Marsciano

Marsciano is a city of in Umbria between Perugia and Todi. As a brickmaking town it has an interesting little museum on the topic. The area covered by the municipality (north of the town) is a very hilly and green area, with many medieval borghi and at least a couple of notable winemakers. Marsciano is a good starting point also for exploring the Monte Peglia, a massif in the adjacent Provincia di Terni, with plenty of holiday houses and B&Bs.

The main gate of Compignano

Understand

Marsciano is mainly an industrial town of 18,000 people (2018) with not too much to detain visitors.

Get in

The local railway is suspended (as of May 2020). Local replacement buses operated by Busitalia from Perugia Ponte San Giovanni station (not Perugia's main station but on its same line) take about 35 minutes. Buses are not especially frequent so check the timetables. The tickets can be bought on board or from the newsagent in front of the bus stop and cost from €2.50.

The same line runs to Terni, which is connected to major train lines. You can get buses from Terni to Marsciano from €4.60. At Terni station, buy the ticket to Marsciano from the shop in the bar rather than at the ticket window. The buses that run on the Terni-Perugia PSG line are not listed on the main timetables displayed in Terni station. However, there is a separate timetable showing these buses and they appear on the departures board.

Get around

It is easy to walk around Marsciano. The railway station is on the edge of town, about 15 minutes' walk from the centre or few minutes by bus, which stops in front of the station. The railway service has been suspended for maintenance and replaced by coaches. Less easy is to get around the hilly, the most scenic part of the commune. The coaches are mainly focused on the school terms, however all the public transport services can be found on Busitalia web site. Now it is also possible to buy an all-inclusive ticket for all or most of the public transport in Umbria. Another option is to buy the Umbria Green Card and rent a car, particularly an electric vehicle. The card gives access also to a range of offers and discounts.

See

• Piazza San Giovanni
• The Brick and Terracotta Museum (Museo dinamico del Laterizio e delle Terrecotte), Palazzo Pietromarchi, Largo Garibaldi (the entrance of the museum is accessible either from Largo Garibaldi (opposite the town hall) and from Piazza San Giovanni (opposite the church)), ☏ +39 075 8741152, marsciano@sistemamuseo.it. F-Su 10:30-13:00; M 10:30-13:00. €2; concessions: €2/€1 for over 65, under 26 and 15+ groups; free for children under 6. (updated Dec 2015)
• 1 Modernist building, 37 Piazza Carlo Marx. This elegant Modernist building, painted salmon pink, provides counterpoint to the buildings of the historical centre. There is a war memorial outside with a pair of statues. It's not possible to go inside, but this is no loss because the exterior is the part that's worth seeing. Free. 

Do

• Cinema Teatro Concordia, Largo Goldoni, 9, ☏ +39 075 8748 403, info@cineconcordia.it. Theatre built in 1873 and restored, its beautiful terracotta facade is still original. It has 323 places, Dolby 3D Digital Cinema, film and digital projectors. €6/€5. (updated Dec 2015)

Eat

Panino con la porchetta: Porchetta (roasted pork) is made from the meat of locally bred swine, mainly in the northern area of the municipality. It is available from vans which park around the town (or in Piazza Marx on Monday mornings during the market) or at butchers.

• Oasi Villaggio, Voc. Marcurischio, 1, ☏ +39 075 87 43 532. Some locals say this is the best restaurant in Marsciano. Good food and service. The restaurant seems to be the Oasi's main business rather than lodgings (see below). Has a large car park. Closed Mondays. Pizzas around €6. 
• Be Happy, Via XX Settembre, ☏ +39 075 874 28 26. Very stylish "dinner cafe" in the historical centre of town. Has reasonably priced pizzas as well as posh gourmet dishes. Good service and English spoken. 

Drink

• The Galleon Pub & Tavern, Via Tuderte 47, ☏ +39 075 874 2304. Allegedly the only pub in town, the main room is decorated in the style of a galleon. There are other rooms and a large "Summer garden" during the hot season. Friendly staff, good choice of beers and also good for a meal. (updated Dec 2015)

Sleep

• Oasi Villaggio, Voc. Marcurischio, 1, ☏ +39 075 87 43 532. Clean, simple, compact rooms. Free WiFi. It's a few minutes' walk from the town centre with views over the Umbrian countryside. €50-85. 

Go next

• Castello di Sant' Apollinare
• Cerqueto, 7 km north of Marsciano, has a parish church notable for a 1478 fresco of St. Sebastian, the earliest known work signed by the local artist Perugino.
• Deruta. A major ceramics center.
• Monte Peglia, scenic views of the Apennines with ancient "borghi" and a vulcanologic museum in San Venanzo.