Umbria -Archaeology in the Hill Towns
Umbria -Archaeology in the Hill Towns
Instead of concentrating on the medieval churches and their paintings, we go further back to tribes of pre-Roman Umbria and the gradual increase in importance of the area during the Roman period.
This is an unusual way of looking at the beautiful area of Umbria, home to the classic landscapes of tall cypress trees, ancient hilltop towns and olive groves which, for many travellers, represent the essence of central Italy.
The Iron Age Umbrian tribes inhabited independent cities which were as likely to be at war with each other as with outsiders. They shared a common language, related to Latin, but more closely related to that of the Samnite tribes to the south.
In 220BC, Caius Flaminius built a great road through Umbria which linked Rome to the East coast of Italy. This road had a dramatic effect on the communities of Umbria; those situated close by could take advantage of it and flourish, and those further away declined. In the turmoil of Rome’s civil wars, control of the road became important and Umbria was turned into a battlefield.
The trip is based in a single hotel in an attractively renovated fortified 15th century house on the plain west of Assisi.
Our tour traces the changing fortunes of the Umbrian landscape, the development and flourishing of Roman settlements in the valley, sited for ease of communication and trade, and the later creation of hill-towns sited for defence.
Instead of concentrating on the medieval churches and their paintings, we go further back to tribes of pre-Roman Umbria and the gradual increase in importance of the area during the Roman period.
This is an unusual way of looking at the beautiful area of Umbria, home to the classic landscapes of tall cypress trees, ancient hilltop towns and olive groves which, for many travellers, represent the essence of central Italy.
In 220BC, Caius Flaminius built a great road through Umbria which linked Rome to the East coast of Italy. This road had a dramatic effect on the communities of Umbria; those situated close by could take advantage of it and flourish, and those further away declined. In the turmoil of Rome’s civil wars, control of the road became important and Umbria was turned into a battlefield.
The trip is based in a single hotel in an attractively renovated fortified 15th century house on the plain west of Assisi.
Our tour traces the changing fortunes of the Umbrian landscape, the development and flourishing of Roman settlements in the valley, sited for ease of communication and trade, and the later creation of hill-towns sited for defence.