Italy Guide
Umbria
Often referred to as "the green heart of Italy", Umbria is a predominantly beautiful and – despite the many visitors – a largely unspoiled region of rolling hills, woods, streams and valleys. To the east, pastoral countryside gives way to more rugged scenery, none better than the dramatic twists and turns of the Valnerina and the high mountain landscapes of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini.
Most visitors head for Perugia, Assisi – the latter with its extraordinary frescoes by Giotto in the Basilica di San Francesco – or Orvieto, whose Duomo is one of the greatest Gothic buildings in the country. For a taste of the region's more understated qualities, it's best to concentrate on lesser-known places such as Todi, Gubbio, ranked as the most perfect medieval centre in Italy, and Spoleto, for many people the outstanding Umbrian town. Although there are few unattractive parts of the Umbrian landscape (the factories of Terni and the Tiber Valley being the largest blots), some districts are especially enticing: principally the mountainous Valnerina, Piano Grande and Lago Trasimeno, the last of which is the largest lake in the Italian peninsula, with plenty of opportunities for swimming and watersports.
Highlights
1 Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria The region's finest and largest collection of medieval and Renaissance Umbrian paintings.
2 Gubbio Best-looking of Umbria's medieval hill-towns, and without Assisi's crowds and commercialism.
3 Basilica di San Francesco Burial place of St Francis and one of Italy's great buildings, with frescoes by Giotto and Simone Martini.
4 Valle di Spoleto A swathe of country with four of the region's most compelling villages: Spello, Bevagna, Trevi and Montefalco.
5 San Francesco, Montefalco One of Umbria's best small galleries, with a major fresco cycle by Benozzo Gozzoli.
6 Piano Grande A glorious upland plain, the centrepiece of the Monti Sibillini national park.
7 Duomo, Orvieto On a par with the cathedrals in Milan and Siena, Orvieto's Duomo has a glorious facade and a majestic fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli.