The Umbria volume of the Touring Club Italiano's comprehensive series covering the regions of Italy, this Italian-language book is the most detailed guide to the province that I know of.

Dry and unanecdotal, the guide is also unillustrated and in very fine print, but as a result, packs a tremendous amount of information into a small volume that easily fits in a pocket or handbag: to take a typical example, the town of Spoleto (pop. 36,000) is covered in 22 pages including a 1‑page historical summary, a separate 1‑page art history and cultural summary, and a listing of "cultural institutions" (theatres, libraries, museums), followed by the detailed contents of churches and museums: the latter room by room. To the extent of my ability to judge, the facts appear to be very carefully and critically reported. There are, however, some surprising quirks and omissions, especially in smaller towns and the countryside: for example, S. Lorenzo, the oldest church in Norcia, with several Roman inscriptions and carvings reused and quite visible in the lower walls, is not even mentioned; and even odder, one of 92 comuni, the basic subdivisions of the region's two provinces, is completely absent (Allerona).

Includes a 30 pp. appendix of maps and city plans. The maps in the Umbria volume (last edition, 1978) fail to cover all of Umbria, but presumably this is to be remedied in the next edition as it has been in the more recent volumes for other regions.

Touring Club Italiano, Milan 1978
© 1978 Touring Club Italiano

552pp, 11.5 cm × 16 cm (4½″ by 6¼″). Slipcover.
ISBN 88‑365‑0014‑5