Umbria

Umbria is fast becoming what Tuscany was a few decades ago - popular with tourists, but not yet completely overrun. That’s not to say you won’t find thousands of people visiting Umbria, but you’re still likely to find fewer tourists in Umbria than in neighboring Tuscany, or in Rome or Venice. So far, this region just hasn’t made it onto the “must-see” list of most first-time tourists to Italy.

Almost in the center of Italy, Umbria borders Tuscany to the west, Le Marche to the east, and the Lazio region (the one that includes Rome) to the south. It’s very easy to travel in, as most of the bigger towns are well-connected by Italy’s trains. The sights that are not near train stations might have a bus connection, but if you’re really hoping to venture beyond the tourists you might opt for a car rental - at least while you’re touring Umbria - to help you reach the more remote locations. You might also want to look into renting a vacation house in a central location in Umbria, so you can really get to know the area better.

Where to Go in Umbria
So, for those folks who simply must do the Rome-Florence-Venice trilogy, bypassing all else, what are they missing by skipping Umbria? People who’ve stepped off the beaten path and spent time in Umbria know - the scenery and hill towns are much like those of Umbria’s western neighbor, Tuscany, although Umbria is a bit more mountainous. There are one-of-a-kind sights in Umbria as well, and although they’re not necessarily on the scale of a Sistine Chapel, they’ll certainly satisfy art and history lovers alike. These are just a few of the places to visit on a trip through Umbria.

• Perugia - Umbria’s capital city, Perugia is the largest city in the region and is perhaps most famous these days for its chocolate. The Perugina factory (makers of those chocolate-hazelnut confections wrapped in silver foil and called “Baci,” or kisses) is based in Perugia, and each October the city hosts an enormous chocolate festival. Every July, Perugia is also where you’ll find one of Europe’s biggest jazz festivals as well. There are two major universities in Perugia which have worldwide reputations for teaching Italian to foreigners, so the town’s population is often quite multicultural. The sights in Perugia include the city’s cathedral, the town hall, a gallery featuring Umbrian art, and several churches and historic buildings scattered throughout the city.
• Assisi - Even non-religious people probably first think of St. Francis when they hear about the town of Assisi, and although visitors to Assisi need not be pilgrims, they’ll certainly be quite aware of the influence of St. Francis throughout the town. The Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the town’s major sight and is where St. Francis is buried. An earthquake in 1997 badly damaged the church and destroyed a 13th-century Cimabue fresco, but the basilica has since been restored and reopened, and remains a popular destination for both tourists and pilgrims alike. Other Assisi sights include several more churches and basilicas, two medieval castles and the town’s cobbled medieval streets themselves. If you’re looking for souvenirs, there’s a particular form of embroidery which originated here in the 13th century.
• Spoleto - Spoleto is certainly not a large city, but it is home to a major annual arts festival - the Festival dei Due Mondi, or Festival of the Two Worlds. It began in 1958, and runs each summer with three weeks of music, theater and dance performances. Even if you visit during the rest of the year, however, the small town of Spoleto has other sights to entice you, including several Roman-era structures and beautiful historic churches.
• Hill Towns - Like its neighbor Tuscany, Umbria also has several charming hill towns which have been delighting visitors for years. And like Tuscan hill towns, Umbrian hill towns are often easier to reach by car or bus than by train. Some of the Umbrian hill towns worth seeing are Orvieto (with its dramatic views, Gothic cathedral, Papal residence and Etruscan ruins), Gubbio (with its medieval center, Roman ruins and annual foot race dedicated to Sant’Ubaldo), Montefalco (with its many lovely churches and 13th-century town hall), and Todi (with its many medieval structures and churches).

Umbria calls itself “the green heart of Italy,” and once you spend any time passing through its countryside you’ll be able to see why. This is also a popular region to visit in Italy if you’re into outdoor adventure sports, such as paragliding, hang gliding, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and rafting. Of course, this is still Italy, so you can expect to be treated to some of the best food and wine on the planet.

While Umbria is gaining in popularity with visitors and expats alike, it’s got a long way to go to catch up to the sheer number of people who visit Tuscany each year. What you get in Umbria is a region that’s used to welcoming visitors, but hasn’t yet grown weary of them. And that sounds just about perfect.