Your Ultimate Guide to Umbria
If you’re on the hunt for a real taste of Authentic Italy, then you’re in the right place. Our Ultimate Guide to Umbria will take you from romantic medieval hilltop towns, like Assisi, Perugia, and Orvieto, to towns that host breathtaking traditional festivals, food and wine (some of the Best Places to Visit in Umbria). Not just that, we’ll help you figure how How to Get to Umbria, Italy, and fill you in on some of the best Food of Umbria and why the Umbria Wine Experience is absolutely unmissable. Finally, if you’re not sure Where to Stay then, well, we’ve got that covered, too!
DISCOVER AUTHENTIC ITALY: UMBRIA
Why Should You Visit Umbria?
It doesn’t matter if you’re interested in Italy’s rich history and culture, its innumerable works of art, its romantic landscapes, or its world-famous food and wine – Umbria has it all. That might seem like a big claim, but it’s true! This beautiful region, known as the Green Heart of Italy, is one of Italy’s lesser-known regions meaning that tourism and the rush of modern-day life & technology haven’t spoiled its authentic Italian feel. Here, you’ll find the official Slow Food cities, UNESCO heritage-listed sites, beautiful natural landscapes to explore, and so much more. And best of all? Umbria is located right in the middle of Tuscany and Lazio (where Rome is the capital), so getting to this secret oasis of Italian food, history & culture is easy.
YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO UMBRIA
How to Get to Umbria, Italy
By Air
By Train
By Car
A Brief History of Umbria, Italy
Best Places to Visit in Umbria: Must-Sees
Assisi: the Town of St. Francis
Perugia: Culture & Art
Orvieto: Medieval History and the “Città Slow”
Spello: the Infiorata
Montefalco: Wine Tasting in One of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages
Food of Umbria: A Taste of Authentic Italy
What Food is Umbria Famous For
Traditional Food in Umbria
The Umbria Wine Experience
Best Time to Visit Umbria, Italy
Where to Stay in Umbria: Umbria Villas
How to Get to Umbria, Italy
Before we tell you How to Get to Umbria, we need to answer Where is Umbria Located? Umbria is a small region in the center of Italy that shares borders with Tuscany, Le Marche, and Lazio. While we wouldn’t recommend arriving from Le Marche (unless you already have a trip planned there), its proximity to Tuscany and Lazio makes it easy to get to Umbria.
How to Get to Umbria: By Air
Umbria’s main airport is found in Perugia, the capital. You can find flights there from metropolitan cities like London, Barcelona, and Brussels, but if you’re arriving from anywhere else, we’d recommend flying into Florence or Rome instead. From there, you can get to Umbria by car or train.
How to Get to Umbria: By Train
You can book trains from Florence or Rome daily, and the journey will take around 2 to 3 hours. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful countryside rolling by as you make your way to the Green Heart of Italy. Check TrenItalia for tickets.
How to Get to Umbria: By Car
Our preferred option for How to Get to Umbria is by car, whether you hire a driver or take the wheel yourself to enjoy Umbria’s picturesque country roads. While you definitely don’t need a car, it will make your trip so much more enjoyable! You’ll be able to explore all the Best Places to See in Umbria (we have a list below!) without worrying about public transport timetables and restrictions.
You can rent a car from Perugia’s train station or from any airport you land at. And of course – if you choose to stay at Poggio Belvedere | By Vero, we have free parking available.
Alternatively, you could consider hiring a private driver so that you can really make the most of Umbria. We’d be more than happy to help you arrange this if you stay with us. Just reach out to find out more!
A Brief History of Umbria, Italy
Like most of the Italian peninsula, Umbria has a rich history dating back to the Bronze and Iron ages. Its name, Umbria, comes from the Umbri Tribe who are thought to have settled the area in the 6th century BC. Umbria’s famous hilltops made the perfect locations for easily defensible settlements, while its lush, fertile soils – thanks to the Tiber River – made it a haven for agriculture. Eventually, of course, Umbria fell to the Romans but not before the Etruscans invaded.
It’s amazing to think that we can still see so many elements of these ancient civilizations in modern Umbria. In fact, many of the Best Places to Visit in Umbria, places that really represent Authentic Italy, were built by the Umbri and Etruscan tribes – Spoleto, Gubbio, Perugia, and of course, Assisi. Plus, many of Umbria’s famous food traditions have been passed down from generation to generation, maintaining a rich heritage of producing food to sustain the family, a practice that continues today.
Best Places to Visit in Umbria: Must-Sees
Assisi: the Town of St. Francis
Of course, we had to start our list of the Best Places to Visit in Umbria, Italy with Assisi. Assisi is one of Umbria’s most famous towns and is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Italy and founder of the Franciscan order, was born here. His legacy is why the town is still recognized today as a symbol of peace around the world. As you can imagine, Assisi is rich in culture, art, history, and tradition.
Perugia: Culture & Art
Umbria’s capital city of Perugia is famous for its art and is home to Palazzo dei Priori, where you can find the National Gallery of Umbria. This beautiful medieval city was built on the edge of a cliff and has quite a tumultuous history, having been claimed as its own by the Etruscans, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, and more. Not to mention that for years its people battled for independence from the papal rule. These days, Perugia is a well-known university city that buzzes with youthful energy. It is also an Umbria Must See as it’s a great base to explore Mount Tezio park and experience some amazing Authentic Italian wines, like the Trebbiano Toscano.
Orvieto: Medieval History and the “Città Slow”
Orvieto also has Etruscan roots, but it has rather a different history and feel to Perugia. In fact, Orvieto ruled over Perugia in the 12th century along with a number of different towns in the area, extending into Lazio and Tuscany. Of course, this means there are plenty of historical and cultural spots to explore within Orvieto, not least the Orvieto Underground. Beneath the city lies a whole system of artificial caves filled with curiosities, like Saint Patrick’s Well. Orvieto is also known as a “Città Slow”, or a slow food city, making it an unmissable spot to try some of Umbria’s famous local food and wine!
Spello: the Infiorata
Spello is no doubt most famous for its incredible annual flower festival, which is truly like no other. Of course, there is plenty to see in this town outside of the famous infiorata, from its medieval features to Roman ruins to frescoes by Pinturicchio, but the flower festival is a highlight! The Infiorata is a long-running flower festival where the community comes together to create flower tapestries or carpets, creating intricate designs using colorful petals. It happens once a year on the Corpus Domini feast and is truly an Umbria Must See.
Montefalco: Wine Tasting in One of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages
Montefalco is situated high on a hill between Perugia and Spoleto and is known not only as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, but also as the ‘Balcony-Rail of Umbria’. This odd nickname is because the city looks out over fields of olive trees and grape vines. While Montefalco is hugely important for its art history, it’s also one of the Best Places to Visit in Umbria, Italy as it forms part of the Sagrantino Wine Route, a road exploring the land of one of Umbria’s most prestigious wines.
The list of Umbria Must-See Places could honestly go on and on, but there’s so much more we want to share with you!
From the Food of Umbria to the Umbria Wine Experience, and of course, Where to Stay in Umbria…so, stay tuned for a more in-depth post on the Best Places to Visit in Umbria, or take some time to check out these little-known towns that we love:
Panicale: between Trasimeno Lake and the Val di Chiana
Castiglione del Lago: Lakeside Swims and Kite Festivals
Todi: Relaxation (and Umbria’s Prettiest Square)
Deruta: Custodians of Majolica Ceramics
Solomeo: Home of cashmere King - Brunello Cucinelli
Gubbio & Rasiglia: the Oldest Town in Umbria
Food of Umbria: A Taste of Authentic Italy
It’s no secret that Italy is famous the world over for its food, the classic chime of ‘pizza, pasta, gelato!’. But Italian food is so much more than these three things (as good as they are), and the region to discover Authentic Italian cuisine is no doubt Umbria. The Food of Umbria is steeped in tradition and history; in fact, Umbria’s food is notably rustic, often referred to as “cucina povera”, or peasant cooking. This shouldn’t be confused as a bad thing though! In fact, so-called ‘peasant cooking’ really just means that each ingredient is given its place to shine, with a heavy focus on local, seasonal, and even homegrown ingredients.
Across Umbria, families still to this day grow food in their own backyards, purely to sustain their own households. They take pride in this, from curing their own prosciutto to their own liquid gold, extra virgin olive oil and even making their own wines. This rich heritage doesn’t stop with farming the ingredients though – it shines through in Umbria’s traditional dishes, which are without a doubt best experienced here in Umbria.
What Food is Umbria Famous For
It’s impossible to succinctly sum up What Food Umbria is Famous For in just a few short lines, but if we had to pick three foods, they’d be:
Truffles
Truffles, both black & white, are so prolific in Umbria that throughout the year (especially in November), you’ll find local truffle festivals all around the region. In towns like Pettino, farmers hunt truffles each and every day, and act as custodians to traditional methods of truffle hunting, farming and recipes. If you’d like to experience truffle hunting, Seven Café is an easy 30-minute drive from Poggio Belvedere | by Vero and they hunt some of the best black and white truffles in Umbria.
Olive Oil
Olive Oil is at the heart of Umbria’s food culture and has been produced here since around the 6th Century BC. In fact, Umbria was the first region of Italy to have its oil certified as DOP (Protected Designation of Origin). While olive oil is produced all across Umbria (including on our Estate!), the region’s “Capital” of Olive Oil production is Trevi. Trevi is a small medieval town with UNESCO heritage listing that is linked to Spoleto and Assisi through the “Olive Trail”, a path dedicated to olive groves stretching between the two towns.
Cured Meats & Cheeses
Every region and town of Italy seems to have its own famous local cured meats and cheese, and Umbria is no exception. Perhaps the Food Umbria is Famous For in this regard is Prosciutto di Norcia, a type of prosciutto cured in a way traditional to Norcia. In fact, Norcia has a long history of curing meats. Since Roman times, men from Norcia, called norcini, have been sought out for their meat products – and not just prosciutto! Some of the most famous cured meats of the region include corallina, capocollo, coppa di testa, mazzafegato, and more.
And as for the cheeses? Well, pecorino is definitely king here, but you might have to wait until we can write an entire blog post on the subject to discover more (or book your trip to Umbria and discover them for yourself!).
This list really shouldn’t stop here though! There is so much more food to discover in Umbria, from foraging for wild asparagus to delicious porchetta (pork) and more. If you’d like to receive updates about our new blog posts, sharing everything about Umbrian food, culture & history, then why not sign up to our newsletter below?
Traditional Food in Umbria, Italy
Again, it’s just not possible to share all about Traditional Food in Umbria, Italy in just a few lines, but the top two we absolutely have to mention are Lentils and Torta al Testo.
Traditional Foods of Umbria: Legumes
Perhaps one of the most famous views of Umbria (that you might not have realized is Umbria!), is the Flowering of the Lentils in Castelluccio di Norcia. Asides from making for some spectacular scenery, Umbria’s legumes, specifically the Fagiolina del Trasimeno, are so famous that they won the slow food award after almost getting lost in history. Now, it’s completely understandable if the idea of legumes, like lentils and chickpeas, doesn’t immediately excite you, but trust us, lentils in Umbria hit differently, from simple lentil soup to lentil pasta and more.
Torta al Testo: Food of Umbria
You can’t come to Umbria and not try Torta al Testo! Torta al Testo, meaning ‘Cake of the Tile’, is an ancient yet simple recipe dating back to Roman times when bread would be cooked on a disk of stone warmed over a chimney. This flatbread can be served either cut into pieces on its own, or filled with cured meats, cheeses, and vegetables as a type of sandwich.
The Umbria Wine Experience
If you’ve spent any time browsing the Vero blog, you might have noticed that we’re particularly passionate about the Umbria Wine Experience (and the Italy wine experience, in general!). Umbria’s rich history isn’t just about art or Roman Ruins or romantic hilltop towns – it also has deep ties to the production of wine. While Umbria has been producing world-class wine for years, it’s only recently that it began to take its well-deserved place in the spotlight. And the thing setting the Umbria Wine Experience apart? It’s authenticity, of course.
The reason Umbrian wines flew under the radar for so long is that they’re made by humble locals who’ve been continuing family and local traditions for years. Many Umbrian winemakers are still making wines for passion, rather than prestige. Slowly though, the world is catching on to the Umbria Wine Experience, from its indigenous grape varieties to its amazing natural wine movement. Umbrian varietals to look out for include white grapes like Grechetto and Trebbiano, and reds like Sangiovese, and the antioxidant powerhouse, Sagrantino.
Best Time to Visit Umbria, Italy
Let’s just say, there is a reason Umbria is known as the Green Heart of Italy! All around its Etruscan and medieval hilltop towns, you’ll find patchwork fields from sunflowers to lentils, olive trees to grape vines. If you really want to make the most of Umbria’s amazing nature, then we believe the Best Time to Visit Umbria, Italy is in September and October. The end of summer and the start of fall is when the weather starts to cool down, there are fewer tourists to contend with, and it’s the ideal time for wine, oil, Umbria’s famous local cuisine, and enjoying nature. But of course, it depends on what you want to visit Umbria for! For example, if you’re interested in the artistic riches and cultural sites, then visiting in the low season isn’t a bad idea. Or, if you’d like a poolside escape from the hot, sticky streets of Florence and Rome, well… we’re open all summer long!
Where to Stay in Umbria: Umbria Villas
So, you’ve read our Ultimate Guide to Umbria and you’re ready to come and explore – from its medieval hilltop towns to its history-steeped food and flower festivals. Just one question remains: Where to Stay in Umbria?
We’d love nothing more than to welcome you here at our very own Umbrian Villa, Poggio Belvedere | by Vero. Our exclusive 17th-century countryside estate has 4 elegantly designed apartment rentals and is exactly 2-hours between Rome and Florence. It has been recently restored with care to provide you with the very best experience Umbria has to offer, including custom stone and woodwork, and the very best Made in Italy brands. Almost all of the Best Places to Visit in Umbria (listed above!) can be reached in under 45 minutes, making it the perfect base to explore. And, in the true spirit of slow living and travel, we’ve created a peaceful getaway where you can experience it all. Book one of our authentic Vero Experiences, or spend your days in, soaking up the private gardens, enjoying our pool with breathtaking vineyard views, and have local produce delivered, ready to enjoy Umbria’s famous foods in your own alfresco dining area.
Are you ready to plan your own Umbria Getaway and discover the beauties and wonders of Authentic Italy? Get in touch to book your stay at Poggio Belvedere | by Vero today. It would be our pleasure to help you make the most of your stay.
Do you have questions about our Ultimate Guide to Umbria? We want you to love Umbria as much as we do, so we’re happy to help! Just share your thoughts in the comments below, and we promise we’ll reply soon.
