Umbria

Umbria is the only region of central Italy without a coast, a land of green hills, olive groves and medieval hill towns. Assisi, the town of St Francis, has a basilica covered with frescoes by Giotto, while Perugia is famous for its Etruscan arch, chocolate and jazz festival.

Orvieto rises on a cliff of tuff with one of Italy's most beautiful cathedrals, and Spoleto, Gubbio, Spello and Todi are perfect for slow travel. Nature lovers will find Lake Trasimeno, the Marmore waterfalls and the Sibillini mountains.

The green heart of Italy

Umbria is the only region of peninsular Italy without a coastline, and it is called the green heart of Italy for its woods, its hills covered with olive trees and its valleys crossed by the Tiber. It is a land of medieval hill towns, compact and welcoming art cities, saints and spirituality: Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, Saint Benedict of Norcia and Saint Rita of Cascia were all born here. The pace is slow, nature takes centre stage and the cooking is simple and genuine, with black truffles, extra-virgin olive oil, lentils and cured meats. Umbria is perfect for anyone looking for an authentic Italy, far from the crowds of the big cities.

Perugia, Etruscan and medieval capital

Perugia stands on a hill overlooking the Tiber valley. Corso Vannucci, the main street, links the Rocca Paolina, a papal fortress built over an entire medieval quarter that you now cross by escalator, to Piazza IV Novembre, with the Fontana Maggiore, a masterpiece by the Pisano family, and the Palazzo dei Priori, home to the National Gallery of Umbria with works by Perugino and Pinturicchio. The Etruscan Arch and the Etruscan Well recall the city's very ancient origins. Perugia is also a university town, with its University for Foreigners, and hosts Umbria Jazz in July and Eurochocolate, the great chocolate festival, in October.

Assisi, the city of Saint Francis

Assisi, a UNESCO site, is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the world. The Basilica of Saint Francis, built on two levels, holds the saint's tomb and frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti that tell the story of Francis's life. The Basilica of Saint Clare, the Cathedral of San Rufino, the Temple of Minerva on the main square and the Rocca Maggiore complete a visit to the town, built of pink stone from Monte Subasio. Outside the walls are the Eremo delle Carceri hermitage in the Subasio woods, the sanctuary of San Damiano and, on the plain, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli with the tiny Porziuncola chapel.

Spoleto, Todi and Spello

Spoleto is famous for the Festival of the Two Worlds, which brings music, theatre and dance to the town every summer. The cathedral, with frescoes by Filippo Lippi, the Rocca Albornoziana and the Ponte delle Torri, a medieval aqueduct eighty metres high, are its symbols. Todi, on a hill above the Tiber, has one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Italy, Piazza del Popolo, and the Renaissance church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. Spello, a village of pink stone, is renowned for Pinturicchio's frescoes in the Baglioni Chapel and for the Infiorata of Corpus Christi, when the streets are covered with carpets of flowers. Nearby, Bevagna and Montefalco, the balcony of Umbria, are other villages not to be missed.

Orvieto and the south-west

Orvieto rises on a tuff cliff overlooking the countryside. Its cathedral, with a Gothic facade covered in mosaics and marble, is one of the masterpieces of Italian architecture, and the San Brizio Chapel holds the Last Judgement frescoed by Luca Signorelli. Beneath the town lies a maze of caves and tunnels carved into the tuff, which can be visited with Orvieto Underground guides, and the Well of Saint Patrick, with its two spiral staircases, is a feat of Renaissance engineering. Around it, Lake Corbara and the Tiber valley are places of vineyards and peace. Further north, Lake Trasimeno, the largest in central Italy, has islands such as Isola Maggiore and towns such as Castiglione del Lago and Passignano.

Gubbio and northern Umbria

Gubbio is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Italy, built of grey stone on the slopes of Monte Ingino. The Palazzo dei Consoli, which towers over the hanging square, holds the Iguvine Tablets, the most important text in the ancient Umbrian language. Every year on 15 May, at the Festa dei Ceri, three teams race through the streets carrying huge wooden structures on their shoulders up to the basilica of Sant'Ubaldo at the top of the mountain, which can also be reached by a curious open-cage cable car. Further north, Città di Castello is the town of Alberto Burri, with two museums devoted to his work, and the upper Tiber valley is a land of tobacco and white truffles.

The Valnerina and the Sibillini Mountains

The Valnerina, the valley of the Nera river, is a mountain Umbria of gorges and abbeys. The Marmore Falls, near Terni, are among the highest man-made waterfalls in Europe, created by the Romans: the flow is regulated, and the most impressive spectacle is seen during the opening times. Norcia, birthplace of Saint Benedict, is the capital of norcineria, the art of pork butchery, and of the black truffle. Above Norcia lies the Piano Grande of Castelluccio, a karst plateau that between June and July is painted with the flowering of lentils, poppies and cornflowers. Cascia, town of Saint Rita, is a pilgrimage destination, and the abbey of San Pietro in Valle is a Romanesque gem hidden in the woods.

Food and wine

Umbrian cooking is made from the produce of the land and the peasant tradition. Black truffles from Norcia and Spoleto top strangozzi pasta and eggs; lentils from Castelluccio, small and tasty, are eaten in soup; porchetta, Norcia ham, capocollo and ciauscolo, a soft spreadable salami, are renowned cured meats. Torta al testo, a flatbread cooked on a stone griddle and filled with cured meats or greens, is Umbrian street food. Umbria's extra-virgin olive oil is among the best in Italy, and the Olive Oil Road crosses the strip between Assisi and Spoleto. Among the wines stand out Sagrantino di Montefalco, a powerful and long-lived red, Orvieto Classico, Torgiano Rosso Riserva and Grechetto. Perugia also produces the famous Baci chocolates.

Spirituality and walking routes

Umbria is a land of pilgrim routes. The Way of Saint Francis links the places of the saint's life from La Verna in Tuscany to Assisi and then on to Rome, passing hermitages, sanctuaries and villages. The Way of Saint Benedict starts in Norcia and reaches Subiaco and Montecassino. Many monasteries and convents offer hospitality to pilgrims and travellers, and abbeys such as Sassovivo near Foligno are places of deep silence. Even those who are not religious find in Umbria's walking routes a slow and profound way to discover the landscape.

When to go and how to get around

Spring and autumn are the best seasons: in spring the meadows bloom and the hills are vividly green, while in autumn olives, chestnuts and truffles are harvested and the villages organise food festivals and markets. Summer is the season of festivals, from Umbria Jazz to the Festival of the Two Worlds, and of Lake Trasimeno; winter is quiet and perfect for black truffles and nativity scenes. Trains link Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Foligno, Spoleto, Terni and Orvieto with Rome and Florence, but for the villages, the Valnerina and the countryside a car is recommended. Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi airport is the regional airport, and the airports of Rome and Florence are also convenient.