Located in the Montegabbione commune of Umbria, La Scarzuola is a Franciscan convent made by a Milanese architect- Tomaso Buzzi. La Scarzuola is a unique place to visit in Umbria and a great day trip from Perugia. It is truly an Umbrian hub of mystery and eccentricity!
La Scarzuola: An Umbrian hub of Mystery & Eccentricty
What is La Scarzuola??
The entire area called La Scarzuola is nothing but a complex made from hundreds of sketches. Tomaso Buzzi bought La Scarzuola in 1957 and began restoring it to create an “Ideal City” (Città Ideale). The place has been rebuilt several times since then and roughly consists of 7 theaters:
I visited La Scarzuola on a dull grey May afternoon and was shown around by Brian, an Australian who has been living in Umbria since more than 2 decades. Brian decided to take care of the place and takes tours in English along with Marco Solari, another tour guide who also happens to be Buzzi’s nephew!
La Scarzuola is divided into 7 theatres:
-Theatre of Apollo
-Theatre of Diana
-Theatre of Bees
-Theatre of the Ideal City
-Theatre of the Big Lawn
-Amphitheatre
-Tower of the Babble
But what is an Ideal City??
I wonder….Buzzi wanted to create a city that is ideal and tries to show “an ideal path of life” to each individual. For me, nothing there was ideal about this place. It only felt strange and errie. The different architectural designs around me explained nothing. No doubt there were unusual and quirky but hard to understand. La Scarzuola is one of the most unusual places I have seen in Italy.
That being said, it is worth visiting once!!
Brian, my tour guide
How to Reach La Scarzuola:
La Scarzuola can only be reached by car. There are guided tours in English and Italian for €10. I suggest you to email La Scarzuola from the link given on their website. These rates are as of Feb 2024, please check current rates before visiting.
Further Reading:
- 7 Peculiar Similarities between Indian and Italian Culture
- Sarasvatī Association-Promoting Indian Culture in Italian
- Where to eat authentic Italian Food in Delhi NCR
- 7 Year Blogiversary and Patreon Membership
- River to River Florence Indian Film Festival-The Story of Two Cultures
- From Italy to India: Street Art by Andreco
48 Comments
Umbria Travel Guide: Things to Know – Italophilia
June 24, 2020 at 6:34 pm[…] There are guided tours to show you the park which was created by Tomasso Buzzi. The intention behind Buzzi’s creation of La Scarzuola was the concept of an “Ideal City”. Even after visiting La Scarzuola, I don’t know what he meant by an ideal city or whether it was ideal, but all I can say, it is worth making that trip to this surreal place! Read here to know more. […]
10 Charming Small Towns in Italy – Italophilia
June 6, 2020 at 10:55 pm[…] La Scarzuola: An Umbrian Hub of Mystery & Eccentricity […]
Montegiove – A Hidden Corner of Umbria | Italophilia
April 11, 2018 at 9:55 pm[…] La Scarzuola: An Umbrian Hub of Mystery & Eccentricity […]
Manja Mexi Movie
November 10, 2017 at 3:03 pmOh my… just something for me. 2h20 from where I am… Waiting for an eager visitor to spur me into going. 🙂 Thanks!
Ishita
November 10, 2017 at 7:10 pmHaha I hope you can soon and I will be interested to see your point of view of this strange place
10 Charming Small Towns in Italy | Italophilia
November 14, 2016 at 4:21 pm[…] Deep in the green heart of Italy and quite close to Perugia is another small town with an ancient castle, a single yet fabulous Bar and the historic convent of La Scarzuola. Need I say more? For more details check this. […]
vinoinlove
April 5, 2016 at 11:29 amWhat a great post about Umbria. Those pictures are stunning!
Cheers!
Ishita
April 5, 2016 at 7:01 pmGrazie Bella :*
christie jones
March 24, 2016 at 7:27 amGreat post Ishita! “Città Ideale” reminds me of Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval from France.. I guess lots of people looking for the perfect place in this world:) Nice place, looks quite romantic in the gardens..
Ishita
March 24, 2016 at 7:48 amI’m going to check this place from France 😀 you are right. This was his ideal place but I wish it was complete. Yes the Umbrian countryside is stunning
Tina
March 22, 2016 at 7:27 amFAb! What a great tip! Must check it out!
Ishita
March 22, 2016 at 8:06 amThank you Tina 🙂
timelessitaly
March 18, 2016 at 8:35 pmFascinating! And your photos are really beautiful…I’ve never heard of this place. So unusual…
Ishita
March 19, 2016 at 6:48 amItaly surprises me. Surprises us all 🙂 thank you cara!
bunnytrailing
March 18, 2016 at 12:09 pmGreat pictures !! Buzzi’s idea of an Ideal City seems pretty fascinating to me.
Ishita
March 18, 2016 at 12:10 pmMe too 😀 Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had he completed the city.
Stacy di Anna
March 17, 2016 at 7:15 pmI have never heard of this place! Fantastic suggestion for tourists. Might be a good place when traveling with kids? Looks like a place they could enjoy and run around a bit. I the bigger cities I always need to have my daughter within arm’s length!
Ishita
March 18, 2016 at 3:57 amYes Stacy. But you l have to check whether their tours allow kids. The place is perfect for kids and a picnic basket. Lol. Thank you!
Diana Lynn
March 17, 2016 at 6:34 pmwhohoooo….love that sexy sculpture!
Ishita
March 18, 2016 at 3:57 am😀 eccentric isn’t it
blogginginitaly
March 17, 2016 at 3:13 pmLovely! How far is this from Cortona, do you know?
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 5:22 pmIt is about an hour from Perugia. Notfar from you either. Only a 15 minute away from Citta del Pieve which I missed 🙁
1944april
March 17, 2016 at 2:56 amSomething very different! thanks :-o)
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:26 amThank you
Tanja
March 17, 2016 at 2:47 amthat’s a huge woman!;) what a quaint place!
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:27 amYes 😉 and weird too. Thank you
Francis
March 17, 2016 at 1:36 amYour post ishita makes want to visit this extraordinary place even more!
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:27 amAnd you are so near! Please do visit and give me regards to Brian.
Lyn
March 17, 2016 at 1:24 amGosh you find some interesting places Ishita. You say the best way to get there is by car, but how did you get there?
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:28 amThank you Lyn. I was at Montegiove earlier which is a 5 minute drive. Car!
ravenhawks magazine
March 17, 2016 at 12:32 amReblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine.
dudeandthefood
March 16, 2016 at 11:26 pmloved this…unique…intriguing…the tower of babble is magnificent
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:29 amThank you 🙂 I stepped back in time.
voguishlychic
March 16, 2016 at 10:19 pmHey babe ..nice post ..this indeed is an.unusual place and the history makes it intriguing 😍😍😍👍
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 10:34 pmThank you Jovita 🙂 it is.
Art We Wonderful
March 16, 2016 at 9:55 pmIshita, thanks so much for bringing this unusual place to us! Another daytrip added to my list!
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 9:56 pmYou are always welcome, cara. I hope you can visit really soon
Alok Singhal
March 16, 2016 at 9:10 pmIt does look eerie! But the structures and gardens look pretty well preserved…i guess tourism will catch up with it someday 🙂
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 9:48 pmYes it is. True but that day is far. This place isn’t near any rail lines or bus stops.
Michelle Williams
March 16, 2016 at 8:45 pmWhat a cool place to visit!
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 8:48 pmOn your list for next time? 😉
Michelle Williams
March 16, 2016 at 11:26 pmNot next time but perhaps the time after that. My next Italy trip is work and already planned out. Next one for vacation will definitely include Umbria!
Ishita
March 17, 2016 at 6:29 amYay super 🙂 I can’t wait to suggest you another place.
Stefania Bufano
March 16, 2016 at 8:37 pmReblogged this on Make Italy Yours.
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 9:01 pmThanks a lot Stefania 🙂
mukul chand
March 16, 2016 at 8:06 pmGreat Post.
Ishita
March 16, 2016 at 8:08 pmThanks Mukul 🙂 So nice to see you here.
mukul chand
March 16, 2016 at 8:09 pmwelcome