Assisi
Visible for miles around, the Basilica di San Francesco is the crowning glory of Assisi's Unesco-listed historic centre. The 13th-century complex is…
Must-see attractions in Umbria & Le Marche
Le Marche
Deep in the hill country near the remote village of Genga, the Grotte di Frasassi is one of Europe’s largest cave systems. This karst wonderland, gouged…
Orvieto
Nothing can prepare you for the visual feast that is Orvieto's soul-stirring Gothic cathedral. Dating from 1290, it sports a black-and-white banded…
Le Marche
This majestic hilltop sanctuary is one of Italy's most celebrated pilgrimage sites. The basilica, built between 1469 and 1587, is a stunning hybrid of…
Umbria
Although the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo, perched high on Monte Ingino, is a perfectly lovely church, the real adventure is getting there on the funivia. The…
Musei Civici di Palazzo Buonaccorsi
Le Marche
Deep in the historic centre, the 17th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi houses three of Macerata's best museums. The Museo delle Carozza boasts an extensive…
Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria
Perugia
Umbria's foremost art gallery is housed in Palazzo dei Priori on Perugia's main strip. Its collection, chronologically displayed over 40 rooms, is one of…
Ancona
Ancona's fascinating civic art gallery houses Le Marche's most important art collection. Spread over two 16th- to 17th-century palazzi, the museum traces…
Perugia
Flanking Corso Vannucci, this Gothic palace, constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, is architecturally striking with its tripartite windows,…
Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche
Ancona
Housed in the beautiful 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti, whose ceilings are covered with original frescoes and bas-reliefs, this museum presents a…
Todi
Just try to walk through Piazza del Popolo without trying to photograph it from every angle. The rectangular piazza is one of Umbria's finest medieval…
Palazzo Ducale – Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Urbino
Urbino’s great architectural masterpiece, the 15th-century Palazzo Ducale provides the monumental setting for the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche and its…
Perugia
In Perugia all roads seem to lead to Piazza IV Novembre. This historic square, flanked by Palazzo dei Priori and the Cattedrale, has been at the heart of…
Umbria
This panoramic piazza, the result of an ambitious 14th-century urban development plan, is medieval Gubbio's showpiece square. Commanding huge valley views…
Umbria
Narni’s main drawcard is this extraordinary subterranean underworld. Discovered by a group of young speleologists in 1977, and originally accessed through…
Spoleto
A flight of steps sweeps down to Spoleto's pale-stone cathedral, photogenically set on a graceful hillside piazza. Originally constructed to a Romanesque…
Le Marche
The poster child of the Parco del Conero's beaches is this dreamy white-pebble beach named after two rock stacks (the Due Sorelle or two sisters) that…
Ascoli Piceno
This harmonious piazza has been Ascoli's salotto (drawing room) since Roman times. The elegant rectangular space is flanked by the Chiesa di San Francesco…
Ascoli Piceno
Set around a tree-shaded courtyard, the second-largest art gallery in Le Marche sits inside the 17th-century Palazzo Comunale. The palace's aristocratic…
Perugia
Seat of Perugia's Moneychanger's Guild between 1452 and 1457, the extravagantly adorned Nobile Collegio del Cambio has three rooms: the Sala dei Legisti …
Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo
Perugia
Also known as the Chiesa or Tempio di Sant'Angelo, this 5th-century Romanesque church is one of the oldest in Italy (and the most appealing in Perugia)…
Spoleto
Many people gasp the first time they glimpse the medieval Ponte delle Torri, a 10-arch bridge that spectacularly spans a steeply wooded gorge – a scene…
Assisi
The upper church of the Basilica di San Francesco was built after the Basilica Inferiore and consecrated in 1253, and the change in style and grandiosity…
Assisi
The lower and earlier of the two churches comprising the Basilica di San Francesco, this basilica was commissioned by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, just two…
Cattedrale e Abbazia di San Pietro
Perugia
South of the town centre, past the Porta di San Pietro, is this atmospheric 10th-century basilica complex. The basilica, overlooked by a landmark bell…
Assisi
Perched on the forested slopes of Monte Subasio, this monastery is set around the caves where St Francis and his followers prayed and contemplated…
Ascoli Piceno
Topped by a pair of mismatched towers, Ascoli's cathedral was built in the 16th century and dedicated to St Emidio, the city's patron saint. Its most…
Assisi
Set amid lush olive groves 1.5km southeast of Assisi's historic centre, this atmospheric sanctuary is where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of…
Le Marche
There's fine walking to be had in the spectacular mountain country near the village of Montefortino. A stunning, and relatively accessible route, leads…
Umbria
Housed in Palazzo dei Consoli, this museum is home to the celebrated Iguvine Tables (also known as the Eugubian Tables or Tablets), seven bronze tablets…
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza
Ancona
Contrasting sharply with the industrial scenery of the nearby port, the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza is one of Ancona's showpiece churches. Its…
Le Marche
Once the residence of a powerful noble family, the 16th-century Palazzo Mosca provides the aristocratic setting for Pesaro's premier museum. Of the…
Spoleto
Dominating the skyline above Spoleto, this formidable fortress was built on the summit of Colle Sant’Elia as part of a 14th-century campaign to reassert…
Lago Trasimeno
This island, accessible by ferry from San Feliciano, is a delight – not so much for its sights, of which there aren't many, but for its glorious unspoiled…
Umbria
Head to this viewing balcony at the top of town for a living postcard view across the bucolic countryside below – on a clear day you can make out Assisi …
Assisi
Hidden for almost 600 years, St Francis' tomb was discovered beneath the Basilica di San Francesco in 1818 following a 52-day dig, and painstakingly…
Spoleto
Spoleto's Romanesque basilica, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site as part of the 'Longobards in Italy, Places of the Power (568-774 AD)' group, dates…
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
Umbria
The impressive 12th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore houses Spello's main draw – a wonderful cycle of frescoes by the Perugia-born artist…
Ancona
At the northern end of the port, the Arco di Traiano is one of Ancona's treasured ancient relics. Built between AD 110 and 116 by a Syrian architect known…
Todi
Climb the 14th-century bell tower of the Chiesa di San Fortunato for exhilarating views across the hills and castles surrounding Todi.
