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Umbria, A Harmony of Art and Nature: Assisi, Spello and Mount Subasio with Kate Bolton-Porciatti
Learn with Kate Bolton-Porciatti

Umbria, A Harmony of Art and Nature: Assisi, Spello and Mount Subasio with Kate Bolton-Porciatti

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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

A series of ‘armchair journeys’ exploring the astonishing wealth of important art, historic architecture, and spectacular natural scenery in Umbria – an area popularly known as the ‘green heart’ of Italy which boasts numerous UNESCO-protected sites. Seminars may be taken as a series or individually, but each one is devised to be a feasible itinerary for anyone planning to visit the area.
Guided by cultural historian Kate Bolton-Porciatti, each conversation will interweave history and cultural context into a richly evocative virtual tour, taking in famous art cities and also wandering off the beaten path to offer the discerning visitor insights into places where man and nature coexist in serene harmony.
Today, we visit the ‘city sanctuary' of Assisi and its majestic, Unesco-protected basilica of St Francis, adorned with frescoes by Cimabue, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti, and Giotto. Then, meandering through the Subasio national park, we take in the silent and beautiful Hermitage of the Carceri - a lonely place beloved of St Francis - and the medieval fortified villages of Armenzano and Collepino. From the summit of Monte Subasio, we’re rewarded with seraphic views over the Umbrian plains and the Sibillini Mountains. Finally, we visit Spello, on the southern flank of Subasio - an ancient town girdled with splendid medieval walls and Roman gateways.
This conversation is part of a five-part series on Umbria with Kate Bolton-Porciatti. Each session is designed as a stand-alone seminar as well as part of a five-week series.

Kate Bolton-Porciatti is a professor of Italian cultural history and music at the Istituto Lorenzo de'Medici in Florence, where she teaches BA and MA courses in the humanities. She also lectures at the British Institute, Florence, and at the Chigiana Music Academy in Siena. Kate has published extensively as an academic and a journalist; she is a music critic for BBC Music and a travel writer for The Daily Telegraph, UK. Before moving to Italy permanently in 2005, she was a senior producer and broadcaster for BBC Arts & Classical Music in London and has won prestigious Jerusalem and Sony Awards for her programs. She did her M.Phil. thesis in Italy, exploring the musical culture of early Renaissance Florence.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 17 reviews
94%
(16)
0%
(0)
6%
(1)
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L
L. (Tucson, US)
So we’ll done

Loved this presentation- makes me want to go back to these places soon!

B
B.H. (Nottingham, US)

Kate always does a wonderful job. Her presentations and creative and informative.

A
ABK (Falmouth, US)

Excellent knowledgeable and conveyed well with words and visuals/ videos

A
A. (Orinda, US)

Guest did not leave comment

D
D.B. (Rawlins, US)
Umbria 3

Delightful review of the land, history, religious aspects of this part of Umbria.

123

Customer Reviews

Based on 17 reviews
94%
(16)
0%
(0)
6%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
L
L. (Tucson, US)
So we’ll done

Loved this presentation- makes me want to go back to these places soon!

B
B.H. (Nottingham, US)

Kate always does a wonderful job. Her presentations and creative and informative.

A
ABK (Falmouth, US)

Excellent knowledgeable and conveyed well with words and visuals/ videos

A
A. (Orinda, US)

Guest did not leave comment

D
D.B. (Rawlins, US)
Umbria 3

Delightful review of the land, history, religious aspects of this part of Umbria.

123