Umbria - hill towns, pilgrimage, art and truffle country

The Umbrian landscape is wilder than Tuscany's, with towns perched above wooded valleys and roads that pass vineyards, farms and olive-covered slopes. Assisi is the region's great pilgrimage destination, Spoleto combines Roman remains with a summer arts festival, and Orvieto rises from a volcanic plateau above a network of Etruscan wells and caves.

Plan an Umbrian stay

Umbria is compact enough to explore by day trip, but it rewards a base and a slower rhythm. Perugia is the largest and liveliest choice, especially when arriving from the north. Assisi is busy when coach groups arrive and peaceful in the early morning and evening. Spoleto and Orvieto are the most developed bases farther south, while Gubbio and Todi are among the towns that make a rural stay appealing.

Arriving and getting around

Trenitalia operates direct trains each day between Florence, Rome, Perugia and Assisi. Local services reach the same corridor from Terontola on the Rome-Florence line and from Foligno on the Rome-Ancona line. Intercity services on the Rome-Florence route stop at Orvieto, while the Rome-Ancona route serves Narni, Terni, Spoleto and Foligno.

Buses are dependable but slow because they stop in many towns, and they are often the only public transport for smaller hill towns. Driving is the practical alternative for vineyards, countryside and villages away from the rail lines. A car also makes a rural hotel or farm stay much easier, although the old centers themselves are usually better explored on foot.

For an arrival through Rome, Orvieto is about an hour from Fiumicino by train or roughly an hour and a half by car. Florence and Pisa remain useful gateways for a wider central-Italy route, while a connecting flight can also reach Perugia.

Rural stays and reservations

Agriturismi occupy converted private homes, working farms and vineyards, and the countryside near Gubbio, Orvieto and Todi also has villas, farms and monasteries adapted as higher-end hotels. The countryside repays the extra distance, provided you have a car. Reserve before travelling rather than relying on a same-day room; a local tourist office may be able to help if you arrive without a booking.

When to go

Spring and fall are the easiest all-round seasons. In July and August, begin sightseeing early to avoid the midday sun and the busiest hours. Winter makes museums and restaurants in the cities calmer, but always check seasonal opening before driving into the countryside; rain is common and snow is possible.

Assisi and the Franciscan hill

Assisi, 28 km southeast of Perugia, is one of the Christian world's major pilgrimage destinations and the home of the Basilica di San Francesco. The town's medieval architecture and quiet streets offer a welcome change from Italy's larger cities, although millions of pilgrims and visitors arrive every year.

Getting to Assisi and parking

Assisi lies on the Terontola-Foligno rail line, with almost hourly connections to Perugia and direct trains to Rome and Florence several times a day. The Stazione Centrale is 4 km from the walled town, and a bus runs about every half hour. By road, use the A1/E35 between Rome and Florence and then the SS75. The historic town is closed to ordinary traffic, so leave cars at Porta San Pietro, near Porta Nuova or beneath Piazza Matteotti. Pay at the parking cassa before returning to the car; frequent minibuses make the climb easier, with tickets sold at nearby newsstands and tobacco shops.

Assisi sights

• ✦Basilica di San Francesco - the monument contains a Romanesque lower church and a Gothic upper church, both covered with major Italian frescoes. Giotto's work fills the Upper Church, while the Lower Basilica includes paintings by Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and Giotto's workshop. Piazza di San Francesco, Assisi; phone 075/8190084; admission free.
• ✦Basilica di Santa Chiara - the red-and-white facade frames a broad piazza and a view across the Umbrian plain. The church is dedicated to Saint Clare, whose body is kept here, and the Cappella del Crocifisso contains the cross associated with Saint Francis. Piazza Santa Chiara, Assisi; phone 075/812216; admission free.
• ✦Cattedrale di San Rufino - Francis and Clare were baptized here. The complex includes the crypt of Saint Rufino and a small museum with detached frescoes and artifacts. The church is free; the crypt and museum cost €4, the bell tower and museum €5, and the bell tower alone €2. The museum is closed Wednesday. Piazza San Rufino, Assisi; phone 075/812712.
• ✦Eremo delle Carceri - this monastery sits about 4 km east of Assisi in dense woodland on Monte Subasio. The walk from town is pleasant and trails continue across the wooded hillside. Via Eremo delle Carceri 38, Assisi; phone 075/812301; donations accepted.
• ✦Santa Maria Sopra Minerva - the classical facade belongs to a structure first dedicated to the Roman goddess of wisdom during the time of Augustus. It later served as a monastery and prison before becoming a church; the interior was transformed in the Baroque period. Piazza del Comune 14, Assisi; phone 075/812361; admission free.

Assisi restaurants and places to stay

Assisi restaurants cover simple Umbrian cooking, seasonal dishes and terraces facing the basilica. Average main-course prices below are €16 at Buca di San Francesco, €22 at Osteria Piazzetta dell'Erba and Trattoria Pallotta, and €23 at Ristorante Bar San Francesco.

• ✦Buca di San Francesco - a central restaurant with a green garden in summer and low vaulted cellars in winter. Try the homemade spaghetti alla buca with roasted mushroom sauce. Via Eugenio Brizi 1, Assisi; phone 075/812204; average main €16; closed Monday and for 10 days in late July.
• ✦Osteria Piazzetta dell'Erba - inventive Italian cooking with porcini risotto, salads, seasonal ingredients, sushi options and unusual desserts. Via San Gabriele dell'Addolorata 15/b, Assisi; phone 075/815352; average main €22; closed Monday and for a few weeks in January or February.
• ✦Ristorante Bar San Francesco - a covered terrace looks towards the Basilica di San Francesco, while the menu changes with the seasons and uses locally grown herbs. Via di San Francesco 52, Assisi; phone 075/812329; average main €23.
• ✦Trattoria Pallotta Assisi - a family-run dining room with traditional dishes, including strangozzi alla pallotta, pigeon and rabbit. The connected inn has eight rooms. Vicolo della Volta Pinta 3, Assisi; phone 075/8155273; average main €22; closed Tuesday.
• ✦Borgo Castello Panicaglia - a historical building between Assisi and Gubbio, modernized as a rustic-chic hotel with 17 rooms. Località Panicaglia, Nocera, 24 km northeast of Assisi; rooms from €295; a car is needed.
• ✦Hotel Umbra - a central 16th-century town house near Piazza del Comune, with a vine-covered terrace and 24 rooms. Via degli Archi 6, Assisi; rooms from €125; closed November to late March.
• ✦Nun Assisi Relais & Spa Museum - a 1275 monastery converted into a high-end stay, with a spa set in ancient Roman baths. Via Eremo delle Carceri 1A, Assisi; 18 rooms; rooms from €664.

Spoleto and the Festival dei Due Mondi

Spoleto is 46 km south of Assisi, 63 km southeast of Perugia and 80 km east of Orvieto. For most of the year it is a quiet hill town, but for more than two weeks each summer the Festival dei Due Mondi fills it with theater, opera, concerts, painting and sculpture. Demand for rooms rises sharply during the festival, so confirm a reservation before arriving.

Getting to Spoleto and moving uphill

From Perugia, the drive takes about an hour. From the E45, follow the Assisi and Foligno direction, continue on the SS75 to Foligno Est, then take the SS3 to Spoleto. Parking inside the walls includes Piazza Campello below the Rocca, Via del Trivio and Piazza San Domenico. Piazza della Vittoria and marked lots near the train station are further options. Regular trains run on the Perugia-Foligno line. The station is 1 km from the lower town and about a 15-minute uphill walk from the center; local buses and taxis make the climb easier, and bus connections run every 15 to 30 minutes.

The Spoleto Card costs €12 and includes several museums, among them Casa Romana, La Rocca Albornoz and Teatro Romano, as well as guided tours. It is sold online, at included sights and at some hotels. The local information office is listed at Spoleto Tourism, Largo Ferrer 6, phone 0743/218620.

Spoleto sights

• ✦Casa Romana - a first-century Roman house arranged around an atrium over an impluvium, with geometric mosaics in black and white. Palazzo del Municipio, Via di Visiale 9, Spoleto; phone 0743/40255; admission €3 or free with the Spoleto Card; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
• ✦Duomo di Spoleto - eight rose windows brighten the cathedral, while the apse holds Fra Filippo Lippi's fifteenth-century fresco cycle. The cathedral is free; its audio guide costs €5, or €10 for the expanded route covering the upper church, bell tower, Sala della Grande Bellezza, Diocesan Museum and Sant'Eufemia. Piazza del Duomo 2; the cathedral information number is 0577/286300.
• ✦La Rocca Albornoz - a mid-fourteenth-century fortress with six towers, two courtyards, an upper loggia and reception rooms built over Roman remains. Piazza Campello, Spoleto; phone 0743/224952; admission €7.50 including the Museo Nazionale del Ducato, or free with the Spoleto Card.
• ✦Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive - an eighteenth-century palace showing Italian contemporary art, international artists, a reconstructed noble apartment and a picture gallery. Piazza Collicola 1, Spoleto; phone 0743/46434; admission €9 or free with the Spoleto Card; closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
• ✦Ponte delle Torri - a free fourteenth-century bridge over the gorge towards Monteluco, built on Roman aqueduct foundations and rising 262 feet above the wooded ravine. Via del Ponte, Spoleto.
• ✦Teatro Romano - a first-century Roman theater still used during the Festival dei Due Mondi. Piazza della Libertà, Spoleto; phone 0743/223277; admission €4 or free with the Spoleto Card; closed Monday through Wednesday.

Spoleto restaurants and hotels

• ✦Il Tartufo - truffle dishes in a setting that incorporates Roman-villa remains, with outdoor tables in summer. Piazza Garibaldi 24, Spoleto; phone 0743/40236; average main €22; closed Monday and early January to early February, with no dinner Sunday.
• ✦Il Tempio del Gusto - Umbrian cooking, local wines, vegetables and seasonal truffles near the Arco di Druso. Via Arco di Druso 11, Spoleto; phone 0743/47121; average main €19; closed Thursday.
• ✦Ristorante Apollinare - a candlelit former monastery serving modern versions of local dishes, with porcini and truffles in season. Via Sant'Agata 14, Spoleto; phone 0743/223256; average main €24; closed Tuesday.
• ✦Ristorante Il Panciolle - a small lemon-tree garden in the medieval quarter, with changing dishes based on asparagus, mushrooms, grilled meats and seasonal truffles. Via del Duomo 3/5, Spoleto; phone 0743/45677; average main €14.
• ✦Hotel San Luca - a 35-room hotel with spacious rooms, a rose garden and convenient access to the city escalators. Via Interna delle Mura 21, Spoleto; rooms from €104.
• ✦Palazzo Leti Residenza d'Epoca - a late-thirteenth-century residence high in the old town, with landscaped gardens and panoramic views. Via degli Eremiti 10, Spoleto; 12 rooms; rooms from €125.

Orvieto above the volcanic plateau

Orvieto stands 30 km southwest of Todi, 78 km southwest of Perugia and 81 km west of Spoleto, on a broad plateau of soft volcanic rock above a green valley. The Etruscans cut more than 1,200 wells and storage caves into the tufa, and later residents added cisterns, workshops, passages and spaces for wine. The upper town is a maze of lanes and squares, with the Duomo and Orvieto Classico wine as its most recognizable signatures.

Getting to Orvieto and reaching the upper town

Trains connect Orvieto with Rome, Florence and Perugia, and the town is next to the A1 autostrada. Parking in the upper town fills quickly. Follow the signs for the Campo della Fiera parking lot, then use the escalators or elevator up the hill. The local information office is at Piazza del Duomo 24; Live Orvieto is the visitor reference and the phone number is 0763/341772.

Orvieto sights

• ✦Duomo di Orvieto - built to commemorate the Miracle at Bolsena, the cathedral combines gold mosaics and a striking facade with the Cappella del Corporale's reliquary and Luca Signorelli's frescoes of the Cappella di San Brizio. The €8 ticket also covers the cathedral underground, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Museo Emilio Greco, and is included with Carta Unica. Piazza del Duomo; phone 0763/342477.
• ✦Museo Etrusco Claudio Faina - a private collection particularly rich in Greek and Etruscan pottery, including Attic amphorae, bucchero vessels, a sixth-century sarcophagus and Roman coins. Piazza del Duomo 29, Orvieto; phone 0763/341511; admission €6 or free with Carta Unica; closed Tuesday.
• ✦Orvieto Underground - a guided route through tufa cisterns, caves, passages, storage rooms and production spaces beneath the town. Tours leave daily at 11, 12:15, 4 and 5:15 from Piazza del Duomo 23. Admission is €8 or included with Carta Unica; reserve one day ahead in summer. Phone 0763/344891.
• ✦Pozzo della Cava - a shorter underground visit through nine excavated caves, with medieval houses and archaeological finds around an Etruscan well. Via della Cava 28, Orvieto; phone 0763/342373; admission €4 or free with Carta Unica; closed from mid-January to late January.

Orvieto restaurants and hotels

• ✦Le Grotte del Funaro - traditional Umbrian food and pizza inside tufa caves, with a strong local and Italian wine list. Via Ripa Serancia 41, Orvieto; phone 0763/343276; average main €17; closed Monday and for 10 days in July.
• ✦Ristorante Maurizio - family products such as balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pasta appear in robust traditional dishes inside a fourteenth-century building near the Duomo. Via del Duomo 78, Orvieto; phone 0763/343212; average main €17.
• ✦Trattoria La Grotta - a small vaulted dining room known for homemade pasta, local ingredients, seasonal sauces and roasted meats. Via Luca Signorelli 5, Orvieto; phone 0763/341348; average main €15; closed Tuesday.
• ✦Eremito - a modern monastery near Parrano where guests sleep in simple cells, take vegetarian meals by candlelight and have no Wi-Fi. Località Tarina 2, Parrano, 28 km north of Orvieto; 14 rooms; rooms from €370; a car is necessary.
• ✦Hotel Palazzo Piccolomini - a restored sixteenth-century family palace with private parking and contemporary rooms beneath old beams and vaults. Piazza Ranieri 36, Orvieto; phone 0763/341743; 32 rooms; rooms from €150; closed January and February.
• ✦Locanda Palazzone - a thirteenth-century country-house stay 5 km northwest of Orvieto, with vineyard views, an in-house chef and split-level rooms. Località Rocca Ripesena 68, Orvieto; phone 0763/393614; seven rooms; rooms from €263; closed mid-December to mid-March.

Eating and drinking in Umbria

Umbrian cooking is hearty and straightforward, built for a mountainous region and long days of work. Look for local dishes a few streets away from the main sights, and order what is in season. Spoleto is known for good food and service, while Montefalco and Bevagna are strong choices for restaurants and wine merchants. Tasting menus called degustazione are common enough to make it easy to sample several local specialties.

Truffles, oil and pork

Spoleto and Norcia are especially associated with tartufo nero, the black truffle with a reddish interior and fine white veins inside. The milder scorzone estivo is in season from May through December, while scorzone autunnale appears from October through December. Olive trees cover the Apennine hills, where slow ripening produces oil valued for low acidity. Trevi is especially known for intensely green, fruity oil, and its wine bars often offer tastings on toasted bread.

Pork is central to the traditional table. Porchetta is roasted on a spit and seasoned with fennel and aromatic herbs, while Norcia's long charcuterie tradition is why Italian cured-meat makers are known as norcini. Prosciutto di Norcia spends two years maturing. In the hills around Castelluccio di Norcia, look for lentils, farro and beans, and try imbrecciata, a bean-and-grain soup seasoned with local herbs. Other Umbrian soups may include mushrooms, spelt, chickpeas, sorrel, wild beets and saffron grown near Cascia.

Sagrantino and the Umbrian wine route

Sagrantino is Umbria's signature red grape. Sagrantino passito is a semisweet wine made from grapes dried after picking, while Montefalco Sagrantino secco is the dry style. Both are deep ruby in color, full-bodied and rich. Enotecas and wine bars make tastings easier to arrange, and many also pour olive oils with bruschetta. In Montefalco, La Strada del Sagrantino can help organize tasting appointments.

The Umbrian meal

A traditional central Italian menu follows five stages: antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno and dolce. Ordering at least two courses is the practical rule, because a meat or fish main may arrive without a side dish. In rural towns, lunch is usually served from 12:30 to 2 and dinner from 7:30 to 10, although seasonal schedules vary.