The only region in mainland Italy that touches neither sea nor foreign border, Umbria folds inward, all wooded ridges, terraced olive groves, and stone towns that seem to grow from the rock beneath them.
Go in April to June and September to October.
- Fly into
- Perugia (PEG)
- Capital
- Perugia
- Size
- 8,464 km² (3,268 sq mi)
- People
- 858,000
They call it il cuore verde d'Italia, the green heart, and the name fits a landscape of mist-softened valleys and Apennine slopes where the light falls slow and gold.
This is the land of Saint Francis, and something of his austerity lingers. In Assisi, Giotto's frescoes still draw pilgrims to the basilica; in Spoleto and Gubbio, medieval streets climb toward fortresses and cathedrals barely touched by the centuries. Umbrian cooking matches the terrain, honest and earthbound: hand-rolled strangozzi pasta, lentils from Norcia, the prized black truffle, and the crisp white wines of Orvieto.
Come in late spring, when Spello drapes its lanes in flowers for the Infiorate, or in autumn, when the truffle hunters return and the vineyards of Montefalco turn the colour of rust.
What to see in Umbria
Save the ones you want and we'll find which of our routes reaches the most in the fewest nights.
Basilica of San Francesco
Assisi The double basilica over Saint Francis's tomb, its walls covered by Giotto and Cimabue's frescoes.
Basilica of Santa Chiara
Assisi Saint Clare's striped basilica in Assisi, home of the San Damiano crucifix.
Marmore Falls
Terni The Romans' 165-meter man-made waterfall near Terni, released on a schedule tied to hydroelectric power.
Orvieto Cathedral
A Gothic façade of mosaics and sculpture opens onto a striped nave, Signorelli’s Last Judgment and the Chapel of the Corporal.
Palazzo dei Priori
Perugia’s Gothic town hall since 1297, with the National Gallery of Umbria and Perugino upstairs.
Fontana Maggiore
Perugia The Pisanos' carved fountain, medieval Perugia's marble encyclopedia.
St. Patrick's Well
Orvieto A Renaissance water-supply project commissioned in 1527, with two separate spiral stairways of 248 steps each around a central well shaft.
Spoleto Cathedral
The cathedral at the foot of Spoleto's sloping festival piazza, home to Filippo Lippi's last frescoes.
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How many nights in Umbria?
Choose your nights and the route redraws: where to sleep, what to see, and the towns an easy day out from each base.
3 nights in Umbria: Perugia for 2 and Assisi for 1.5 nights in Umbria: Perugia for 3 and Assisi for 2.7 nights in Umbria: Perugia for 3, Assisi for 2 and Spoleto for 2.10 nights in Umbria: Perugia for 3, Assisi for 2, Spoleto for 2 and Orvieto for 3.
Add your first day and each link opens on that stop's dates.
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Where to stay in Umbria
Each stop with what to see and, where we have them, a day out and the hotel we'd book.
- Day out
- Gubbio
An eighteenth-century palazzo on Corso Vannucci, once the city's coaching inn, with frescoed halls and Etruscan walls in the basement.
Check dates: Hotel Locanda della PostaMore in Perugia
A medieval castle with a tower, courtyard, rose garden and pool, about three kilometres from Perugia, for romantic or special-occasion stays.
Check dates: Castello di MonteronePriori Secret Garden
A design hotel in Perugia's medieval centre, a short walk from Corso Vannucci, whose rooftop garden hosts breakfast and aperitivo, with an art gallery.
Check dates: Priori Secret Garden
20 km from Perugia as the crow flies
The birthplace of Saint Francis is a pink-stone pilgrimage city rising on Monte Subasio.
A quiet hotel among olive groves, a short walk from Assisi's centre, with a pool, spa and countryside views for couples and families.
Check dates: Hotel La TerrazzaMore in Assisi
Hotel Porta Nuova
A renovated early twentieth-century villa a few steps from the entrance to Assisi's historic centre, with a rooftop terrace and valley-view rooms.
Check dates: Hotel Porta NuovaHotel Moderno Assisi
A hotel by Assisi's railway station and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, with garden, terrace and restaurant, handy for train travellers.
Check dates: Hotel Moderno Assisi
40 km from Assisi as the crow flies
Spoleto draws the world each summer for its Festival dei Due Mondi, a celebrated gathering of theatre, music, and dance.
- Day out
- Terni
A small boutique hotel in a twelfth-century former Franciscan convent near Spoleto's cathedral, with a private spa for couples.
Check dates: Aurora Boutique Hotel & Private SPA Etruria CollectionMore in Spoleto
Agriturismo Rivoli
A hilltop farm stay outside Spoleto with valley views, a pool, traditional Umbrian cooking in its restaurant and rooms in a former stable.
Check dates: Agriturismo RivoliCasale del Monsignore
A restored nineteenth-century farmhouse in the hamlet of Uncinano outside Spoleto, with a pool, garden and three self-contained living areas.
Check dates: Casale del Monsignore
50 km from Spoleto as the crow flies
Affittacamere La Rosa di Orvieto
A small B&B about two kilometres from Orvieto's historic centre, with four rooms, each with a private bathroom.
More in Orvieto
Affittacamere Valentina
A small guesthouse in Orvieto's old centre on Via Vivaria, with classic wood-furnished rooms and the cathedral a short walk away.
B&B Chiara e Benedetta
A four-room B&B with garden and terrace at Villa degli Ulivi, a ten-minute walk from Porta Maggiore and the Pozzo della Cava.
Other places to stay
Aurora Boutique Hotel & Private SPA Etruria Collection
A small boutique hotel in a twelfth-century former Franciscan convent near Spoleto's cathedral, with a private spa for couples.
Check dates: Aurora Boutique Hotel & Private SPA Etruria CollectionAffittacamere La Rosa di Orvieto
A small B&B about two kilometres from Orvieto's historic centre, with four rooms, each with a private bathroom.
Check dates in OrvietoAgriturismo Rivoli
A hilltop farm stay outside Spoleto with valley views, a pool, traditional Umbrian cooking in its restaurant and rooms in a former stable.
Check dates: Agriturismo RivoliCasale del Monsignore
A restored nineteenth-century farmhouse in the hamlet of Uncinano outside Spoleto, with a pool, garden and three self-contained living areas.
Check dates: Casale del Monsignore
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A traditional dinner from Umbria
Every course is one the region actually serves. Change any of them and the wine, the timing and the shopping list follow.
Antipasto
Torta al testo
An Umbrian griddle flatbread with a lightly crisp surface and a firm, tender crumb, cut into wedges while warm.
First course
Strangozzi al Tartufo Nero
Spoleto’s eggless ribbons under Norcia’s black truffle: grated or finely chopped, then stirred into warm garlic oil off the heat.
Main course
Palomba alla ghiotta, home-oven version
Farmed pigeon roasted under cover and finished in a red-wine ghiotta flavoured with chicken liver, prosciutto, herbs and juniper.
Side
Lenticchie di Castelluccio in Umido
The tiny lentils of the Castelluccio plain stewed with soffritto and sausage: Umbrian mountain food, and Italy’s New Year’s good-luck supper.
Dessert
Umbrian almond tozzetti
Twice-baked almond biscuits scented with anise, lemon zest and grappa.
What to pour
A Montefalco Rosso, the Sangiovese-based red from Sagrantino country: medium-bodied enough to let the truffle lead, with the structure to stand beside it.
Start the Umbrian almond tozzetti first: 1 hr 50 min.
Taste it there
Perugia's food, on foot
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What Umbria is known for
You will find these here and nowhere else.
Inside Gubbio's Palazzo dei Consoli, seven bronze tablets still spell out, in ancient Umbrian, the rites of twelve priests of Jupiter.
At Ferentillo the abbey of San Pietro in Valle keeps a Lombard altar slab signed by the man who carved it: Ursus magester fecit.
Terni's Christmas dome is nearly black: pepper, chocolate, honey, nuts and mosto cotto, made from early December to family recipes and given to friends.
Orvieto’s hillside wine country
Orvieto adds a wine-country chapter to Umbria’s city visits. Its production rules distinguish suitable hillside vineyards from wet or insufficiently sunny ground, making the landscape part of the wine’s definition. Begin with the relationship between a particular vineyard and the terrain around it; the name Orvieto is more than a view of the town above.
At Christmas
For a Christmas table with an Umbrian thread, compare apple-filled rocciata and almond tozzetti before choosing the sweet course. Castelluccio lentils offer another preparation for a winter meal. Keep Perugia’s torcolo in its own calendar: it belongs to San Costanzo on 29 January. For a visit to Gubbio, check the programme of seasonal events separately from the ordinary town visit.
