Anne Robichaud's guided tours of the other undiscoveredl Umbrian hill towns are rated as outstanding as those she does in Assisi. Umbria is a land of picturesque medieval towns, saints, culture, Gothic and Romanesque architecture, artistry, paintings, sculpture, woodworking maiolica pottery, cathedrals, castles, cuisine, religion, relics, and medieval history of Umbrians, Etruscans, and Romans... and too the festivals. Festivals honoring the towns saints and coloroful festivals of century old traditions. She offers FESTAtours which center around some of the great folkloristic festivals of the region, incorporatling guided tours of the town, a special 'festa' lunch and an inside look and understanding of the event as she tells you about the lhistorical origins and gets you in touch with the locals.: Feast of St. Francis in Assisi Oct. 4, the Corsa deil Ceri, that wonderful mad candle race in Gubbio, may 15, Good Friday in Assisi, Calendimaggio forst week end in may in Assisi, Mercato delle Gaite end of June In Bevagna, the Infiorate flower petal carpets in Spello in June, Umbria Jazz festival in Perugia in July and Orvieto around New Years, Christmas in Assisi, the Spoleto Festival in Julyl and more. And DON'T MISS her tours of Narni and Bevagna, two gems undiscovered by mass tourism which hide some extraordinary hidden secrets, not to be found on your own. Anne's knowled, personality and presentations continue to be outstanding. Her web site is www.annesitaly.com

Betty, <BR>Sounds like a commercial plug to me.

Jeri <BR> <BR>It's interesting you brought this up. I have read several recommendations for this Umbrian guide and they all seem similar, with her web address always included. While not minimizing her competence as a guide, I when I read these posts there's always the thought in the back of my mind that they are "planted." Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Is there any doubt that this is a sleazy attempt at free publicity? Just read it--sounds like promotional copy to me! Hey, lady, if that's the way you do business, I don't think we want you! <BR>Fodor's, dump this one!

Fodors - Is this what you want on your forums? Suggest deletion. <BR> <BR>Sent an e-mail to [email protected] requesting confirmation that this was not an advertisement. Have heard nothing in 8 hours so I must presume this is spam. <BR> <BR>What kind of poorly run business would need to muddy up a great forum like this with advertising? Certainly not one that was able to attract customers in the usual way. Must assume word of mouth is bad as well to drive them to use this method. I suppose one never knows, but I'd certainly avoid doing business with someone who does this. <BR> <BR>

I made a tour through Umbria last year. Iwasn't impressed at all, unless by Assisis, where I had been already, but it was a joy to come back. The other towns I visited were Orvieto, Spoleto and Spello. They are cute, but nothing specially interesting.Besides, they all look alike. I like Tuscany and Veneto best than I liked Umbria.

I thought this forum was for posting questions with beneficial comments as replies. What is Betty's question for us travelers? I am with above folks and maybe a commission is behind Betty's, "question"?

I probably would had used them, but I WILL NOT USE HER SERVICES, AFTER THIS OBVIOUS COMMERCIAL PLUG. Somebody that shows obvious disrespect for other commercial endeavors is obviously no good. Pay for your own website.

I took one of Anne Robichaud's guided tours and it SUCKED!