Excerpts taken from the Brochure on Art and Culture published by the Agency for the Promotion of Tourism in Umbria, 2000

The appearance of Umbria has changed markedly through out the centuries and the current regional borders were established as late as the early 1900's. Communities having markedly divergent histories and cultures have been integrated within its confines and through this entanglement of disparate civilizations, Umbria has achieved a varied yet continuous historical and aritistic heritage.

From its first appearance in historical archives, Umbria has been divided into two factions which, over the centuries, characterized the formation of these regional boundaries. To the West of the Tiber River were the lands of the Etruscans, an advanced and worldly tribe due to their interaction with other Mediterranean people. The more isolated clans of the East were settled by Italic populations, the Umbrians.

Orvieto and Perugia were the corner stones of the Etruscan dominion and the high level of organization achieved by this ancient populace is evidenced in the remains of mighty city walls, gates and wells found near Perugia. One of the most outstanding Etruscan archeological sites yet in existence can be found in Orvieto at the Crocifisso de l Tufo Necropolis. This Etruscan tomb dates from the mid 6th century BC to the 3rd century . It consists of several burial chambers situated among sepulchral roads where the name of the dead is etched in stone (unquestionably final) at the entrance of the tomb.


Family Name Written From Right to Left

The geometric layout of these "Cities for the Dead" provides an excellent opportunity for the study of ancient urban planning methods. Many of the funeral accessories have been lost to other museums and undoubtedly vandals. Valuable archeological finds from this period, however, can still be seen in the National Archeological Museum in Perugia and in the Civic and Claudio Faina Museums of Orvieto.


Etruscan Tomb in Orvieto

The Hypogeum of the Volumni Etruscan tomb belonged (predictably) to the Velimna family and can be found just a few kilometers from Perugia. The subterranean structure follows the floor plan of an aristocratic Greek villa and contains numerous valuable and fascinating artifacts including the cinerary urn of the head of the family, Arunte Volumnio.

The Sorbello Well was named after the monument which was built above it in the 17th century. This Perugian reservoir served as the primary source of water for the Etruscan people of the city. Excavated in the 3rd century, it reaches a depth of 36 meters from present day road level and has a diameter of 5.6 meters. The capacity is thought to be approximately 430,000 liters of water.

The Roman Conquest

Ruins of Carsulae
With the Roman defeat of the Etruscans in the battle of Sentium in 295 BC, cities, land reclamation projects, road networks and the settling of centurions began to make a profound mark on the countryside. During this time, Umbria was crossed by a famous consular road, The Via Flaminia, connecting North to South. Not surprisingly, the way stations along this route quickly became thriving and densely populated towns. When the Via Flaminia was supplanted by a more Easterly route, most of these communities fell into decline.

The city of Carsulae (near San Gemini), was then further destroyed by the Barbarians who used the deserted road to access Rome. Carsulae today is fascinating to visit as it retains the ruins of the buildings surrounding the Forum, the entertainment quarter, the triumphal arch marking the exodus of the town and monumental tombs which were placed along the main entrance road according to Roman custom.

One of the greatest emblems of Roman civilization remains the defensive city walls frequently constructed along the same line and even on top of the preexisting walls remaining from the Etruscan dominion. Among the best preserved of these wall can be found in Spello, having towers and gateways that still today retain their original form while several of Todi's walls show the original structure of the Etruscan wall underlying the Roman construction.


Entrance Gate, Spello

With the fall of the Roman empire, the area was ravaged first by the Goths and the Byzantines and then finally by the Byzantines and the Lombards Duchy. The presence of valuable religious edifices and hermitages particularly notable in Byzantine Perugia and Spoleto, the capital of the Lombard Duchy, attest to the new found importance of the Christian religion and, of course, its nascent political role. Further reorganization of the church in the 8th and 9th century inspired the establishment of churches and parishes in nearly every village. These, along with the commissioning of the greater urban cathedrals, became the nuclei of new territorial divisions and city states.



During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Romanesque-Byzantine culture became highly visible and the restoration of the papal dominion was tangibly seen in the construction of a complex system of fortresses which to this day make their presence felt in many of the towns. Bitter conflicts between papal power and individual city governments afforded the rise to power of families such as Fortebracci and Malatesta. These aristocratic families dictated the tastes prevailing in wealthy Italian courts.

The blossoming of the Romanesque culture in the area surrounding Spoleto gave impetus to more construction and decoration. Numerous examples of sculpted decorations of church facades probably explains the presence of ubiquitous workshops in Spoleto which produced painted crosses and altar frontals.

Throughout Umbria but particularly in Assisi, St. Francis clearly made his mark. Work on the new basilica honoring him was initiated scarcely two years after his death. Some of the most famous artists of this period are represented here. It was particularly with Giotto, "unsurpassed narrator of the human vissicitudes of the Saint that the Franciscan message of a new humanity found its most eloquent expression". The invention of a distinct pictorial language, inspired by visible reality, spoke to the illiterate masses where the written word and the Latin masses could not. The events connected with Francis and his movement dramatically effected all of Umbria and hermitages and settlements founded by his diciples dot the entire region.


Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi
Furthermore, the grafting of the new Gothic style on Romanesque forms represented in the Basilica of Assisi became an architectural paradigm for buildings of similar style through out the region.

It was with the redesign of the town squares, however, that the Umbrian city states demonstrated their true genius in the field of urban planning. The Medieval square combines and intefgrates both religious and secular symbols of power; the cathedral, the greatest manifestation of sacred dominion and the town hall, displaying the new authority of the Commune or city government.


Market Day in Piazza del Popolo / Todi

The town square in Todi, seen above, combines the 3 important halls, that of the People, the Captain of the Guard and the Priori, together with the spectacular cathedral and attached Bishop's Palace enclosing a magnificent open space for public gatherings and festivals.

The appearance in Umbria of the Renaissance came concurrent with important political events of the numerous towns of the Region. Umbria contains some of the best testimonies of 15th and 16th century Italian Renaissance painting including a contribution of Fra Filippo Lippi who painted the apse of the cathedral in Spoleto. This work thereby spread a style destined to have profound influences on the painting of Southern Umbria.

The highly innovative style of Perugino, while adherring to the Renaissance form was not limited to painting alone. The "Perugia 1500" style is also found in wood carvings, textiles and in majolica ceramics, primarily that of Deruta. Today this production is documented in Deruta's Museum of Ceramics which offers a view of ceramic manufacturing from its origins to the techniques of today. Particular attention is given to the Renaissance production of lustre ware, majolica made wiht a technique derived from the Middle East, in which objects display an irredescent effect.

Perugia again came to the fore front in the creation of a new style of art that would have widespread influence. Perugino's workshop proved to be a testing ground for the young Rapheal and the unique style would reverberate through generations of followers.

A typical work by Rapheal

In the 1500's the individual city states were subjugated to papal power. In 1540 a tax was imposed on salt and in defiance, the Region boycotted all but the most essential use of this condiment. To this day, traditional Umbrian bread is baked without the use of salt.

In Perugia the imposing Rocca Paolina was constructed to assert the dominion of the church. This powerful fortress was constructed right in the heart of the town and entailed massive demolition obliterating the existing roads and structures of the Baglioni quarter. Of course, this definitive shift in power effected artistic ideals and the artisitic history of the area became a part of the wider events spreading from Rome to Ferrara.When Umbria was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, the Rocca was razed in the name of newly acquired liberty.

Architectural styles also were changing as can be seen in the construction of the Consolazione in Todi and the ornate Duomo in Orvieto. The palaces of noble families began to dominate the the towns in the 17th and 18th century, forever changing the face of the medieval villages.

Twentieth century Umbria welcomed the Industrial Revolution and Terni became known as "the Manchester of Italy". The difficulties in integrating the ancient with the modern was already felt in 1927 when Terni became a provincial seat. A redesign of the cityscape became imperative after the devastating bombings of WWII. The work of reconstruction resulted in the most systematic episode of urban planning in the Region.