “journey” that delves into the foundations – don’t miss the Orvieto Underground – and descends into the underground of this “mythical” Etruscan capital.
- Bettona, Corciano and the Lake Route constitute the stages of an itinerary between nature, archaeology and art that from the Umbrian Valley with its gentle undulations led, across Lake Trasimeno, to Tuscany. Bettona-whose mighty fortifications are still visible-was the outpost that, across the Tiber, controlled the lands of the Umbrians toward theApennines, while Corciano “looked” in the direction of the road that led to “Etruscan” land with the cities of Arezzo, Cortona and Chiusi.
Editor’s note: As a guide to the region of Umbria, I am an Archeology enthusiast. It is no coincidence that I chose to study “Ancient Humanities” in Perugia, so I will be very happy to help you build an archaeological itinerary in my region.