UMBERTIDE is located in the upper valley of the Tiber and is crossed by the Tiber itself and the Reggia stream. We get there starting by bike from TUORO SUL TRASIMENO, immediately facing a climb that leaves the TRASIMENO lake behind us. The heat is torrid and the climb that takes us to VALICO GOSPARINI should be tackled immediately in order to leave the second part of the route, less difficult, at the hottest hours.
Outside the walls of the village I see a historic building, almost hidden, I have to go back with the bike and cross the tracks. It is the Umbertide city museum housed inside the deconsecrated church of Santa Croce, a beautiful 13th-century structure.
I later discover that the museum contains precious artistic works dating back to the 16th century. Among these stand out above all the Madonna and Child by Pomarancio (1577), the valuable wooden sculpture by Romano Alberti (1528) and the Deposition of the Cross by Luca Signorelli (1516), enclosed in a richly carved altarpiece.
I resume pedaling and I realize that Umbertide has a characteristic historic center still surrounded by medieval walls and some stretches line streams.
The bike allows us only a short visit and a few photos, but the beautiful sun and the market are an invitation to visit it calmly walking through its ancient streets, an invitation that we cannot accept!
At the entrance to the town center we find the Rocca di Umbertide, a mighty fortress dating back to 1389 and a few meters away the unmistakable Church of Santa Maria della Reggia!
In fact, the sixteenth-century church stands out for its octagonal shape, quite unusual for a Catholic religious building.
The town is part of that incredible Apennine belt between Tuscany and Lazio where beautiful towns such as Spello, Gubbio, Foligno nestle, as well as of course the most renowned and prestigious Perugia and Assisi.
If you pass this part, do not hesitate to visit it, without haste!