Day trip from Rome to Umbria: Montefalco and Bevagna

When the weekend rolls around, I always have the urge to head out of Rome into the countryside to take a break from the hustle of the city. While time is seldom on our side, a day trip is often all that we can afford. With many places in Lazio and its neighboring regions within easy reach from Rome by car, we are spoilt for choice as to where to spend the day out of Rome.

As the weather forecast had mentioned a sunny Saturday, we decided to plan a last minute day trip to Umbria. It’s a region that’s not unfamiliar to us and we’ve visited it more times than I can remember, yet there is still so much to see and do in the “Green Heart of Italy”. A few towns, namely Bevagna and Montefalco both with the status of the most beautiful villages in Italy, had been on my bucket list for far too long and we decided to something about that.

I had on my side, Alessandra from Discovering Umbria who gave me tips on places to visit, see and eat in both these two towns, making it all that much easier. You could easily spend a few days exploring these two town and a day trip means that we could realistically only see a couple of attractions in each town.

Day trip to Umbria from Rome: Bevagna and Montefalco

Bevagna

One of the most enchanting towns I have visited, Bevagna is unlike other towns in Umbria as it sits in the plain and not on a hilltop. This idyllic town, built by the Romans along Via Flaminia that connected Rome to the Adriatic coast, is the perfect antidote for those seeking a slower pace of life.

Casually strolling around town where we only came across a handful of people, we occasionally stopped to peep into one of the charming shops lining the street. We had planned on stopping by Pasticceria Polticchia to pick up some cookies and was disappointed to find locked doors.

Walking towards the main piazza, Piazza Silvestri, we realized that many shops were closed, and it finally dawned on us that in Bevagna, everything except restaurants, shut down at 1pm or even earlier, most likely because it’s off-season.

Church of San Michele Arcangelo

Lunch reservation at Antiche Sere was at 1.30pm (thanks again to Alessandra’s recommendation) as we had hoped that we will have at least an hour to visit the two Romanesque churches of San Michele Arcangelo and San Silvestro in Piazza Silvestri, the glittering Torti theater, and the ancient workshops of Mercato delle Gaite. We didn’t get a chance to do any of that, which gives us an excellent excuse to be back for another visit soon and to enjoy another round of lunch at Antiche Sere.

Braised beef cheek in Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito

Tips:  

• There is parking lot by Porta Cannara where the first row closest to the street is free for an hour. The other spaces are for unlimited free parking.
• Head there plenty of time before lunch to visit the various attractions.
• The Cartoleria, part of the Mercato delle Gaite, opens up again at 3pm.

Montefalco

For wine-lovers, this area might be familiar as it is one of the most important wine producing area in Italy. Montefalco is lesser-known but starting to get more media coverage it rightly deserves. and recently Conde Naste Traveler highlighted “Why Montefalco is Italy’s Best ‘New’ Wine Region”.

The town and its surrounding areas have been cultivating the Sagrantino grape since for centuries and proof of this is in the San Francesco Museum Complex. Here you’ll find the Statute of 1425 that clearly stated the consequences for offenders trying to steal from the vineyards, the regulations on the license for the sale of grapes, as well the prohibition for the export of the product outside town boundaries.

While most of the vineyards today are situated along the Strada del Sagrantino (Sagrantino trail), there are some ancient Sagrantino vines, which are still harvested every season, found within the imposing medieval walls that enclose Montefalco, such as along Via dei Vasari and Vicolo degli Operai.

The main access to Montefalco is through Porta Sant’Agostino where you would walk up Corso Goffredo Mameli to the main piazza, Piazza del Comune. A short walk from this piazza and you’ll find gem of Montefalco, the San Francesco Museum Complex, mentioned earlier.

Piazza del Comune

Don’t discount this museum complex because of its modest facade. Consisting of three sections: the gallery, the crypt, and the former church of San Francesco (it was deconsecrated), you could spend half a day. The gallery, divided into four rooms, has numerous works by Francesco Melanzio, a local painter (around 1460-1520), such as the “Madonna Enthroned with Saints”.

The crypt and epigraphic museum showcase archaeological finds from Montefalco and its surroundings, the most significant is that of a statue of Hercules from the 1st BC in fine white marble but believed to be a copy of a 4th BC Greek original. During recent restoration work, it was discovered that this area was also once used for processing grapes and wine.

The most memorable part of our visit was in the former church built between 1335 and 1338, the first to be built within the city walls, with frescoes from 14th and 16th century by Benozzo Gozzoli, Perugino, and other artists. The Chapel of San Girolamo by Gozzoli in 1452 was his last work in Montefalco with the back wall depicting a fictive polyptych with the Madonna Enthroned between Saints, the Crucifixion in the lunette and the Four Evangelists in the vault. The apse, also by by Gozzoli, is remarkable decorated with frescoes detailing the events from the life of Saint Francis starting from below and going from left to right.

Former church of San Francesco in Montefalco

Chapel of San Giro Girolamo

Apse of the former church of San Francesco, Montefalco

Tips:

• Parking is by the Porta Sant’Agostino and the price is reasonable. We were there off-season, and had no problems finding a spot. It isn’t a huge parking lot, and could be an issue in peak months.
• For a place to eat, Alessandra recommended L’Alchimista.
• Here is more information for the San Francesco Museum Complex such as ticket costs and opening hours that vary depending on the season.
• There is no audio guide available. We were given a worn out 5-page document in Italian which provided information to the different sections. However, I found the brief English descriptions of frescoes in the Church of San Francesco at this link more useful.
• In off-season call ahead to museums, restaurants, vineyards and all the places you plan to visit to make sure they are open.
• Take the opportunity to visit the wine cellars in Montefalco during the Cantine Aperte event on May 30-31st.

If you are wondering if you visited a vineyard, we sure did and will share that experience in the next post! Stay tuned.

Have you been to Bevagna and Montefalco? Share your experience and tips with us in the comments below.