Stage 7
Foligno > Perugia TUDOR ITT
Foligno's elegance
Elegance. This is what Foligno, the starting town for the time trial stage that will take the riders to Perugia, is all about. But before heading to the starting area and chatting with the cyclists as they warm up on the rollers, a short walk allows visitors to discover the origins of the nickname ‘City of Palaces’. Just walk along Corso Cavour as far as Piazza Grande, or Piazza della Repubblica, overlooked by the city's main buildings and monuments: the cathedral of San Feliciano (patron saint of Foligno), Palazzo Trinci, home to the city museum and boasting an important cycle of frescoes attributed to Gentile da Fabriano and his collaborators, the Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo Orfini, seat of the Foligno printing house where the first edition of the Divine Comedy was printed in 1472 and now home to the Museum of Printing. A leap forward in time leads us to the CIAC-Centro d'Arte Contemporanea and the ‘Cosmic Magnet’, a gigantic sculpture measuring 24 m long, 9 m wide and almost 4 m high. The work was created by Gino De Dominicis and is located in the former Church of the Holy Trinity in Annunziata.
To Perugia
We the set off for Spello, another treasure chest full of beauties. Let yourself be enchanted, for instance, by Pinturicchio's frescoes in the Baglioni chapel of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, or visit the Villa dei Mosaici, a recently discovered treasure from the Roman era that opened to the public in 2018. Spello is also the small capital of Umbrian olive-growing, the heart of a food district that is always very active but attentive to traditions. The ‘Gold of Spello’, as the local oil is referred to, is made from one of Umbria's most characteristic cultivars, the moraiolo, and is also the basis for entire lines of cosmetic products.
Assisi is in sight, but the race route does not climb up to the city of the Saint. It does, however, pass by the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, with its Porziuncola chapel. Going up to the city of St Francis, Capital of Peace, is however a must for the special mystical atmosphere and the importance of its monuments. Head to the Basilica of St. Francis, where visitors gather in front of the holy tomb, then enjoy by the extraordinary frescoes by artists such as Giotto and Cimabue.
By now in sight of Perugia, we briefly deviate from the race route to reach Torgiano, and visit the Wine Museum and the Olive and Oil Museum of the Lungarotti Foundation, two of the most important structures of their kind in the country, characterised by their historical-scientific rigour and evocative settings.
Welcome to Perugia
Perugia welcomes visitors with its array of sights that are bound to remain in the heart. Starting with Corso Vannucci, the elegant pedestrian street leading to Piazza IV Novembre, dominated by the Fontana Maggiore and surrounded by historic buildings such as the Palazzo dei Priori and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Also worth a visit is the National Gallery of Umbria (in the Palazzo dei Priori) with its exceptional collection of Umbrian works of art from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance by artists such as Perugino, Pinturicchio and Beato Angelico. There is also the Rocca Paolina and the Basilica of San Francesco al Prato (13th century), now converted into an Auditorium of rare beauty.
On 9 May, celebrating the passage of the race, the conference entitled ‘The future of cycling depends on safety" will be held, a reflection on the state of health of the Italian cycling movement and road safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
